How to Get Fit (without joining a gym)
If you can’t afford or don’t like gyms, you can easily get fit without one. As long as you are able-bodied, regular exercise is pretty simple (you can even get fit with chair exercises). Also read our posts on:
To lose weight, you have to either reduce 500 calories a day (not easy). Or expend 500 extra calories a day through exercise (far easier). Exercise is a blend of warm-ups and cool-downs along with:
- Cardiovascular exercise for your heart, which also burns calories. Do this 2 to 5 times a week. Good examples are walking, swimming and cycling.
- Strength-training (use your body weight using Lucy’s exercises below, or weights, to build muscle. This protects your bones and burns fat, by speeding up metabolism. Then you can tone up and lose weight, even when sleeping. Do this three times weekly.
Back in the day, people walked everywhere and did manual housework, laundry and labour. But today with everything automated and everyone driving (and sitting in front of the TV eating giant bags of crisps), it’s more difficult to stay fit!
Councils and governments can help by creating walkable communities with public parks. This way, people walk to the shops, to the park, to work and to school. They also shop at local farmers’ markets, that are within walking distance.
If towns were like this, the obesity crisis would be solved almost immediately. Instead, today England has fast food restaurants and coffee shops selling giant-sized muffins. And to visit the out-of-town supermarkets, people have to drive.
And instead of walking to the local indie bookshop to pick up a favourite read (and then walking to the park to read it on a bench or under a tree), MPs encourage new Amazon warehouses to ‘create jobs’.
Go for a Daily Walk
Walking is free, gentle on your joints, and you can do it almost anywhere. Aim for at least 30 minutes a day at a brisk but steady pace. Walking outdoors also lets you soak up some sunshine, which is good for your mood and vitamin D.
Use the walk to enjoy some quiet time with your thoughts. Make it part of your routine, whether it’s before breakfast or after work. If you don’t walk dogs, consider volunteer dog walking.
Take the Stairs Whenever You Can
Skip the lift and take the stairs in your home, at work, or out and about. Climbing stairs builds key muscles in your legs and glutes and raises your heart rate.
A few trips up and down throughout the day can add up. Try two steps at a time or go faster for a bigger challenge.
Dance Around the House
Dancing is a fun way to get your heart rate up and burn calories. Put on your favourite music and move around your home. Whether you prefer gentle sways or full-on jumping, dancing makes fitness feel less like hard work.
Even ten or fifteen minutes of movement gives you a boost and makes it easier to stick with a daily habit.
Cycle or Run Outdoors
If you have a bike or good shoes, head outside. Cycling and running both build stamina and work your heart and lungs. You set your own pace and route. Go solo or join a local group if you enjoy company. Start slow and build distance and speed as you feel ready.
Read our posts on safe outdoor running and the benefits of bicycling.
Stretch and Strengthen With Yoga or Pilates
Both yoga and Pilates focus on body strength, balance, and flexibility. You don’t need fancy mats or kit, just comfortable clothes and a quiet space. Most towns have local classes, with all equipment provided, and qualified teachers.
Simple Fitness Workouts with Lucy
Lucy Wyndham-Read is a qualified personal trainer, with 30 years experience. A former army cadet, she took up exercise to help cope with grief, after her fiancé was killed in a tragic shooting accident.
Her YouTube exercise videos have millions of fans. Each one is 10 to 20 minutes, and uses body weight. Her 7-day challenge to lose belly fat has over 46 million views! View before/after photos of her fans on Lucy’s website.
Now in her mid 50s, Lucy looks and feels fantastic. And is a testament to how a healthy lifestyle can help people to cope with heartache, and help others too. Her book 7-Minute Body Plan is filled with effective workouts, along with simple plant-based recipes.
Just pick a workout for your particular goal (from t-shirt-ready arms to leg exercises). They are all quick and easy to do, and you can do them for the rest of your life. These exercises will:
- Burn excess body fat
- Strengthen your bones
- Increase energy levels
- Improve circulation
- Improve co-ordination
- Improve your posture
- Reduce anxiety & insomnia
- Strengthen your immune system
- Give you glowing skin
In all of Lucy’s videos, she promotes the philosophy that exercise is about feeling good, not looking like someone else. And that we should start by being thankful that we are able to move our bodies, and to focus simply on moving, not perfection.
Building healthy active lifestyles, is more important than ‘a set of exercises’. Even getting off the bus a stop earlier, is a good form of exercise, as it means you’re moving your body.
Strength Training Can Help You Stay Fit
Stronger: How to Build Strength has been described as a ‘book that should be prescribed on the NHS for anyone over 40’. This is a 12-week program by a man who says that most health issues for people under 90 are due to lack of exercise, rather than biological aging.
Written by an osteopath (and former firefighter who has a degree in exercise science), it shows 10 simple exercise that can help to build stronger muscles and bones, supercharge your immune system, and energise your nervous system.
Why are Gyms So Expensive?
Due to costs going up. Even council-owned gyms are pricey. Plus there’s the hassle of driving there, waiting for the shower and listening to booming music or rolling news, which can leave you feeling stressed.
The NHS GP Referral Scheme is one good choice. Funded by government, your GP can refer you if you have a health condition that would benefit (this is free or discounted gym membership, usually for 12 weeks). You receive safe qualified training, then can either carry on, or continue your fitness goals from home.
The NHS funds it, as it’s thought that around 39,000 premature deaths are caused by low levels of physical activity.
Organic Cotton Workout Clothes
Vegan Original offers organic cotton workout clothes, spreading the animal compassionate message with zero-waste ethical basics like tees and sweatshirts. This company uses organic cotton, green energy and plastic-free packaging.
