You don’t have to spend a fortune to get fit. In fact, you don’t even have to spend a penny to start getting fitter and seeing an improvement in your physique.
Getting ‘fit’ is quite broad. Getting fit to one individual could be having their abs visible, whilst getting fit to another could be running a 10k. For me, getting fit is being happy with my physique whilst also not putting any strains on daily life. I enjoy my food, a drink and visiting places without having to think what my next meal must consist of or how many calories I’m burning. I think most people are like this.
The first thing you want to do when wanting to get fit on a budget, is set some specific goals. ‘I want to get healthy’ isn’t a specific goal. Running a 10k by a certain date is, as is losing X amount of weight by a certain date. Along with setting specific goals, they need to be realistic. If you aren’t a seasoned runner, getting fit enough to run a 10k in a few weeks isn’t very likely. The same goes for wanting to lose weight. Don’t expect to lose a few stone in a few weeks, certainly not in a healthy way.
Once you know your goal (s), you can determine what equipment (if any) you need. If your goal is to run a certain distance, then you probably don’t need to join a gym. If your goal does require a gym, then we are lucky enough to live in a world where you can get a monthly gym membership from as low as £10 a month. In more cases than not, the equipment in a budget gym will give you the same results as a gym that costs 2-3 times more. The only time you should end up paying more for a membership is if your goal requires you to swim, which can bump up the price quite a bit.
So, at this point, depending on your goal, you may still be yet to open your wallet. However, this is getting fit on a budget, not for free. So, unless you plan on getting fit in some jeans and a shirt, you are going to have to fork out on some gym kit, which is exciting! Did you know that you can still work just as hard, burn as many calories and look just as good without an expensive brand of activewear? If you are comfortable in your kit, why does it matter? A good thing to do is work out the money you can save by buying cheaper activewear, and then put it to one side. Once you reach your goal, use the money to do something you enjoy, like a meal out for example.
Of course, this article wouldn’t be complete without writing a little bit about nutrition. The best thing you can do to save money on food is to plan your meals. We all have time to do a food shop and we all have time to prep food for the week. The worst ways to waste money on food are buying your food prep from a meal prep company and eating out all the time. My average weekly shop is around £35, and this gets me everything I need for the week. I eat 5-6 times a day! The average meal from a prep company costs around £3 if you buy in bulk. Let say you are eating 3 meals a day; which I think we can agree is fairly normal, it would only take 10 meals, or roughly just over 3 days, until you’re out of food and have spent nearly the same as my weekly shop! This is just more money you can be saving to use when you reach your goal!
Reaching your goal on a budget is very achievable in today's society. We are very lucky to live in a time where the fitness industry is growing rapidly and there is an opportunity to get involved in fitness everywhere, regardless of people’s budget.
