Six fitness tips that don't break the bank

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You know you should, but you don't. Why not?

• Life happens. Who has time to work out?
• Boredom happens. Workouts can get tedious.
• Budget happens. Gym memberships are expensive.

The following suggestions offer ways to make time for exercise, save money, and have fun doing it. Read on and get going!

1. Take a hike. Walking works your heart and lungs as well as your leg muscles - and it's free. Walking outdoors is much less dull than pounding a treadmill, and a 30-minute stroll burns about 75 calories. Kick that up to a brisk walk and you'll at least triple the calories burned.
   
   
2. Become a stair master. Walking up stairs burns as many calories as a brisk walk. Walking down stairs uses less energy, but works different muscles. Make a habit of taking the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. If you have been given the OK by your doctor, you may even try running up the stairs, to strengthen your heart, lungs, and lower body.
   
   
3. Travel down Memory Lane. You may already have a bicycle sitting in your garage. Dust it off and ride back to the days when you were free as a bird. Like walking, biking is great aerobic exercise, and it's actually better in some ways, including:
   
   
   • More calories burned in the same amount of time
   • More distance covered
   • Less stress on your joints
     
     
   If you don't have a bike, you can find a decent adult model at a discount or department store for less than $100 - and unlike a gym membership, a bike purchase is a one-time expense.
   
   
4. Have an everyday dance party. Dancing is great aerobic exercise, whether it's at the club or during your daily housework. Try some of these cleaning activities:
   
   
   • Feather Duster Stretch. With your feet flat on the floor, stretch your arms, shoulders, neck, and back to dust ceiling fans, light fixtures, and high corners.
     
     
   • Pick-up Knee Bends. To reach small items on the floor, keep your back and shoulders straight, come up on the balls of your feet, bend your knees, and lower your seat over your heels. If you have trouble balancing, rest one hand on the back of a kitchen chair or the seat of a stool.
     
     
   • Kitchen Cabinet Shuffle. You'll need a footstool, 6 or 8 inches high. In time with your favorite beat, step on the stool, take a few items out of a cabinet, step down, and put the items on the counter. Repeat until the cabinet is empty, then take a breather to weed out things you're not going to use. When your break is over, reverse: pick up, step up, place on shelves, step down.
     
     
   • Vacuum Cleaner Reach. Crank the music so you can hear it over the motor, then turn on the vacuum and lunge. Keep your back and shoulders straight, and push the vacuum cleaner forward by stepping as far as you can while lowering the opposite knee as close to the floor as possible. Then step back and lunge with the other foot. Keep at it until your carpets are clean.
   
   
5. Go organic. Yard work is one of those activities that has no middle ground - people either love it or hate it. Raking leaves is good, gardening is even better. This time of year, you may still be able to break the soil and prepare a small vegetable garden for spring - and an hour or two outdoors with a shovel, turning sod and laying mulch, is a full-body workout. Come spring, you'll mix in compost, plant, and weed to work different muscle groups, and when you start harvesting, your payoff will be both nutritional value and personal satisfaction.
   
   
6. Play ball! Driveway basketball, backyard softball, touch football - round up your friends, or barge in on that yard full of kids. They'll either be speechless with admiration or you'll provide some great comic relief. Either way, you'll get some exercise, have some fun, and it won't cost a penny.
   
   Other ideas for building relationships while you build fitness include:
   
   
   • Get the Frisbee down off the top shelf - or the garage roof - and give your dog a workout.
     
     
   • Take the family bowling. No, it's not free, but it's not expensive, either. Bowling is a low-impact sport that provides as much or as little exercise as you want. You can work at it, or you can kick back, relax, and just enjoy the company.
     
     
   • Challenge the neighborhood kids to a jump-rope competition. Round up a few rope-turners and rope-jumpers and introduce them to the challenges of "skipping in" and "Double Dutch."
     
     
   • Check your city's parks and recreation department for free activities and services like group bike rides, supervised hikes, and city tennis courts and other facilities.
     
     

The bottom line

With a little planning, your doctor's permission, and some effort, you can turn daily activities into real, calorie-burning exercise. Fitness doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't require a gym membership or pricey equipment, and it doesn't have to take any more time than you already spend doing what you have to do.

For more information

Humana.com - MyHumana, Health and Wellness, Wellness Programs, Physical Activity

Physical Activity - Georgia State University Department of Kinesiology and Health

Yard Work - The Ultimate Fall Workout - also a great source for healthy-weight tools like a BMI calculator and a calories-burned database

Calories Burned, BMI, BMR and RMR Calculator | CaloriesPerHour.com - more resources

MapMyRun.com - free Website where you can calculate the distance and difficulty of walks, bike rides, and runs

Editor's note: Make sure to ask a doctor about what exercise programs may be right for you if you have underlying health issues or restrictions before beginning an exercise routine.