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Frugal Fitness: Walking for beginners!
I have used 'lack of money' to make excuses for being unfit and overweight in the past, but that has changed now. I now see that it is relatively easy to get fit, lose weight and still live a frugal lifestyle if you put in a bit of effort and planning. It requires determination and committment, not money! So I am going to share some of my frugal fitness tips over the next month.
Walking is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to get started on a frugal fitness program. Obviously check with your doctor first. The only equipment you need is a pair of good walking shoes and the ability to walk around. If you are an absolute beginner like I was then start small. Just put on your shoes and walk out the door. Walk for 10 minutes, then turn around and walk home.
Walking is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to get started on a frugal fitness program. Obviously check with your doctor first. The only equipment you need is a pair of good walking shoes and the ability to walk around. If you are an absolute beginner like I was then start small. Just put on your shoes and walk out the door. Walk for 10 minutes, then turn around and walk home.
Now you are officially a 'walker'! Walk for at least 5 days a week. Each week add 5 minutes. You will be surprised at how fast you improve if you don't give up, and walk at a pace where you could talk if you had to, but you'd prefer not to. Don't worry about having the 'right gear' or what you look like. Just get started and get moving.
It is recommended that we walk at least 10,000 steps a day. You can monitor this with a pedometer which costs about $20. I monitored mine in the start and I usually walked less than 2,000 steps a day. No wonder I was unfit! So a pedometer is worth the investment if you are starting or have a very sedentary lifestyle.
So what took me so long to get started? I am great at coming up with excuses. Here is my main excuse and how I dealt with it.
I am too busy!
- It's time to prioritise!! Why are other things more important than your health?
- Chart how you REALLY spend your time for month
- Think about the financial, emotional and physical effects of being unhealthy
- How will you feel if you are debt free and unhealthy?
- How will your bad health affect your family?
- Get up earlier
- Give up time watching TV or online
- Exercise with the kids and the family
- STOP thinking that 'one day' when you get organised you will have time for exercise
I found that meeting others online and joining challenges really helped me to stick at it. Here a few sites to check out:
Map My Walk is a great free site with tools to map walks, join challenges and log training.
The National President’s Challenge is a nationwide call to action for a healthier America. It’s free! Just be active five days a week for six out of eight weeks, and log your activity online.
Google Map Pedometer Draw a walking route and map your walks or calculate how far your walks might have taken you.
I stared a couple of months ago walking for 15 minutes a day on the treadmill. I was struggling by the end of it, exhausted. Now I do 60-90 minutes a day at 4.6 kms /hour on the fatburner program (hills etc). I actually enjoy it now which I never expected and I feel so much better for it!
I have several health problems and I am at risk for a few more. I CAN change my level of risk for lifestyle diseases like diabetes and heart disease! It is possible and it is within My control. The problem is not that I didn't know what to do. The problem was that I kept putting everyone elses needs before my own. I think this is what a lot of Mums do. Then they reach middle age and think 'how did this happen?'. That's how it was for me.
I have several health problems and I am at risk for a few more. I CAN change my level of risk for lifestyle diseases like diabetes and heart disease! It is possible and it is within My control. The problem is not that I didn't know what to do. The problem was that I kept putting everyone elses needs before my own. I think this is what a lot of Mums do. Then they reach middle age and think 'how did this happen?'. That's how it was for me.
Maybe you could set yourself a Frugal Fitness goal for April. It might be exercising, quitting smoking, losing weight, eating more healthy foods. Leave a comment if you do and we'll keep track. My goal for April is to lose 14lbs.
Gotta go, my treadmill is calling!
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2 comments:
I haven't used my pedometer in ages. Now the weather is cooling down I will start to take the boys walking again... good luck on your 10000 steps.
This post is very timely. I just decided today to start walking again - I used to walk every morning when I was pregnant with DS (he's now 5.5 yo!). I'm going to walk of an afternoon after hubby gets home so he can look after the boy while I head out for some exercise and time out!
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