Want to tone up and improve your fitness? It needn’t cost a fortune – there are plenty of other ways to get fit without splashing the cash:
Give them five: It’s two decades since the first Parkrun was held in London in 2004. Now the free 5k runs are held in over 800 UK locations with millions taking part each month. Regular running can help to boost your bones and lung function, while reducing the risks of developing heart disease or type 2 diabetes. It can also make you happier, according to a study by Glasgow Caledonian University. Build up with the free NHS Couch to 5K fitness app based on doing three runs a week over nine weeks.
Go green: There are now thousands of outdoor gyms installed across the country in parks and open spaces – allowing you to do strength training and cardio workouts. You’ll find equipment similar to cross trainers and pull-up bars and people training outdoors have actually been shown to burn more calories. Find your local facilities via your council’s website or search providers like The Great Outdoor Gym Company.
Martial your forces: Don’t fancy stumping up for a fitness class? Try the gentle martial art Tai Chi – a mix of meditation and exercise. It’s great for boosting muscle strength, flexibility, and balance and has been shown to help reduce blood pressure more than cardio workouts. One study found that it can help you lose fat as fast as a gym workout. Find free videos to get you started on both the BBC and NHS websites.
Inside edge: Prefer to exercise indoors as the weather worsens? You can grab free taster days at gym chains across the country like Fitness First. Or try free online videos for a home workout like the ones on Joe Wicks’ YouTube channel, The Body Coach TV.
Take the stairs: Did you know that climbing stairs burns 23 per cent more calories than running? Even going down a flight of them burns more calories than walking on the flat. Studies have shown that regularly climbing stairs is associated with living longer too. Climbing just eight flights of stairs lowers average early mortality risk by a third. Two extra minutes spent stair climbing daily may be enough to avoid middle-age weight gain.
Walk this way: We all know that walking can improve your fitness for free, but how do you get motivated? If you don’t own one, why not offer to walk someone’s dog? Dog owners are estimated to be four times more likely than non-dog owning adults to meet recommended exercise targets, say Liverpool University researchers.
Can-do attitude: Rather than doing weights at the gym use tins from the kitchen for a home workout. The British Heart Foundation says: “A good way to tone and strengthen your arms and shoulders is to use tins of soup or baked beans as weights. Hold a tin in each palm, stretch out your arms to each side and move them in circles, keeping them straight. Do 10 clockwise circles, then 10 anti-clockwise.”
No-cost clubs: A kickabout in the park will work off 450 calories an hour, the same as two chocolate bars. For something more formal, kids can try free soccer sessions across the UK with McDonald’s Fun Football organised with the sport’s official national associations across the UK. The Lawn Tennis Association and Barclays have teamed up to provide free tennis sessions in parks too. Check if your local council offers free swimming sessions.
Stand up for yourself: Sitting for eight hours or more a day increases your risk of early death. But don’t just stand up – do it on one leg. People who cannot stand on one leg for 10 seconds are twice as likely to die within 10 years, according to a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Balancing on one leg also helps work your core and improves your posture.