Fitness on a budget

catherinet89

I am looking to get back into a healthier lifestyle. I have always been overweight even obese which I am now considered again. I lost over 100 pounds a few years ago and have gained back 50 pounds in the last five years. My living circumstances have changed dramatically and I also fell into depression and anxiety which I am now trying to work through. I want to lose at least 70 pounds to get to a healthy BMI. Im 5'2 and weigh 201 pounds.
The problem is that my finances don't allow me the luxury of a gym membership or the ability to buy at home fitness tools such as dumbells ect. All I have is my body and a jump rope to work with right now.
I love doing bodyweight exercises and HIIT training but Im not sure if it will be enough to get to my goal.
When I lost the 100 pounds I was able to go to the gym 5-6 times a week I had a PT and I worked a very physically demanding job (stable hand) so it was really easy for me to drop the weight and build conditioning/muscle.
Now to my question(s):
What are your tips for someone who doesnt have access to a gym or alot of fitness tools.
Do you have any youtubers you could recommend that offer at home fitness videos?
Any other random advice?

I greatly appreciate any tips and tricks or recommendations for reading material/videos
Thank you

Evamutt

I use Fitness Blender on you tube at home, you don't need dumbbells for all of them. You choose which to do. I have filled up some empty milk bottles & Gatorade bottles before I got mine. I do go to the gym too but my main exercise is walking with my dogs & keep walking in place when they stop. Also do some sprints while walking

emmies_123

Tips/youtubers: Jessica Smith TV. She actually has a "exercise video" category labeled "no-equipment workouts".
http://jessicasmithtv.com/exercise-videos/

General advice:
-Calorie loss comes from creating a deficit. Log your body stats on MFP and choose your weekly goal, MFP will calculate how many calories you should eat daily to stick to that goal. The deficit is already calculated in so no need to try to stay under that goal total. If you exercise, try to only eat back half the calories earned.

-Start with small lifestyle changes and work your way up. Trying to change too much at once can lead to frustration.

-Remember that you are your own unique person. Do NOT compare yourself to others who have different goals and different lifestyles. Also, each person has a different method that works for them, there is no one "right way" to eat or exercise

-Remember that you don't have a due date for weight loss (and any you set yourself are arbitrary). Go at your own healthy, maintainable pace to avoid anxiety and stress from invisible deadlines

-If something you try doesn't work for you, try something new. Try walking outside, or workout routine inside, or find a strength routine that you can do with water bottles/items in the house. Try finding substitutions to your high-calorie foods so you aren't cutting out everything you enjoy (healthier bread choice, different condiment at dinner, grill instead of breaded, etc)

-Each day is a new start. If you go over calorie goal or don't exercise for a day don't let it get you off track all week. Wake up the next day and start fresh with good decisions.

I hope this helps you get started Friend me if you want company on your journey

mamasara2

I love the basics- crunches, lunges, push ups, planks, walking, and most of my "weight lifting" is moving 50lb bags to feed the cows.

Pinterest is loaded with ideas!

You don't need a gym membership to get in shape. You've got this!!

catherinet89

Thanks guys that makes me feel a lot better!

emmies_123

Lol I'm clearly too tired to type correctly:

"WEIGHT LOSS comes from creating a calorie deficit", my current sentence is a little redundant.

Other than typos, I hope advise helps

carolemack

I have lost 45 pounds since January and the only exercise I get is walking my little dog. More important than exercise is your diet. Limit sweets, sauces, gravies, and eat lots of protein. More fruit and vegetables will also help fill you up in a healthy way. You can do it...take it one day at a time.

ladyhusker39

I love Leslie Sansone. I pay $5/mo for the "Your Daily Walk" program. It's called a walking workout but I get a fantastic cardio workout from it by increasing the intensity. She also does some basic strength training.

mamasara2

If you have Amazon Prime, they have a ton of fitness videos to work with. I never knew until tonight. Haha!

Chihaku_Zeal

I'd say go on YouTube and look up some home workouts. Those are always a great method if you don't wanna spend on a dumbbell set. I'd also look up some workout apps on your phone. You'd be surprised with what you can find on there. Also, if you manage to save up a little money, spending 10-15 dollars on a resistance band can also be a good idea. Hope this helps!

