The other day I received an inspiring query: how does one workout if you cant afford a gym membership? Considering today’s economy it’s understandable that there are many who cannot afford a gym membership and that some of these people are the very ones who could use some de-stressing. So whether you spent all your extra funds on those black leather, knee- high Gucci boots or you have a lot of bills to pay, now there’s no excuse not to work out.

One cheap alternative is using fitness equipment to measure your outdoor exercise progress. There are a range of cheap products that can do everything from monitoring your heart rate to acting as a food diary and map of your daily movements like Jawbone’s UP fitness band (MSRP$100). The black rubber band (which will be made available in different colors early next year) tracks your steps, distance traveled, pace, calories burned daily, sleeping patterns and can calculate how much energy is taken from ingested food. Additionally, it comes with an iOS app that allows users to sync this info with their computer. Though $100 might seem expensive consider the fact that it’s a one- time fee for a high- quality product that will allow you many of the same privileges- and more- that a gym membership would.

Another alternative is the range of fitness apps available for those with smart phones. Personally, the Nike Training Fit Club (NTC) app for the iPhone has taken prominence in my life since oftentimes there is no time to take a spinning or core conditioning class etc. This allows the average individual the ability to do effective exercise in their home- both toning and cardio. Do a search of any fitness apps on your smartphone and guaranteed a huge list will pop out, however make sure you thoroughly research some of those apps so you don’t download a completely crappy one.

If neither of the former suggestions are available to you, there are a range of fitness sites out there that allow you to search specific exercise and how to properly perform them as well as carving a path to proper nutrition. Sites like thegreatist.com give great fitness- and health- centered advice to readers.

#ThinkPYNK