Wondering how to get fit on a budget, and if it is even possible?
The good news is that you don’t need a lot of money to improve your fitness, shape, and health.
One of the most reliable ways to do this is to eat nutritious foods, control your portion size, and undertake regular cardio exercise.
The reason this approach works so well is simple. Making healthier food choices will improve your health. Taking in fewer calories will help you to lose your excess weight. Cardio exercise accelerates the heart rate, which in turn offers a variety of benefits.
Included among these are a healthier heart, and increased energy and endurance. Regular cardio sessions will help you to become stronger, and trimmer, and it will increase your bone density.
It will improve your muscle tone, but not necessarily to the extent you may want. To optimize muscle gain, you can strength train or do resistance exercises a few times a week.
Keep reading for some of the best exercises you can do to get fit on a budget.
Exercises that Will Enable you to Get fit on a Budget
Walking:
Walking is among the easiest and most accessible ways to get fit on a budget. Being low-impact, the risk of sustaining an injury while walking is extremely low. This makes it suitable for most people including those who have never exercised before, seniors, and pregnant women.
To get started, all you will need is comfortable clothing and a pair of supportive walking shoes. A pedometer or similar fitness device to track your workout is useful but optional.
To increase the challenge as you become fitter, you can wear wrist or ankle weights or a weighted vest during workouts.
If you want to exercise at home, try a walking workout DVD, or buy a treadmill. Some home treadmills are surprisingly affordable. And, if you use the treadmill often and share it with family members, it will cost you far less than joining a gym.
Click here to read an article on the benefits of walking for thirty minutes a day.
Jogging or running:
After walking for a while, you may want to try jogging or running. These are higher in impact and intensity than walking, so may not be suitable for newbies or people with joint issues.
Equipment requirements are the same as for walking. However, you may need to outlay a bit more money for shoes.
It’s important that you buy running shoes that suit your pronation type, particularly if you will be exercising outdoors or over uneven terrain. The right shoes will help to prevent injury.
Cycling:
If you have an old pushbike gathering dust in your garage, dust it off, and hit the park. You could even fit workouts into your day by cycling to 
work and back.
If you’d prefer to exercise at home, there are some top qualities stationary bikes available that are budget-friendly. An indoor bike trainer stand is another inexpensive option. It will allow you to convert your pushbike into a stationary bike.
You will also need a pair of comfortable sneakers. If you have a bit more money to splash out, you may want to buy cycling shoes.
Click here to read reviews of some of the most popular stationary bikes, plus other cardio equipment reviews.
Bodyweight exercises:
Bodyweight exercises provide a convenient way to get fit on a budget. This form of exercise allows you to sculpt your muscles using the weight of your body alone. It also provides cardio benefits.
If you have a little money to spend, you may want to buy a few inexpensive fitness aids such as resistance bands or dumbbells. If you don’t have the money for these, you can improvise and use household items to add resistance and increase the challenge of your workouts.
For example, you can make your own hand weights by filling empty plastic juice bottles with sand. Or fill a pair of socks with rice or beans and use those.
You can incorporate a sturdy bench or a step into your workouts, or use a robust tree branch to do pullups.
Home Gym:
While top-of-the-line models can be expensive, there are some relatively inexpensive home gyms that will give you an excellent workout.
A home gym will enable you to sculpt and tone every muscle group. You will also be able to share it with other household members, which makes it an excellent choice for families.
Jumping rope:
Jumping rope offers another inexpensive way to get fit on a budget. There are plenty of high-quality ropes to choose from, the price 
of which starts at just a few dollars.
Along with burning a lot of calories, this form of exercise provides resistance and improves coordination. To get the most from your sessions, be sure to buy the right length rope for your height.
People from 4′ tall to 4′ 9″ should buy a rope that is 7 feet long. Those from 4′ 10″ to 5′ 3″ will do best with an 8-foot jump rope.
If you are between 5′ 4″ and 5′ 10″ you will need a 9-foot rope. People from 5′ 11″ to 6′ 5″ should look for a 10-foot rope, and those taller than 6′ 6″ should buy an 11-foot rope.
You can skip outdoors, or indoors if you have some free space. Along with comfortable clothes, you will need a pair of sports shoes.
Fitness DVDs:
Fitness DVDs will provide you with a great workout for a fraction of the cost of joining a gym.
You can work out at any time of the day or night at your own pace, in the comfort of your home. And with so many types of workout available, you can alternate between a dance workout, Zumba, yoga, or anything else that suits you.
My current favorite at-home workout is Body FX Figure 8 Basic, which you can read about here.
To read reviews of other popular fitness DVDs, click this link.
Swimming:
Swimming is a low-cost total body exercise that is fun. If the pool is heated, you can use it any season of the year. 
If you don’t have your own pool, using a public pool during off-peak hours may cost as little as $1. Another benefit of going during off-peak is that the pool won’t be crowded.
All you will need is a swimming costume and a towel.
Pool noodle exercises offer another fun way to get fit, as does aqua aerobics.
Final Thoughts on How to Get Fit on a Budget
As you can see, it’s easy to get fit on a budget. Try some of the suggestions above and you can achieve your fitness goals without breaking the bank.
If you don’t have any money at all, there are plenty of workout videos on youtube that you will be able to do without spending a penny. You can also
check out the free workouts here on Best Women’s Workout Reviews.
