Broke :(

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Stephiegirl324
Stephiegirl324 Posts: 20
in Fitness and Exercise
This might sound lame and everything, but I take care of my child, day in, and day out. I am with him 24/7 so it gets hard to findd the time to workout. I also don't have hardly any money so I honestly can't afford to go to a gym. Any idea's for some fun stuff to do on a low low low budget?

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  • Phoenix1982
    Phoenix1982 Posts: 13
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    1. Turn on the radio and dance for an hour
    2.Take your son outside and run around (literally) with him for nearly an hour
    3. Do sit ups and leg lifts at home on the floor
    4.Jog around the block with your son in the stroller
    5. Burn a zumba or yoga dvd from a friend and use it
    6. Go up and down the stairs at your house or at a local sports stadium
    7. Go to Wal-Mart and get a low cost workout dvd (any dvd) I think I saw Tae-Bo for like 10 dollars
    8. Phone a friend and walk together while your kids are on a play date

    That's all I can think of right now...good luck!!!
  • vintagedream
    vintagedream Posts: 42
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    walking or running outside. Playing hide and seek with your kid or playing tag (if they are old enough). running stairs.

    just off the top of my head.
  • LJCannon
    LJCannon Posts: 3,636 Member
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    You can walk around the block, or walk at the Park, weather permitting, and your son can go with you. We have a Community Center here that is free to City Residents, we can work out in their Weight Room/ Gym for Free. Maybe your city has something like that?
    Plus, I think there are Exercise Videos on the internet or on TV that you can watch for free. There may also be Exercise Videos available at your local Library.
  • JustKeepSwimming10
    JustKeepSwimming10 Posts: 7
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    I know the feeling! I take my 2 year old dughter to our local nature park which has 3.5 miles of very easy walking trails. She loves to be outside and in nature and its beautiful and not the same ol' pounding the pavement. Google nature parks or walks in your area. There are normally free nature centers, and just walking around one is exercise!

    I also take her to our local lake and walk around it, or even the zoo which is SUPER cheap considering the amout of time/walking we do there!

    Good luck! Hope this helps!
  • Losing2Live69
    Losing2Live69 Posts: 743 Member
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    I do exercise videos from On Demand. They are free and there are tons of them to choose from. Also, I have seen "mommy and me" workouts before. See if you can find that on the internet. It allows you to exercise with your child, like lifting him with your legs, doing squats with him on your back....see if you can find that. I also have an exercise mat, a balance ball, two 5 pound dumb bells, and a long dowel rod (about as thick as a broom handle). All of that together probably cost under $40. I was able to find exercises to do with each of them on the internet. I don't have money for a gym membership either. If you have a local YMCA, they offer scholarship memberships, where the part you pay is very minimal. They base it on your income and there is child care provided at certain times. I hope this helps.
  • delilah514
    delilah514 Posts: 126 Member
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    I don't go to the gym either as they are just to expensive. There are lots of other things you can do to stay fit. Some of my favorites include: Going for a walk or a run (or a mix of both), a workout video (those are usually pretty cheap) or even check out youtube there are some exercise videos on there. Also try fitness websites like self.com (I am sure there are others, but I love that magazine & their workouts) they have lots of work out ideas many of which just use your own body weight no fitness tools necessary.

    The key is to just get creative with what you have.
  • stacielynn1
    stacielynn1 Posts: 35
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    you can also go to youtube and workout to the exercises they have on there esp when the baby is napping or sleeping at night!~
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
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    I know it's "broke" but check out your local attractions, I've got some here where I recently moved to it costs about $10 PER person PER visit, or I can buy a yearly pass for $40 for the one attraction, or $80 for 4 local attractions, and go to them every day with no additional cost. See what you've got locally with similar offers, I know once cash frees up (should start seeing more soon I haven't been eating away from home anywhere near as much lately) that I'll be buying the multi-attraction pass and checking them out at every opportunity.

    Possible attractions zoo, pioneer village, greenhouses (almost time for gardening season anyway), art galleries, even a mall just to change things up.
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,100 Member
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    Love these suggestions!!! I recently bought a kettlebell, an exercise ball, and 3 resistance bands at my local TJ Maxx (or Marshall's) can't remember which one for way under normal cost... I have a gym membership but this changes things up for me or when I don't feel like going to the gym.

    Make your own weights... girl I know all about being broke but even when I have $ I like to make it stretch... food canisters or jars filled with rocks or something... be creative.

    I'm not a dvd person but I do have some collecting dust... how about doing a dvd exchange with a friend? Find some friends on FB or on here that wouldn't mind trading with you for a month so you can get a different workout in... you then them yours and they send you theirs and then return at the end of the month...


    Running is hands down the best cardio exercise you can do and it is free and you can do it anywhere. My husband is a runner and he has literally ran circles in our living room to the tune of miles when it was raining outside, we had no gym membership, and/or he was home with the kids alone. It just depends on how bad you want it.

    Women's Health magazine's site has numerous exercises on it for any type of body part you can think of... love love love that site for new inspiration.

