EVENTS: Burlesque revue at MGM Springfield, D5
How to Get Fit Without Going Broke Better Health
If you have a limitless budget, there is no question that you can get into shape.
By E rik Vance The New York Times
You can hire top-flight trainers, buy yourself a Peloton or a Tonal smart gym, and then splurge on bikes, kayaks and windsurfing gear. For most of us, though, shelling out thousands of dollars on fitness equipment isn’t practical, especially if you suspect it will end up in a dusty closet once your New Year’s resolution wears off. But here’s a little secret: Getting in shape doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
“I can go to the beach for free,” said Milo Bryant, a trainer based in San Diego. “I can pick up some hundred-pound rocks and carry them.” Bryant (who has also been known to push cars for a workout — he recommended mid-size sedans for beginners, only on flat surfaces) said bear crawls are another great, cheap exercise. “You do bear crawls going down steps, your upper body is dying by the end,” he said. Bryant noted that he eventually had to start working out at night to avoid all the stares as he lugged rocks around and crawled on steps. But there are plenty of other ways to get a solid workout for less money than a trip to TGI Fridays.
Build a cheap home gym
There is a reason every good “Rocky” movie has a jump rope scene: It’s an incredible workout. A $10 jump rope might be the single best cheap workout tool there is.
Try a Tabata-style routine, with 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off, and see if you can go for 10 or 20 minutes. For more upper body work, try
FOR SALE: You could buy the “Breaking Bad” house, D5
HEALTH: Distracted eating can cause weight gain, D5
weighted ropes, between a half pound and 1 pound to start.
Those who don’t feel comfortable jumping can let the rope hit the ground and then step over it, said Gwen Gates, a coach at the Logan Health Medical Fitness Center in Kalispell, Montana. “Someone who’s maybe rehabbing an injury,” she said, “it’s going to get your heart rate up, because you’re taking your knees up.”
Battle ropes are another great way to work the arms and get some cardio with little risk of injury.
And while most tend to start at $50, nothing is stopping you from making one with supplies from the hardware store.
If you want to do bench presses, dead lifts and curls but don’t have space or the budget for barbells, consider using exercise bands, like the ones physical therapists often use. A full set shouldn’t cost more than $20 and the only limit to their uses is your imagination.
Bryant likes to put a set around his ankles or knees, then put his hands on the floor with another band around his wrists, and walk sideways, stretching them as he goes.
“I start everybody off with the yellows because the yellows are typically the easiest ones,” he said, adding, “You want to be able to move.”
Kettlebell workouts are popular these days, but the weights tend to
be pricey. So Brad Roy, who works with Gates and is the editor of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal, suggested medicine balls instead. They can be used in similarly dynamic moves and start around $20, though it’s important to get instruction from a trainer to avoid injury. Gates suggested picking an amount of weight that you can hold in front of you during a squat. Once you feel comfortable with that, try squatting while holding the ball above your head.
Up your walking game
Want to really get back to basics? Try an approach that dates back to the Pleistocene. What our ancestors called “walking or running with weight on your back,” and what we now call rucking, is one of the easiest ways to build strength, stamina and muscular endurance while taking the dog for a stroll or buying a loaf of bread. Fancy rucking backpacks start at around $100, but you can achieve the same thing by just
putting a few books or water bottles in whatever backpack you have.
If you happen to find some pullup bars or other exercise tools on your walk, leave the backpack on while you use them. If not, find a playground. Bryant said there are hundreds of exercises you can do on a playground, from step-ups to tricep dips. If you don’t have a playground, he said, try walking backward up a slope. This will target your quads, and small studies suggest it may improve balance, stability and overall fitness more than walking forward. (You could also try walking with poles, Roy suggested. These start at around $25 and make great exercise for the arms and shoulders as you push down on them and propel yourself forward, he said. They’re
just as useful on a sidewalk as they are on a trail. Make sure they are adjusted so that your forearms are parallel to the ground and your elbows are at 90-degree angles.
For people who are considering walking with a cane, Roy often recommends trying one or two trekking poles instead, which encourage better posture than leaning over a cane. Lastly, Roy added, if you want to pick up the pace and you have access to a tennis court, you might try pickleball, which starts at $30 for paddles and balls (though $100 gets you a better set).
Among older adults especially, pickleball builds hand-eye coordination and improves balance, to say nothing of the fitness benefits, he said. “It’s an awesome activity.”
Short-term goals that can lead to long-term success
Individuals who want to improve their physical fitness can consider these three short-term goals and use them as measuring sticks as they pursue more long-term objectives.
As New Year’s Day 2024 approached, millions of individuals were preparing to make changes they hoped would improve their fitness.
