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No Cash? No Problem!

By Fawnia Mondey

MuscleMag International’s Cover Model for March 2003!

Some of us have had times when paying for a gym membership is not always easy.

Here are tips on how to train and stay fit on a budget!
For your cardio, try: Running, biking, walking, and at home you can try skipping or using a stairmaster or stationary bike. If you have a set of stairs near by, why not run them for 5 - 10 min, once a day. Every minute brings you closer to your goals and will improve your health and mood.

Getting outside is always best since you get a change of scenery and plenty of fresh air, not to mention it’s 100% free, and open 24/7. Note: It’s important to be able to hear traffic, and people around you, so use caution if you need to use a walkman / MP3 player while outside.

For your resistance training try: Push-ups (chest, arms, shoulders), dips (triceps), pull-ups (back, biceps, forearms), chin-ups (biceps, forearms), lunges and squats (quads, hamstrings, glutes, and balance).

Also try leg raises (with or without ankle weights), on your hands & knees, kicking one leg up. You can do leg raises, while lying on your side too. You don’t need to lift your leg much at all to feel it working. Don’t forget your calves. Find a stair and with your toes on the edge, do as many reps as you can - make them burn!

Affordable Equipment

For about $10.00 - $20.00, you can buy a set of dumbbells and add these exercises to your at home routine; shoulder press, front, side and rear laterial raises (shoulders), chest press, bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, bent over rows (back).
* By using free weights, you can now add resistance to your lunges, squats and calf raises.

Try adding exercise bands

www.exercisebands.com to your routine. These bands can join you on your trips away from home since they don’t take up valuable space in your suitcase! With these bands (and a door), you can work your triceps, biceps, chest, back, shoulders, and hamstrings. Great invention! Visit their site for photos on exercises.

Another great addition is using gymnastic balls

www.gymball.com There are a variety of gym balls on this site. They are perfect for isolating the buttock, thigh, lower back, and abdominal muscles, and it’s the newest way to get a great low-impact aerobic workout.

Try picking up a couple workout video’s

http://exercise.about.com/cs/exercisevideos and work with them every other day, in combination with walking or running outside for 20+ minutes.

There are many options available to you, so at times you may feel overwhelmed. Set everything aside and pick something from what you have read here and get started. You are not alone in your quest; I’m right here with you!