    Check craigslist or thrift stores for used equipment.

    Make your own step bench with some cinder blocks or other scrap material.

    Most of all- leave pride at the door- I did a long time ago!!! You are showing you have pride by doing what you have to do to take care of your priceless body! Even the richest person in the world can't argue with you there!
  • TimarieS
    TimarieS Posts: 49 Member
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    You can check out work out dvds at the library, and then you are constantly getting new ones so it never gets boring...
    Also, like everyone else said, walk outside (or at a mall), especially with your lil guy, I was in the same boat after having my daughter (now 7) and I walked so much with her, by the time she was 3 she could walk 2 miles to the park, play for a while then 2 miles home, she can walk more than any child i know, so you can really start a good habit for your son too!
    Also pick up a jump rope (very cheap), they are great for cardio
  • nerdyandilikeit
    nerdyandilikeit Posts: 2,185 Member
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    youtube is your friend when you're broke! lol. i youtubed videos people put up of them playing just dance. im saving up for a wii, but in the meantime i can just play the videos full screen! (you have to look at how long the video is tho. just dance has a youtube channel, but they just have clips. they arent as great quality, but look for videos where people have just taped the screen as they play) its my favorite thing if you pick the faster dances :)
  • NYIceQueen
    NYIceQueen Posts: 1,423
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    oh hon....I know the feeling. I just got my 2 yo into school 3 days a week, but tues and thurs plus weekends...yikes

    I've found that he likes it when I do stuff with him though. He races me back and forth, and we end up doing shuttle runs. Then I drop down to do sit ups/hip lifts, and he does the same, which is funny. Sometimes he climbs on my hips and I "give him a ride" which adds more resistance etc.

    Just hang in there. Use online videos, play games with your kid. It'll add up!!
  • itsjustme77
    itsjustme77 Posts: 102
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    1. Turn on the radio and dance for an hour
    2.Take your son outside and run around (literally) with him for nearly an hour
    3. Do sit ups and leg lifts at home on the floor
    4.Jog around the block with your son in the stroller
    5. Burn a zumba or yoga dvd from a friend and use it
    6. Go up and down the stairs at your house or at a local sports stadium
    7. Go to Wal-Mart and get a low cost workout dvd (any dvd) I think I saw Tae-Bo for like 10 dollars
    8. Phone a friend and walk together while your kids are on a play date

    That's all I can think of right now...good luck!!!

    These are great ideas for anyone. Thanks for sharing.
  • mmtiernan
    mmtiernan Posts: 702 Member
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    When my daughter was little, I was broke too - and this is before iPods, YouTube, workout DVDs, etc. I used to get up an hour before my daughter, turn on the radio low and jog back and forth in my kitchen!! People have laughed at me about it for years, but it kept me in shape!

    Now there are so many, many great choices for free, especially online: bodyrock.tv, the Dr. Oz website, livestrong.com, YouTube, sparkpeople (I think).

    Netflix also has instant view exercise videos that you can just run on your computer for the base monthly price of just $10.

    There are tons of exercise videos out there and many are $10-15 at Target or Walmart.

    Many libraries also lend out exercies videos.

    If the weather is good, get out for a walk or if you have access to a pool, try pool jogging (it's killer - no joke! I used to put my daughter in a 'floatie' and push her around while jogging for 20 minutes)

    Wish I had all of these resources when I was first starting out!! Good luck!! :)
  • midwesthiker
    midwesthiker Posts: 144
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    I do the old fashioned stuff. Jumping jacks, squats, push ups, leg lifts, etc. I finally bought my first DVDs at the used bookstore, the 30 days shred & original Tae Bo. Cost me $3 each. :)
  • hannahmayr30
    hannahmayr30 Posts: 93 Member
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    I just bought 30 day Shred on Amazon.com for 8 bucks! I'm going to Target tomorrow to get a set of cheap weights. You can do it on the cheap for sure! Do you have a stroller for your son? Walking is free! Good Luck! :)
  • JennsLosing
    JennsLosing Posts: 1,026
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    1. Turn on the radio and dance for an hour
    2.Take your son outside and run around (literally) with him for nearly an hour
    3. Do sit ups and leg lifts at home on the floor
    4.Jog around the block with your son in the stroller
    5. Burn a zumba or yoga dvd from a friend and use it
    6. Go up and down the stairs at your house or at a local sports stadium
    7. Go to Wal-Mart and get a low cost workout dvd (any dvd) I think I saw Tae-Bo for like 10 dollars
    8. Phone a friend and walk together while your kids are on a play date

    That's all I can think of right now...good luck!!!
    all great ideas :smile:
  • Anidorie
    Anidorie Posts: 291 Member
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    take babycakes to the park and push him in a stroller and go walking then play with him on the playground
  • Juleswithaplan
    Juleswithaplan Posts: 21 Member
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    To that awesome list of ideas up there, I would add:

    Go to the public library with your 'lil one just before nap time and check out a work-out DVD or two. Make nap time your workout time and with the variety of DVDs at the library you'll always have a new one to work out to and can keep it interesting!

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