A Wallet Friendly Approach to Fitness

January is a time for setting new goals…and crowded gyms.  It happens every year.  Resolved to get fit and healthy, new members (or those who have been MIA) fill up group classes and the wait for using the cardio equipment becomes too long for my schedule.  So, I’ve learned to be patient because I know that in just one month, most of them will be gone and I can return to my own, stress-free pace. Until then,  I hit the outdoors for long walks and do Pilates floor exercises at home.  It’s always a fresh reminder that there’s really no excuse for not exercising.

For one thing, there’s so much available on the web to help us plan our workouts and monitor how we’re doing.  Here are just a few examples.

To begin with write down your goals. Becky Williamson, who calls herself “America’s #1 Fitness Coach for Boomer Women”, says this is your secret weapon for success.   You can download the goal sheet that she provides to her private clients and watch her video that explains how to create “smart, specific and time-based goals.:

Visit the website of the American Council on Exercise and click on “Get Fit” to view their exercise library and illustrated workouts.  You can indicate your target body part, experience level, equipment needed and workout type. This is the website for the organization that certifies fitness trainers, so you’ll find good instructions here.  While you there, try out their handy fitness tools and calculators for estimating percent body fat, daily caloric needs, heart rate zone and BMI (Body Mass Index).

If you’re into Pilates, download a free 15-minute Power Pilates Beginner Mat Class with Dana Eisenstein. If you find that you enjoy it and want to do more, you can purchase 30 -minute Pilates Mat Class videos (for beginners and advanced, in Spanish and English) for only $15.00.

If you enjoy working out with an exercise ball, you’ll find tips and workout ideas in a series of free videos on this website. For core exercises using the fitness ball, watch these slide show demonstrations produced by the Mayo Clinic.

You’ll also find dozens of free mini and full-length workout  videos that you can follow at Exercise TV. If Comcast or Time Warner is your cable service provider, you’ll be able to view many of these videos on the on-demand exercise channel.  (I bet you didn’t even know you had it!)

Finally, if you want to monitor your progress, check out the “trackers” at The Carrot. Their exercise database includes thousands of activities so you can see how many calories you’re burning. It’s free to register.

If you know of other no-cost or low-cost online resources for workout support, please let me (and other readers) know in the comment box below.