In a Forbes Health/One Poll survey of 1,000 adults in the months leading up to the start of 2024, nearly half (48 percent) of respondents indicated improving their physical fitness would be a top priority over the course of the new year. Fitness-based resolutions are popular every year, but people who aspire to make such changes recognize how difficult it can be to achieve them. In fact, the Forbes Health/One Poll survey found that roughly 44 percent of respondents indicated their resolutions flamed out at the two- or three-month marker. Though there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for sticking with and ultimately achieving a resolution, identifying short-term goals that can help people stay motivated can lead to longterm progress. Individuals who want to improve their physical fitness can consider these three short-term goals and use them as measuring sticks as they pursue more long-term objectives.
Aspire for incremental weight loss
Weight loss goals were the fourth most popular New Year’s resolution for 2024 among participants in the Forbes Health/One Poll survey. Though that survey separated fitness goals from weight loss goals, the two are certainly linked. Individuals who aspire to lose 10 pounds undoubtedly recognize that such a goal cannot be achieved overnight, so why not aspire to lose small amounts of weight at predetermined intervals? For example, if the end goal is losing 10 lbs., aim to lose two pounds by the end of January. Incremental progress can motivate individuals to stay the course and ultimately propel them toward achieving a more substantial, longterm goal.
Exercise for a predetermined number of days each week
Another way to gradually build toward achieving long-term fitness goals is to establish monthly minimum exercise sessions. Individuals accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle can resolve to exercise three days per week in the first month of their reso -
lution, and then increase that by a day in the second month. A consistent schedule when designing this goal is imperative, which is why it can make more sense to plan for three days per week as opposed to 12 days per month.
Resolve to walk a mile per day
Walking is an accessible cardiovascular activity that can have a profound effect on overall health. Walking also can help condition sedentary individuals’ bodies for more strenuous activity, which is a transition many people aspire to make when setting long-term fitness goals. A daily one-mile walk won’t require a significant commitment of time, but it can help acclimate the body to routine exercise. As the effects of a daily walk begin to take hold, individuals may find it easier to engage in more strenuous physical activities, making this an ideal stepping stone on the way to achieving longterm fitness goals.
Short-term goals can help people remain motivated as they pursue more substantial goals that take longer to achieve. Such an approach can be especially useful for individuals resolving to improve their physical fitness at the start of a new year.
exercise motivation Overcome a lack of
Adults undoubtedly recognize the benefits of physical activity.
When adults incorporate exercise into their daily routines, they can lower the health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle, which the World Health Organization reports doubles a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. But even if the benefits of exercise are widely known, many still lack the motivation to get up and go. Lack of time and even fear of the unknown are some
of the common reasons people fail to exercise regularly. Others simply can’t get excited about exercise, and that lack of motivation can have long-term negative consequences. Lack of motivation to exercise is such a common hurdle that researchers in China even studied exercise motivation in an effort to identify ways that can help people look forward to physical activity. That study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology in 2024, identified some notable exercise motivations that had a positive impact on participants’ willingness to be physically active.
Fun
The researchers behind the 2024 study noted that fun had the most profound impact on participants’ motivation to exercise.
When individuals found fun ways to be physically active they were most likely to stay the course with an exercise regimen. That’s a notable distinction, as individuals hesitant to exercise may have a limited view of physical activity. Though exercising in a gym or another type of fitness facility makes it possible to build strength and improve cardiovascular health, additional ways to exercise can be just as effective and perhaps more fun for those who do not enjoy traditional workouts. Dancing, swimming and cycling are just some of the fun ways to reap the rewards of physical activity without confining oneself to a gym.
Health
Health proved a notable motivation to exercise as well. Researchers noted that individuals who emphasized the health benefits of exercise, including illness prevention and increased life expectancy, were motivated to stay the course with their exercise regimens. Individuals can keep these benefits in mind, particularly if they have a family history of conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, the risks for which are greatly reduced for people who avoid sedentary lifestyles.
Ability
Researchers noted that ability motivation is another powerful factor in people’s willingness to maintain an exercise regimen. Ability motivation (ABM) was the third most influential factor identified by the authors behind the 2024 study. When individuals are motivated by a desire to improve their physical performance in a given area, they are more likely to stick with a fitness routine. That’s a notable finding and one individuals can keep in mind as they begin an exercise regimen. Identifying an ability-related goal, whether it be running a marathon or half-marathon or getting better at a sport like pickleball, can provide the motivation people need to commit to an exercise regimen. Lack of exercise motivation is a potentially significant hurdle as people aspire to be more physically active. But identifying some effective motivators can help people stay the course and get on the road to a longer, healthier life.