The Green Column Exercise For Free

Exercise For Free

I used to pay out £40 a month for the privilege of using a gym.

I had to be very disciplined to go and I didn’t enjoy the process of making myself pack my bag, drive to the gym and do a workout. It felt sterile. Going to the gym never felt like a pleasure. After trying 5 or so different gyms, I then decided to give up with it. It wasn’t for me anymore.

Pressure off, because I was no longer spending my hard earned money and feeling like I ‘should’ go, I began to find fitness in other ways.

Free ways… and ways I actually enjoyed! There became no forcing of myself. I am fit, healthy and happy with the activities I do to keep me well, whilst being £40 a month better off!

So, I’ve made a list of things I ‘accidentally’ do to look after my body (and mind). I say ‘accidentally’ because the first reason for doing them isn’t exercise, I just enjoy them. It is an added bonus I get. • Gardening. Bending down, turning, lifting, turning compost, trimming hedges, mowing the grass, hoeing, raking… it’s all great exercise!

I’ve just taken on an allotment which is going to be even more work! Top Tip - I have been using an amazing, non-electrical, non-diesel lawn mower. It just has very sharp blades. Heavy on the arms to push and pull… and eco-friendly too!

• Walking the dog and walking in nature. I love walking and I can walk for miles without feeling like it is hard work.

• Spending time in the woods. Creating a little mini workout in the woods is fun! Log lifting or rolling (to find mini-beast life), tree climbing, balancing on fallen tree trunks. There’s plenty to do there.

• Foraging for foods in nature. This requires bending down and reaching up high whilst walking. Free food and exercise!

• Dancing. I love to dance. My dancing sessions don’t start with…‘I’m going to do exercise now.’ They start with ‘This is going to be fun… let’s go!’

• Swimming in nature. Wild swimming in the sea or rivers is amazing. Colder than your average pool, yet there are no added chemicals, you get to swim with birds singing around you, there’s rarely anyone else around (no chance of verruca catching!), and it’s free. (It’s always a good idea to take a friend or tell someone where you are going for wild swimming.)

• Weights. I lift weights in the mornings to get my heart rate up. I do 80 whilst smiling at myself in the mirror and wearing my slippers!

• Yoga. Morning stretches watching a YouTube video is a great nourishing way to stretch my body and start the day. I’d recommend ‘Adriene 30 days of yoga’.

There are so many ways to get exercise from our daily lives, doing things we enjoy. Of course, if you love going to the gym… keep going!

There are so many ways to get exercise from our daily lives, doing things we enjoy.

Or if you have a health condition that requires you to go, listen to the advice.

What I am sharing is that if you aren’t in these two categories just mentioned, you really don’t have to go to the gym because everyone else is doing it.

It is not a necessity to pay a monthly fee and go into a building to exercise. We can just live our lives in mindful ways by doing things we enjoy to look after ourselves.

Happy non-exercising (and exercising)!