10 budget fitness tips

6. Find a terrible parking spot or get off at the wrong stop... on purpose
Parking your car far away from your destination forces you to walk farther and get a little extra exercise on your way in. Similarly, if you take public transit you can purposely get off a few stops early and walk the remaining blocks to wherever you're going.

7. Join the club
If you'd rather not exercise solo, look for groups in your area that match your interests. There are people who meet for nature walking, bird watching, hiking and several other sports, from tennis to bowling. It's free to join many of these groups, while others have nominal membership fees.

8. Get a sense of community
Check out the activities your local community centre offers. Many have recreation facilities where classes are held or where, for a nominal fee, you're able to exercise on your own. Community recreation centres are much cheaper alternatives to pricier health clubs and often offer the same programs and equipment.

9. Raid the pantry
Use soup cans as hand weights. Or, for a bigger challenge, fill empty milk jugs with water or sand and use those instead of dumbbells. A bag of sugar or small bag of flour makes for a simple and inexpensive weight to use when doing crunches or sit-ups. Simply hold the bag on your abdomen or chest to add resistance to each rep.

10. Use your weight to your advantage
When all else fails, you can always use your body weight for resistance training. Push-ups and sit-ups burn calories and tone muscles, and all you need is a bit of floor space.

No matter how tight your wallet might be, there are plenty of options for working out on the cheap. All you need is a little imagination, determination and recreation to get going.

Page 2 of 2