Exercise is certainly one of my big hobby horses, so I will often go on about various aspects of fitness to the chagrin of those around me. You’re probably aware of the multitude of benefits that exercise can provide, but I do have some cheap workout ideas in case you are trying to trim fat from your budget or finding a cheap way to get started.
Walking: Chances are, you already know how to do this. Equipment and start up time is minimal, as is the shock to your joints. Adding hills, picking up your pace, or walking for longer amounts of time are some ways to increase intensity. Of course, this may still not be enough if you’re in decent shape already.
Running: The faster you go outdoors, the more inefficient the body becomes as far as energy spent. You want to be inefficient as expending energy while exercising, as this gets you the most metabolic bang for your buck. If you’re able to handle it, try sprint intervals or hill sprints. You’ll likely get the a better workout from 15 minutes of hard sprints than you would from an hour of walking.
Bodyweight exercises: The pushup, pullup, and bodyweight squats are probably your best pillar exercises to focus on. Only the pullup requires any sort of equipment. A door frame pullup bar should do the trick. You can also utilize a local playground’s monkey bars or something similar. There are numerous variations that can be done to increase intensity such as one-armed pushups, single leg squats, and so on. You can also decrease the intensity by doing hangs instead of pullups and pushups from your knees, for instance. I find that 3 sets of 10 on each is always a good starting point.
If you’re just starting out, you should probably get cleared by your physician first and start off slowly. Exercise can save you on medical bills in the long run unless you go and get yourself seriously injured. Try to alternate days of cardio and weight training, but it really comes down to what works best for your body and schedule. I’m sure I’ll revisit the subject enough that you’ll think this is a fitness blog, but just remember to get started.