Suzanne_the_foot_lady

I don't know where you live, but here in Dorset, UK, many of the parks have outdoor gyms. They are spread out around the perimeter of the park, so you walk or run between them and do each in turn.
If you don't have them, then just getting out and walking is great free excersize, try to find hilly areas for an extra challenge. If you find a regular circuit, you can start timing yourself and do it faster each week.

kbmnurse1

Use You Tube videos there are hundreds. Walking if free. Leslie Sansone Walking videos are great.

mamasara2

You got me thinking a lot about ways to get exercise in without a gym membership. My brain likes to make up excuses as to why I can't run or lift weights or so even go for a walk. Funny thing, though, since you started this thread and got me looking for free fitness opportunities I've been finding them everywhere!

My youngest and I shoot hoops at the barn every evening after I lift a 50 lb bag into the golf cart and then again out of the cart to give the cows their cookies. It's crazy kinda of hot during the day so we hide out in the air conditioning a lot. I remembered this morning that I can do lunges every time I walk down the hall. And do squats before or after every time going to the restroom. I have a little $30 trampoline (rebounder) that's been hiding under my bed for years. I jog on that thing at least once a day with the tv going.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to free ways to get into shape. Don't need an expensive pair of running shoes, or a gym membership or even specially designed weights. Heck- our ancestors managed to stay in shape without all that stuff! So can we.

Machka9

Get a decent pair of walking shoes. They don't have to be overly expensive, just something you're comfortable walking in. Walk briskly. Walk up hills and stairs now and then ... perhaps more frequently as time goes by.

When I lost 50 lbs, my main exercise was walking as part of my commute, walking at lunch, and climbing flights of stairs on breaks at work.

And then I cycled on the weekends. But going on a hike would be nice too.

joseccastaneda

Try convict conditioning. All body weight exercises.

jigsawxyouth

ladyhusker39 wrote: »

I love Leslie Sansone. I pay $5/mo for the "Your Daily Walk" program. It's called a walking workout but I get a fantastic cardio workout from it by increasing the intensity. She also does some basic strength training.

I second Leslie Sansone!
She has videos on Youtube (free) and I ended up buying a bunch of her dvds on the cheap from Amazon and Target. Her walking videos are what got me back into working out. Her walks range from 1 to 5 miles and it's all inside (which is nice for days when it's too hot!)

joemac1988

Can I be a well-intending meanie poopy head? Lol.

Are you truly making it a priority? My gym costs $20/month. That's not much more than a Netflix subscription. I'm obviously not privvy to (or trivializing) your financial situation, but personally if I had to choose between Netflix or the gym, I'd choose the gym. The same can be said to people that "don't have time". We all have the same amount of time, but it will be spent how we prioritize it.

I totally get that your priorities likely aren't the same as mine, but sometimes it's healthy for us to re-prioritize. Best of luck!

stanmann571

joemac1988 wrote: »

Can I be a well-intending meanie poopy head? Lol.

Are you truly making it a priority? My gym costs $20/month. That's not much more than a Netflix subscription. I'm obviously not privvy to (or trivializing) your financial situation, but personally if I had to choose between Netflix or the gym, I'd choose the gym. The same can be said to people that "don't have time". We all have the same amount of time, but it will be spent how we prioritize it.

I totally get that your priorities likely aren't the same as mine, but sometimes it's healthy for us to re-prioritize. Best of luck!

I second this.

You don't need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars.

And if you literally can't spare a nickel(and I've been there) The sidewalk is free.

We're also about a week away from the beachbody resolutioners putting their gear on craigslist.

urloved33

10 bucks a month. planet fitness.

ginjennie

Outside and outdoor is free. I exercise and walk or jog daily and it has greatly reduced my stress, improved my health, mindset and so far have lost over 70 pounds. Also used fitness blender as well as there are loads of them to choose from.

MikePfirrman

At one point we had two gym memberships. Once I introduced my wife to Fitness Blender on the TV, she's pretty much stopped going. They are really good and free (someone mentioned them already).

