The economists might be telling us to tighten our belts, but the disapproving glares of passers-by tell us to loosen our belts because our bellies are starting to flop over them creating unwieldy muffin tops. These muffin tops aren’t nearly as scrumptious as they sound, but don’t lose sleep about it because this helpful list of how to get fit without getting broke is perfectly timed.
All Day and All Night
Instead of relegating exercise to a small portion of the day, which is easy to avoid, change your lifestyle so that you’re constantly doing things that contribute to fitness and health. Do crunches during ad breaks, squats just before jumping into the shower or do walking lunges down your passage. Even if you begrudgingly do it now while swearing under your breath, small changes from a completely sedentary lifestyle will benefit you in the long run. Soon enough you’ll be doing burpees before your morning coffee and one-arm pushups while getting dressed!
Run Forrest Run
Take up running. Wake up in the morning, grab a quick coffee then go for a half hour jog. It’s a good start to the morning, and the cardio workout will do wonders with keeping your waist under control. Alternate between slow jogs and sprint intervals to up the intensity and shed extra weight rapidly. Running is relatively cheap, but you should try not to skimp on your takkies, otherwise you’ll pay in doctors’ bills when your knees give out. Find out if there’s a Park Run in your area, and do that every weekend. It’s a free, timed 5k run that will assist you in benchmarking your progress, but will also allow you to get out into wide open spaces.
Body Beat
The efficacy of bodyweight exercises should not be questioned. Just type 'Calisthenics Body' into Google Images and get an eyeful of what you can achieve with good bodyweight workouts. Ahem, stop gawking and focus on the article, not those physiques! Remember to include burpees, pullups, pushups, squats and plenty of core exercises into your workout regime so that your journey to the Land of Super Hardcore Six Packs is a short one. Oy, I can see you checking out those pecs! Maybe it’s a good time to close that Google Images page, né?
Push It
If you’re not sold on bodyweight exercises, clearly you haven’t Googled anything. Shame on you for not taking instruction. But if you absolutely must lift weights, there are affordable alternatives. Consider using tins, bottles and bags of sugar for focused muscle work – bicep curls, tricep kickbacks and shoulder presses. For more creative, high intensity work, get a great big second-hand tyre and lift it, flip it, drag it, roll it and hit it with a great big hammer.
Partner Up
Work out with your better half or a friend for a more competitive workout. Running with a friend will push you to run faster and longer, and keep you motivated. Having a friend along will also make the time more fun, which will make you look forward to the time so it’s not too easy to skip. If nothing else, you could always use your mate as a dumbbell and mount them on your shoulders while you do squats and calf raises!
Date Published: 23 March 2016
