Getting fit and healthy has always been my goal.
But ever since becoming a mum, exercising is such a challenge because I always felt Too Busy, Too Tired and Too Lazy 😉 Plus I didn’t want to spend extra $100-$200 each month on gym memberships that I knew I would not have time to utilise fully.
This year I finally found some simple, fun and convenient solutions that helped me to overcome my inertia to work out. Best of all they are also very low cost and friendly on the wallet! I’m proud that I have sustained my exercises for the year thus far and I’m building up good fitness momentum!
So I decided to share 4 ideas that helped me along my fitness journey in this post. If you are like me who face challenges in getting started or if you are looking for low cost ways to get fit and slim down without slimming down your wallet, these can help!
1. Online YouTube fitness videos
Cost: $0
Google fitness videos on YouTube and you will find plenty of ideas for simple workouts that you can do at home for beginners, without equipment. There are exercises to lose belly fat, low impact cardio, yoga for beginners and many more.
For myself, I figured that yoga was something gentle enough for me to start with. I started researching for home based yoga videos on Youtube and came across Yoga with Adriene.
I love the way Adriene conducts her home yoga videos, simple to follow and usually around 20-30 mins which is perfect for a busy mum like me. I also resonated with her motto of finding what feels good instead of trying to get into a certain shape, and about being kind and loving to ourselves.
After taking on one of her 30-day yoga program (completely free of charge by the way), I was hooked and started to build the habit of daily yoga.
Gradually, I start enjoying the fruits of feeling fresher, having fewer aches and pains, even gaining more strength. I find peace and clarity through practice as yoga serves as a moving meditation that helps me calm my busy mind. Now, yoga is become my me-time, a way for me to get grounded and become more present with my family and work.
There are plenty of other good fitness channels out there, do check it out and find someone whose vibes you like and have a go. This is a totally free and simple way to get started. Once you start enjoying the process, the rest becomes easier!
2. Free fitness classes by Health Promotion Board – Move it Initiative
Cost: $0
Health Promotion Board has so many free and interesting physical exercise programs to cater to all age groups, from working adults to retirees and young children.
A look at their website shows a wide range of activities like running clinics, HIIT, Zumba, Kickboxing, KpopX Fitness, Yoga, Pilates etc.
There are even free classes at professional fitness centres like True Fitness, Fitness First and Real Yoga for working adults to have their morning workout before work or during lunchtime.
On weekends, there are sports and games, even workouts at the mall that you can join in after your shopping. During school holidays, there are also family friendly activities for parent and children such as archery, bowling, rock climbing.
My daughter learnt rock climbing during the June holidays when I signed her up for 4 sessions at The Rock Climbing school at Bedok – totally free of charge!
With so many FREE programs at different timing and numerous places, there is really no excuse not to get moving and get fit 😉
Check out the activities at the following link https://www.healthhub.sg/events
or download their schedules here https://www.healthhub.sg/programmes/142/MoveIt.
3. ActiveSg fitness classes
Cost: $6-8 per 1 hr class
After having some fun moving and trying out different types of activities, it’s time to make it into a habit. That’s when starting a regular fitness program or class helps to make a difference.
ActiveSG offers a wide range of cost effective studio programmes for all fitness levels. The classes include traditional ones like Yoga, Zumba, Pilates, aqua aerobics to the more exotic ones like Masala Bhargra workouts and Bokwa.
Prices range from $75 – $96 depending on off peak or peak rates for 12 lessons. You can even make use of your ActiveSG dollars to pay for 30% of the cost. So each 1 hr lesson can work out to as low as $4.3! If you go for 3 classes a week, it only works out to less than $60/mth! Check out their range of programs here https://www.myactivesg.com/Programmes
I have been attending a Body Sculpt class since early part of the year which is a combination of cardiovascular exercise and resistance training. The weekly routine has definitely helped in building up my habit of working out!
My instructor Juliana makes the class fun, which makes it much less of a struggle ;) She always encourages us to challenge ourselves, to build our muscular strength and endurance, highlighting the importance of functional fitness so as to minimize injuries as we age.
I like her philosophy that exercising is not just for aesthetic reasons but so that we can have a long and healthy life to enjoy our life with our loved ones :) That’s also my core motivation for getting fit.
4. Set up your own Home Gym
Cost – varies starting from $10+ for free weights (depending on type of equipment)
Nowadays with the super value for money sports megastore Decathlon, you can set up a simple home gym at a super low budget.
You can start with free weights and resistance bands, gym ball, even a trampoline for jumping exercises.
For myself, I got a simple resistance band to practice assisted pull-ups at home, some ankle weights. I also perform planking exercises that don’t even require any equipment.
My home based assisted pull up with resistance band from Decathalon
I know of a friend who set up a home gym for less than $250 with simple low cost equipment from Decathlon and does a workout routine with his wife every morning before work in the comfort of his home!
Alternatively, you can also make use of the fitness corners near your home to do pull ups, sit ups and other exercises.
Hope the above 4 ideas are helpful to you in getting started and can save you some money too!
What other ideas do you have for getting fit on a budget? 😊 Do share with me in the comments below
To Your Success and Happiness,
Yong Hui
Hi,
After sending my child to sch, I’ll walk for 1 hr, or jog/walk for 1 hr. Why 1 hr? That will be about 10k steps. What does it cost? Just the cost of a running shoes, exercise clothes and just the effort to do the exercise.
Another cheap and effective way is to climb up and down the stairs if you’re staying in hdb/condo. It’s great for HIIT (hight intensity interval training).
I think your exercise needs some cardio.
Thanks for sharing LP, yes those are very cost effective way to get cardiovascular exercise too!
Actually there are many ways to exercise that doesn’t cost a lot, the important thing is to do it regularly to reap the benefits. Keep it up!
Personally, I get cardio exercise in my body sculpt class plus I normally move around quite a bit everyday. In fact my instructor told me to do more weight bearing exercises to build my muscles and bone mass due to my small frame and low weight ;)