Right after I had lost my weight a few years back, I found a program called Supreme 90 Day. It was like the poor man's version of P90. There are zillions of these floating around still. All you would need is an exercise band to do it. I thought it was a very good, basic lifting/bodyweight program. I think I paid $10 for it.

emmies_123

stanmann571 wrote: »

joemac1988 wrote: »

Can I be a well-intending meanie poopy head? Lol.

Are you truly making it a priority? My gym costs $20/month. That's not much more than a Netflix subscription. I'm obviously not privvy to (or trivializing) your financial situation, but personally if I had to choose between Netflix or the gym, I'd choose the gym. The same can be said to people that "don't have time". We all have the same amount of time, but it will be spent how we prioritize it.

I totally get that your priorities likely aren't the same as mine, but sometimes it's healthy for us to re-prioritize. Best of luck!

I second this.

You don't need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars.

And if you literally can't spare a nickel(and I've been there) The sidewalk is free.

We're also about a week away from the beachbody resolutioners putting their gear on craigslist.

The name of this thread is literally "Fitness On a Budget," so I would not assume the OP has finances for luxuries like streaming or memberships.

10-20 a month doesn't sound like a lot, but for someone who is rebuilding their life this can be unreachable. Also, people should not discount priorities that are different. Netflix/streaming can be just as valuable a priority if it gives you an outlet for stress relief and a spark of happiness in your day.


There are plenty of free workouts available, and you can make huge strides in your fitness without going to a structured gym environment. And don't let anyone ever tell you that just because you don't have a membership to a gym you are not prioritizing your fitness. Different strokes for different folks

amusedmonkey

I only had a trial gym session once at the beginning of my weight loss and decided not to go with that. I use my legs for walking and running, and the rest of my body plus furniture for body weight exercises. I also have some resistance bands which are much cheaper than dumbbells and take up less space, but you could do without those.

You'll be surprised how much fitness progress you can make just by using your body. There is slow reps for strength, faster reps for endurance, agility work, plyometrics, flexibility, cardiovascular, whatever type of fitness improvement you are interested in you can do it without expensive tools. It's just that certain things can be done more optimally with different tools, but if you're not chasing the optimal you can pretty much improve anything more than decently.

cqbkaju

emmies_123 wrote: »

The name of this thread is literally "Fitness On a Budget," so I would not assume the OP has finances for luxuries like streaming or memberships.

10-20 a month doesn't sound like a lot, but for someone who is rebuilding their life this can be unreachable. Also, people should not discount priorities that are different. Netflix/streaming can be just as valuable a priority if it gives you an outlet for stress relief and a spark of happiness in your day.

I understand your point, but I disagree.
Clearly the OP has an internet connection - and that costs more than $20 a month.

It is about perspective. I will discount someone's "priorities that are different" if they say one thing but do another.
Budgeting is often about giving up what you WANT in order to pay for what you NEED.
If watching TV is more important to someone than achieving a healthy and fit body then they should not be wasting my time.
They are not ready to make the necessary changes at all.

I deal with people *daily* who claim they don't have the "time" or "money" to train (the compound barbell lifts); those excuses go hand-in-hand.

Give up your Netflix account (or cable / DVR, whatever) and you recover both time and money.
In return, you will get a useful and healthy way to relieve stress instead of sitting on the couch while adding additional fat.

Continuing with the same unhealthy habits and lifestyle choices is not the path to losing 100+ lbs.
Life is about making choices and sacrifices. Almost anything else is making excuses.

amusedmonkey

cqbkaju wrote: »

emmies_123 wrote: »

[
The name of this thread is literally "Fitness On a Budget," so I would not assume the OP has finances for luxuries like streaming or memberships.

10-20 a month doesn't sound like a lot, but for someone who is rebuilding their life this can be unreachable. Also, people should not discount priorities that are different. Netflix/streaming can be just as valuable a priority if it gives you an outlet for stress relief and a spark of happiness in your day.

I understand your point, but I disagree.
Clearly the OP has an internet connection - and that costs more than $20 a month.

It is about perspective. I will discount someone's "priorities that are different" if they say one thing but do another.
Budgeting is often about giving up what you WANT in order to pay for what you NEED.

