Fitness Contributor: 6 Ways To Get Fit Without a Gym Pass

Hello everyone! I am back from vacation, it is a sad fact but all vacations must come to an end. Anyway, Mal is back with a fitness post for you guys AND you're going to love it. It is all about how you can get fit without setting foot into a gym- which I love. So if you are in a mid-week slump I hope this post can help ya out!

6 Tips to Get Fit Without a Gym Pass

My sister-in-law recently came to me and asked if my husband and I could help her with her weight loss journey.  I was absolutely thrilled to help!  One of the things in life that gives me the most joy is sharing my knowledge and passion of health and fitness.  There was one catch, however.  She was not going to invest in a gym pass.  At first, I was super skeptical.  I thought there was no way she was going to reach her goals without going to the gym.  But as the days passed, my thought process totally changed.  She can absolutely reach her goals without going to the gym.  For my post today I made a list of 6 great ways to get fit without a gym pass!

1)   Use your own body weight.

There are so many exercises and workouts you can do in the comfort of your

own home by just using your good ol’ body.   Squats.  Push-ups.  Sit-ups.  Burpees.  Lunges.  Side ups.  Squat jumps.  Lunge switches.  Back extensions.  Crunches.  V-ups.  I could probably go on forever and there are ENDLESS workout possibilities using these movements.

2)   Invest in some equipment.

While using your body weight is awesome, investing in some small pieces of equipment wouldn’t hurt.  First off, I would buy a set of hand weights- 15 pounds for women, 20 for men.  With hand weights you can add weight to any of the movements listed above, plus add some shaping movements like overhead press, bench press, rows, etc.  I would also invest in a resistance band.  Once again, a resistance band can be added to really any movement for increased difficulty.  Another great piece of equipment to get would be a kettle bell.  Some of my favorite workouts use kettle bells and because of the positioning of the weight, they give you a little different feel than just dumbbells.  Other ideas for equipment you could buy would be a jump rope, stability ball, medicine ball, ab mat, or body bar.  Now you don’t have to buy all of this equipment to be sufficient.  I’m just giving some ideas.  Pick and choose your favorites!

3)   Go outside.

The world is a beautiful place.  Don’t take it for granted!  Go for a hike.  Go for a jog.  Go for a swim.  Go for a bike ride.  Go skiing or snowboarding.  Go rock climbing.  There is sooo much fitness to be explored by just walking out your front door. 

4)   Find a hill.

Have you ever done a hill sprint?  They suck.  Have you ever bear crawled down a hill?  Those suck even more.  Using a hill for your workout can be awesome for your cardio and stamina.  It will get your heart rate pumping from the first climb.  Try doing different things up and down the hill.  Sprints forwards and backwards, side shuffles, skips, lunges, and the worst of them all….bear crawls (don’t forget forward and back).

5)   Utilize a local park.

If you have kids, this is an awesome one.  (Still awesome if you don’t have kids J).  A park really is an ideal place for a workout.  There are pull up bars, big steps, monkey bars, benches… once again the possibilities really are endless with this one.  You can even get the kids involved!  

6)   Go to a high school track.

This is one of my favorites.  I love being able to do sprints on the track as well as take advantage of all those lovely stairs in the stadium.  Mixing the two together will surely give you an intense workout.  You don’t have to be boring and just run around the track and run up the stairs either.  Mix it up.  Lunge or skip some of the track.  Jump up the stairs.  Hop up on one foot.  Try to skip some stairs.  The more you can change it up, the more fun it can be.

Well there you have it!  6 ways you can reach your fitness goals by not going to a gym.  Don’t get me wrong, I do have a gym pass and I love utilizing all of the benefits of holding a membership.  However, if getting a gym pass doesn’t fit your budget at the moment or you aren’t able to get to one for any reason, don’t let that be your excuse to stop you from your fitness goals.  If you would like to follow my sister-in-law in her weight loss journey, visit thelast100pounds.blogspot.com.