Inexpensive Ways to Workout at Home

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Do you want to get into shape but have no time because you’re busy with mom stuff?

Do any of these sound familiar:

  • I can not afford a gym membership.
  • Who has time to workout when you have all of these kids?
  • I am exhausted.
  • Who would watch the kids?
  • And who will pay for the sitter while I go workout?
  • Life is not about me right now.

Believe me, I understand and I have a mommy solution for you!

exercise at home

Have you ever thought about working out at home?

Ways to Exercise at Home (and on a Budget)

  1. Check your local recreation center in the city you live in. Often times they offer memberships so inexpensive your chin will hit the floor. The one here in our area offers an annual membership for $50 a year or the whole family (no matter how many kids you have) for $125 per year. Seriously!
  2. Walk the track at your local public high school. You think it is only walking- what could walking do for me? Well, it is more than you were doing yesterday. Think about it. Small baby steps. (I love going to the high school track and running and so do my kids!)
  3. If you are a working outside of the home mom, take advantage of your lunch hour– even if it is just to go and walk at the local mall.
  4. Live near a playground/park/trails? Pop the baby in the stroller and take off. Or, just walk your neighborhood.
  5. Go to your library and checkout workout DVD’s or videos for FREE! This will allow you to workout at home, anytime of day, with or without children in tow.
  6. Visit your local used book store– they often carry DVD’s and videos too, for half the price had you bought them new.
  7. Get some inexpensive workout videos on Amazon.
  8. Borrow. If your friend has a workout video that gave her great results, ask if you can borrow it. You could at least see if it is a good fit for you before you make the purchase.
  9. Get bikes for the family– you can build your collection slowly. Likely your kids already have bikes, just you and your spouse/significant other will need one. Check pawn shops, Goodwill, thrift stores, Craigslist, and garage sales for used bikes. (Goodwill recently had an adult bike for $7.50 on half price day.) Bike riding is excellent cardio.
  10. Have a Wii? Girl, take advantage of that! The workout games are inexpensive and very effective. I have a friend who had great results with this. (Maybe you could discreetly request a gift card to Target or Walmart for your birthday or Mother’s Day.)
  11. Check You Tube for workout videos. Search for cardio workout videos for example, there are many to choose from. And it’s FREE!
  12. Get a personal trainer online. It is cheaper than you think and they often provide nutritional guides for you as well.

Other Thrifty Workout Resources

  • Need some new Yoga pants and workout tops to get you motivated? You can find this stuff all day long at Goodwill and even thrifty resale shops.
  • Time is an issue? Get up before everyone else and start your day with your workout. When I need time to myself I have found getting up an hour earlier than everyone else is like gaining three hours in the day.   🙂

Let me know what works for you. How do you get your workout in each day?

What are your budget friendly ideas for getting fit.

25 Comments

  1. Michelle from Fun On A Dime says:

    Man, all those excuses sound so familiar. I think I have used them all! Great tips! I have found that Hulu and exerciseTV.com are great places to find online workout videos

  2. Great ideas Crystal! I am full of excuses. I do LOVE my wii. I think I will break out Just Dance today. I think Katy Perry is calling my name. Lol!

    Kim

  3. Siggy Spice says:

    Just started taking Zumba, and I have to say, I push myself even harder in a class than I would at home! I don't want to be the weak flabby one in the back of the class sucking oxygen like a fish out of water. So, my advice…take a class!

  4. Great ideas! I just got rid of my Wii and have regretted it ever since! Visiting from All About You! 🙂

  5. Michelle- totally forgot about Hulu! And I did not know about exerciseTV.com. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Kim- a wii dance game sounds like fun!

    Soggy Spice- one of my SIL's is doing Zumba and loves it! I wonder if there is a good video version for at home workout?

    Kelly- glad you stopped by!

  6. This post couldn't have come at a better time. I just started exercising again. However, I'm a poor and time-strapped college student. So, thanks for the tips! : )

  7. Lots of great suggestions!

  8. Mama Motivated says:

    Lots of great ideas. I have used the high school track when its warm out, dvr'd workouts from tv, workout dvds I found at Goodwill. Just recently my sons school pta has started offering zumba classes for the parents and children. I went this past saturday for the first time and enjoyed it.

    Shanaka @ Thrifty Mama B

  9. Haeli Mae'd says:

    I gained 60 lbs while I was pregnant with my son. He is 4 months old now and I have lost all 60 lbs of the weight I put on! I had my baby in September…in Montana! It's not exactly easy to workout outdoors in our Montana weather. But I made it a goal to run a 5k at Thanksgiving and I did it! Thanks to the tredmill in our living room and pilates videos from the library I feel amazing! My advice is to challenge yourself by singing up for a 5k or 10k in your area. It will give you motivation to get in shape and excersise every day until the race. Even if you just walk it. It is a start!

  10. Great ideas! I'm impatiently waiting for the doctor to release me so I can start exercising again.

  11. Great ideas! I never thought about Youtube! Love this post, I can totally identify with every single one of the excuses you listed. Bad me. Bad, bad me. Guess I can't be now.

  12. canned goods and bottled water make great free weights. Need more weight while doing push ups or leg lifts? Have one of you little children sit on your back or legs. They love it and you get some exercise in.

    Jumping jacks work your entire body including cardio! You can do them anywhere at any time. Plus, it takes less than 2 minutes (a commercial) to do 50 jumping jacks. Now, what is your excuse? 😉

  13. My frustration is this darned winter weather. We walk, but you can't walk when there's 2 feet of snow all over everything, and ice below that. The workout videos from the library are a good idea. Thanks!

  14. Simply Stacie says:

    I love these suggestions! I can't afford a gym membership either and find it a pain to go. I prefer to workout for cheap at home.

  15. Berji's domain says:

    Great tips! I used to find it easy with just one baby… push her around in the jogging stroller. But with 3, all those excuses are familiar. But, hubby got me a gym membership ($10/month) AND agreed to put the kids to bed so I could go. So now I have to be responsible because we're paying money BUT I also get time to myself. 🙂

  16. We have Netflix and you can also stream work out videos either on your computer or through a compatible device like PS3. It is a great way to test them prior to purchasing!!!

  17. ConnieFoggles says:

    All great ideas! I always stretch and do some exercises while I'm sitting at my desk. Granted I'm at home, but even if you work in an office, just getting up and moving around every few hours is helpful.

  18. ♥Yaya's Mommy ♥ says:

    Great ideas and the best part is they are free. What is not to love about that right? 🙂

  19. I’m definitely a stroller mom. My daughter and I love to go out. I need to try some workout videos sometime. You had some great ideas on where to find them.

  20. Great post and such an important one for parents. I’m a big believer in fun, unique family activities, so I often work out with my 3yo daughter so that fitness is a family activity. I simply view the exercise demos/ideas on the CrossFit Kids site and we can do them at home for free. Big fans of CrossFit. Thanks!

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