I deal with people *daily* who claim they don't have the "time" or "money" to train; those excuses go hand-in-hand.

Give up your Netflix account (or cable / DVR, whatever) and you recover both time and money.
In return, you will get a useful and healthy way to relieve stress instead of sitting on the couch while adding additional fat.

Continuing with the same unhealthy habits and lifestyle choices is not the path to losing 100+ lbs.
Life is about making choices and sacrifices. Almost anything else is making excuses.

But why? It would be stupid to give up things you love when everything can be done for free if need be. I didn't have to have an exercise streaming subscription to lose 100+ lbs. I fail to understand how not shelling out for something that isn't necessary means continuing with the same unhealthy habits.

cqbkaju

amusedmonkey wrote: »

But why? It would be stupid to give up things you love when everything can be done for free if need be. I didn't have to have an exercise streaming subscription to lose 100+ lbs. I fail to understand how not shelling out for something that isn't necessary means continuing with the same unhealthy habits.

To *your* point, can you or I lose 100+ lbs for "free"? Yes, absolutely.

But I'm not just discussing "losing weight". I am talking about a great quality of life.
Most people are not in the position to gain the benefits of strength training for free unless they have a free gym somewhere.
Things like offsetting sarcopenia and preventing osteoporosis in women come to mind here.
You cannot get the same benefits of a weight training program via progressive overload from body weight exercises or the like.
Exercising along with videos or just taking a walk will not suffice in that case. That is the "why".
If you believe that activities like walking or some home exercise routines are a replacement for training the barbell compound lifts then you do not understand what I am referring to.

If one does not learn to do many of the things they "love" in moderation -instead of whenever they want and as much as they want- then they will usually pay the price in time.
If one cannot learn to make sacrifices then they are doomed to fail.

The point of giving "Netflix" up completely was to disprove the claim that there is a financial reason why the OP cannot train the barbell compound lifts.

Discipline means choosing between what what you want NOW and what you want MOST.

* I realize now that people who don't know me would probably miss the distinction between training (the compound lifts) vs activity and/or exercise. My mistake.

amusedmonkey

cqbkaju wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

But why? It would be stupid to give up things you love when everything can be done for free if need be. I didn't have to have an exercise streaming subscription to lose 100+ lbs. I fail to understand how not shelling out for something that isn't necessary means continuing with the same unhealthy habits.

To *your* point, can you or I lose 100+ lbs for "free"? Yes, absolutely.

But I'm not just discussing "losing weight". I am talking about a great quality of life.
Most people are not in the position to gain the benefits of strength training for free unless they have a free gym somewhere.
Things like offsetting sarcopenia and preventing osteoporosis in women come to mind here.
You cannot get the same benefits of a weight training program via progressive overload from body weight exercises or the like.
Exercising along with videos or just taking a walk will not suffice in that case. That is the "why".

If one does not learn to do many of the things you "love" in moderation -instead of whenever they want and as much as they want- then they will usually pay the price in time.
If one cannot learn to make sacrifices then they are doomed to fail.

The point of giving "Netflix" up completely is to disprove the claim that there is a financial reason why the OP cannot train.

Discipline means choosing between what what you want NOW and what you want MOST.

Osteoporosis is not one of my concerns due to genetics, but even then, you don't need a gym for that. Running, bags of dog food, heavy furniture, water cooler bottles, a backpack full of rocks, you can get pretty creative with anything to create loading. For muscle strength, body weight is more than enough. If push comes to shove, a good set of resistance bands would create a good enough load for bone density. I wonder how people lived without gyms in the past.

emmies_123

cqbkaju wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

But why? It would be stupid to give up things you love when everything can be done for free if need be. I didn't have to have an exercise streaming subscription to lose 100+ lbs. I fail to understand how not shelling out for something that isn't necessary means continuing with the same unhealthy habits.

To *your* point, can you or I lose 100+ lbs for "free"? Yes, absolutely.

