We all want to get in shape and stay fit and one of the ways we try to do this is with a gym membership. It gives you access to equipment that you might not be able to afford or have room for. But what happens when you can’t afford the membership. Here are some helpful tips for getting in shape when money is tight.
Try your best to change the way you eat and drink food, choose healthier methods to get your body into shape. You want to stay away from additives such as high fructose corn syrup, which can be found in a lot of sodas. Your best bet would be to drink water and stay away from sodas and fattening drinks in general.
You can enhance the quality of your workouts by taking a moment to loosen up the joints in your hips and lower back. With both hands on the squat rack, slowly lower your body until both thighs are just parallel with the ground. After 30 seconds in this position, slowly raise yourself back up. This should be performed for about five to ten minutes before each workout.
Walk barefoot. This will help strengthen your calf muscles as well as your ankles. This is especially helpful for women, who shorten their calf muscles by walking in high heels so often. Stretching your leg and ankle muscles cuts down on stiffness and encourages flexibility and mobility. Walking barefoot also helps your sense of balance.
A great fitness tip is to start doing skull crushers. Skull crushers are a unique exercise that can help put a lot of meat on your triceps. In order to do them you must lay back with a bar in your hands and bring it back behind your head, bending your arms.
A great tip to boost your metabolism and increase the speed at which you burn calories is simple: take a walk after meals. This technique kick-starts your metabolism and begins burning fat, protein and other nutrients. By walking after meals, you ensure that your metabolism is working at a high rate throughout the day–you also make it more difficult for your body to store calories as fat.
Keep your squatting posture perfect to help you build up abdominal muscles. Many people believe that squats are only beneficial to the legs and butt, but that is not the case. If you always use proper form when squatting, this can actually work out both your abs and your chest as well.
For people over 40, it is important to stretch for at least 60 seconds before a workout. This is because the older a person is, the less flexible your muscles are. For people 40 and under, it is recommended that you stretch for 30 seconds prior to a workout.
If you have joint pain, try swimming for exercise. Running, tennis, soccer, and other high-impact sports can be jarring on joints and cause a lot of pain. Swimming is a great option for those suffering from joint pain because the water gives buoyancy and eliminates impact. So give your joints a rest, and try lap swimming or a water aerobics class.
If running forms the core of your fitness routine, breathe with your belly for maximum running performance. When you exhale, you stomach should be tucked in tight; on the inhale it should expand out. This form of breathing engages the diaphragm and lets you make use of your total lung capacity. It improves endurance and breathing efficiency.
When doing crunches, it is vital that you are doing them the right way. If you aren’t, you run the risk of injuring your muscles. Make sure your back is pressed on the floor firmly during the entire routine. Also, do not bend your neck forward as you are crunching upward.
Remember that not everything you read about exercise is true. Always check the credentials of the author you’re looking at or the trainer you’re working with, before accepting their word as gospel. Some might be very new to the field, or just expressing their own theories that have not been proven.
A good way to stay motivated is to create a fitness board. You can cut out pictures from magazines and put them on a bulletin board to remind you of your goals; whether it be a more fit body, to run a 5k race or to take your dogs out for walks more often. Make sure to hang the board in a place where you will look at it often.
Finding an excuse to not continue your fitness plan is much easier than staying motivated in fitness. To stop yourself from making excuses, stock your home up with exercise DVD’s, great music and any other tools that you use to workout. If you can’t make it to the gym for one reason or another, you’ll still have the capability to work out at home, reducing the excuses you will have to not stick to your fitness plan.
Check out local business that might allow access to their fitness equipment. There might be a work out room at your job or school that you can use for free or for a small fee. To maximize your fitness routine, it is a smart idea to find a gym that is convenient to you. If you are close to a gym then you should have no problem finding time to workout.
A great fitness tip is to not push yourself too hard if you haven’t lifted weights for a long time. You need to slowly introduce your body to weight lifting again. Going too hard after a long break will leave you feeling tremendously sore. Avoid the pain by following this advice.
Whether you’re walking with friends, investing in some hand weights or getting tips online, there are a variety of ways to loose weight without spending a lot of money. A new routine or a change in habits can not only help you loose weight, but can add some pennies to your piggy bank.