10 Tips To Get Fit Without A Gym Membership

November 20, 2017

After spending the summer hiking, kayaking, swimming, walking outdoors, and enjoying activities outside, does the thought of taking your workout indoors with the cooler months seem disheartening?

Perhaps the thought of having to join a gym comes to mind. Fear not! Your workout does not have to come to an end when the first leaf drops nor does it have to involve a pricey gym membership.

In fact, fall is a great time to harvest a new workout routine! And while gyms can be a fantastic, motivating place to get fit, they certainly are not the only way. Consider the following tips to get fit WITHOUT a gym membership.

10 Tips to Getting Fit Without a Gym Membership

	Layer Up And Enjoy The Foliage Delight in the cooler weather and take advantage of outdoor adventures before the winter rolls in. Research park trails or walking trails nearby to continue exercising outdoors. Just be sure to layer up! Though your body will warm-up, you will feel chilly at first, so make sure to wear appropriate clothing for cooler days.
	Gear Up At Home Consider investing in some hand weights, resistance bands, a fitness ball, or at-home workout DVDs. These can be easily stored without taking up much room. Yoga and workout videos can also be found online and easily done in a small space.
	Try Bodyweight Exercises From jumping jacks to sit-ups to push-ups and lunges, these simple exercises require nothing but your body weight and get your heart rate up for some serious calorie burning!
	Community Classes Free community classes are offered all over and quite frequently! Check out your local area for free fitness classes being offered daily or weekly. These are a great way to meet others and find a group that may be willing to do at home workouts with you. These classes are often run by trained professions too so you’ll receive the same intense, energizing workout you would at a fitness class in a gym.
	Join A Sports League From bocce ball to indoor volleyball, and rock-climbing, etc, there are a ton of adult social sports leagues. Actively being involved in a sport is a fun and creative way to get your workout in. You’ll get your heart rate up and burn calories, all while having a good time!
	Create Or Join A Bootcamp Bootcamp-style workouts are a blast! Who doesn’t love a challenge? You can create your own by doing strength and cardio exercises at home or outside at a park—all you need is a good pair of sneakers! Invite others along for the fun for additional accountability and support!
	Take Advantage Of Online Discounts Online group buys, like Groupon, ClassPass, and LivingSocial, often offer great deals on fitness activities, such as yoga classes, rock climbing, ice skating, dance classes, and a variety of fitness lessons. Taking advantage of these deals is a great way to try something new and keep your workouts challenging and exciting. ClassPass allows you to try a variety of boutique fitness classes so that you can continually switch up your workout at any time without having to commit to one studio or gym.
	Make The Most Of Apps You can find an app for pretty much any type of workout. Our top picks: The Nike+ RunClub, Nike Training Club, Couch to 5k, and Daily Burn. There are many apps out there though that explain how to execute each exercise and allow you to tailor the workout to your individual fitness level! Many even offer challenges to overcome, prizes you can earn, as well as options to build your very own workout plan.
	Start A Fitness Challenge At Work What better way to get fit than to build exercise into your daily routine? Even better, get co-workers involved! Start a step challenge where coworkers log and record their daily steps or a “workout at work” group. Gather everyone up for a walk outside or a 10-minute mini-workout before lunch. Itching for more? Set an hourly timer to get up and move! Take the stairs, park farther away, do 10 pushups or 10 squats at your desk, or hold a plank for 1 min. Repeat these activities multiple times throughout the days and weeks and you may just see an improvement in your fitness!
	Play! Jump rope, ping pong, ice skating, rollerblading, jump rope, the list goes on. These activities can burn some serious calories while doubling as activity time with family or friends. Find something active that you enjoy doing and just have fun!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Shelby Burns MS, RD, LDN graduated from Syracuse University with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics and completed her Dietetic Internship through Simmons College in Boston. She completed her M.S. in Human Nutrition and Metabolism Research from Boston University, where her work focused on nutritional outcomes after bariatric surgery. As a CPT and Licensed Dietitian, she believes in a lifestyles approach to help her patients. Read more articles from Shelby Burns!

---