But I'm not just discussing "losing weight". I am talking about a great quality of life.
Most people are not in the position to gain the benefits of strength training for free unless they have a free gym somewhere.
Things like offsetting sarcopenia and preventing osteoporosis in women come to mind here.
You cannot get the same benefits of a weight training program via progressive overload from body weight exercises or the like.
Exercising along with videos or just taking a walk will not suffice in that case. That is the "why".
If you believe that activities like walking or some home exercise routines are a replacement for training the barbell compound lifts then you do not understand what I am referring to.

If one does not learn to do many of the things they "love" in moderation -instead of whenever they want and as much as they want- then they will usually pay the price in time.
If one cannot learn to make sacrifices then they are doomed to fail.

The point of giving "Netflix" up completely was to disprove the claim that there is a financial reason why the OP cannot train the barbell compound lifts.

Discipline means choosing between what what you want NOW and what you want MOST.

I can understand your point, however I think you are coming from a background that is different than most. Is it not better to have someone start exercising gradually and build up to the dedication level you have towards exercise, than for them to get intimidated and not start at all.

When I first started trying to lose weight the only exercise I would do was stationary cycle while playing video games. Was it the most efficient, no. But it got me started, and if I had not had the ability to play at the same time I would NOT have exercised at all as my priority was relaxing after a super stressful workday.

It was only after a year of doing that I reached a point with other stressors in my life that I could dedicate mental energy to bettering myself. Now I merely do "exercise workouts at home" for free (i have light hand weights for upper body portions but that is only equip). Is it as impressive as your dedication, again no. But it is a huge stride for me to dedicate actual time to pure exercise instead of trying to do multiple things at once and not do either well.

TLDR: Let people exercise at their own pace and step back the judgement on people who use free workout routines or "just walk." When getting started something is better than nothing.

cqbkaju

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Osteoporosis is not one of my concerns due to genetics, but even then, you don't need a gym for that. Running, bags of dog food, heavy furniture, water cooler bottles, a backpack full of rocks, you can get pretty creative with anything to create loading. For muscle strength, body weight is more than enough. I wonder how people lived without gyms in the past.

We will have to agree to disagree.

I can only try to imagine how you must look like when you have 250 pounds of rocks in a backpack.
I've never heard of a ruck being loaded with more than 150 pounds, but I guess it is possible.
Must be a full infantry rucksack with about a dozen 20 pound bowling balls in it or something; I've never tried it.

Body weight is NOT more than enough because you cannot achieve efficient progressive overload.
There is a reason why the plate-loaded barbell was considered to be such a major innovation.

amusedmonkey

cqbkaju wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Osteoporosis is not one of my concerns due to genetics, but even then, you don't need a gym for that. Running, bags of dog food, heavy furniture, water cooler bottles, a backpack full of rocks, you can get pretty creative with anything to create loading. For muscle strength, body weight is more than enough. I wonder how people lived without gyms in the past.

We will have to agree to disagree.

I can only try to imagine how you must look like when you have 250 pounds of rocks in a backpack.
I've never heard of a ruck being loaded with more than 150 pounds, but I guess it is possible.
Must be a full infantry rucksack with about a dozen 20 pound bowling balls in it or something; I've never tried it.

Body weight is NOT more than enough because you cannot achieve efficient progressive overload.
There is a reason why the plate-loaded barbell was considered to be such a major innovation.

Depends on your goals. If your goal is to lift heavy things, then yes, a barbell would be better for that kind of strength. If your goal is to improve health outcomes, general strength, and better quality of life as you grow older, then bodyweight is more than enough. My 92 year old grandmother has never been to a gym in her life, but because she's a farmer which requires muscle strength she's not as frail as many older people.

snemberton

Nike Training Club has an app that will actually put together a training plan for you. It’s free too. You can choose body weight only or if you can slowly acquire some equipment like kettlebells or dumbbells, you can have it incorporate those. Add in cardio like power walking, running or biking and you can have much of what you can do in a gym for zero to low cost. (Maybe do some online cardio/dance videos and yoga?)

Check yard sales and online for sale and trade groups. You may find some inexpensive equipment that way if you want to progress from just body weight.

I opt to go to a gym because the change in scenery motivates me more. I think as I get into a routine, I’ll eventually may move some parts of my routine home. (Plus we eventually plan to move to a more rural area in 10 years, so I’ll need to devise a home gym. It will be too far to go to a gym.)