Keeping Fit on a Budget!

Contrary to what gym ads (Bally Total Fitness) say, you don’t “need” a gym to stay in shape and look your best! This may be shocking to hear from a group fitness instructor who constantly uses the gym, but I’m also a 26 year-old, paying rent and utilities, still in the beginning phases of my career, and keeping track of a tight budget! I’m sure many of you can relate to my situation.

So, what do you do if your budget doesn’t have room for that fancy gym? Use your surroundings! I actually enjoy working outside during a nice day or in the comfort of my home, it helps to mix things up and keep my workouts interesting. Check out these suggestions and feel free to add more ideas if you workout without a gym:

• Local high school track: I happen to live very close to a high school with a nice track that many members of the community use after school hours to walk, jog, or run. It’s safe from all the traffic and helps you track how far you’ve run (four laps equals a mile).
• Interval running: If you don’t live near a high school track, you can use your sidewalk and the street lights. Make sure to walk fast for 5 minutes to warm up the body, then after every other street light sprint really fast to the next one…then walk slow to the next one…then sprint. Interval training will help you burn fat and get your heart pumping, which is great cardio!
• Hand weights: You can go straight to your nearest Target and buy two hand weights and do bicep curls during your favorite TV show (Grey’s Anatomy, anyone?)
• Workout videos: You can now work out with some of your favorite celebrities as it seems EVERYONE is coming out with a new exercise video: Carmen Electra, Kim Kardashian, Jessica Simpson (I think) or you can go to try cool workouts at home like Taeboe, belly dancing, strip tease, etc. Have fun in the privacy of your home if you’re not one who prefers to workout in front of others.

That’s just a few examples of how you how you can get and stay in shape during a time where every budget cut helps! You can also use fitness magazines (I love SELF Magazine myself) to get tips on new moves and workouts that don’t need a gym. So there you have it, one less excuse to not live a healthy lifestyle! Keep it moving ladies .

The Fitness List

The Fitness goddess and about 7 women are participating in the American Heart Association 12 week challenge. In order to keep stay motivated and complete the challenge I came up with a suggestion that I want to share with you all. It involves making small changes as recommended by AHA to make major life improvements. Please view the info below.


Make at list of 10 things in your life that are preventing you from the healthy body that you want/deserve. List 10 things you have control over. List them in order from easiest to hardest. Then each week for the next 10 weeks you will remove/add one of the those things to your life. The important thing is that you choose things that you can stick to FOR LIFE. Do not choose something that is outrageous for your lifestyle (i.e. never eating bread). Again, please avoid extreme choices, or choices you have no control over. If you are still participating in the challenge please send me your list of 10. Also, remember they do not have to be major changes (the smaller the better). Choose things like increasing exercise and cutting back on the wrong foods. Please be detailed in your changes. The more detailed your changes are, the more likely it is you will stick to it.


Here is my Fitness List:

Week 1
Eat at least one serving of fruits and veggies a day (you should do more, but this is a challenge for me)

Week 2
Removing non-baked chips from diet (I will only eat them occasionally)

Week 3.
Spend at least 5 minutes stretching in the morning (at least 5 days a week)

Week 4.
Avoid eating more than one meal that comes in package (lean cuisine) anything frozen with high sodium per day.

Week 5
Eating two servings of fruits and vegetables per day .

Week 6.

Start my day with protein and fiber (hardboiled eggs and protein)

Week 7
Weight lifting 4 times a week (right now I do 3 days per week)

Week 8
Not eating past 8 p.m. (during the week, or nothing more than a 100 calorie snack)

Week 9
Swapping cocktails for glasses of wine (cocktails occasionally, once a month)

Week 10
Do yoga at least once a week (i don't really like yoga, but there are so many benefits, so this is my challenge0


Remember : Be creative and be detailed!
Don't forget I am making these changes in addition to continuing the exercise plan I have (5 days/wk of exercise) and other changes I made in the past (adding green tea, cutting fried foods, sugar free pudding from my sweet craving, drinking water all day. replace juice with fresh fruit, etc....


Comment!

Will you be participating?

Share you list!

Other suggestions?

Workout Hard, Keep Your Curves

I've been spending the past week writing about Black Womens' barriers to Fitness. Now it's time to figure out how to dissolve those barriers with Tips. Look out for more tips to come.

So it has become very clear to me that some women are afraid to workout because they believe they will lose their curves. Well, you can be Healthy and Curvy. Working out and eating right doesn't mean you will look like Kate Moss. You can find a healthy balance that allows you to keep your beautiful curves. In my last post Black Women want to be Bootylicious over Healthy
I gave the example of Beyonce. Beyonce has been very successful at keeping her curves and fit. In addition to all the exercise she gets dancing, Beyonce adheres to strict workout routine with a ton of cardio Her body did not come easy so prepare for some hard work. I did some research to find out what you can do to have Healthy Curvy Body.

1. Click here to get great tips on how to tone your legs and thighs, it even includes a video! Other ways to to tone your legs are squats and lunges. Try looking up 8 min. thighs on youtube. You can also try my favorite method, running!

2.
I read at www.fitsugar.com that Hula Hooping is one of Beyonces secrets. "One minute of Hula Hooping can burn as many calories as running an eight-minute mile. Hula Hooping also promotes correct body alignment from the circular motions and proper posture in the upper body routines." Sounds fun!

3. Dance your a$# off!
Check out Bodylicious: The ultimate dance workout review.

And of course you must add fresh fruits and veggies to your diets, stay away from sweets, and focus on getting whole grain and protein.

Note* I have read alot of places that Beyonce has done the Master Cleanse diet, and other detoxes. Be careful with detoxing do your research and make sure you are getting all your nutrients.

In my experience my weight loss has not really affected my curves. Running has really flattened my stomach and I have dropped two dresses. But my thighs are still really thick. The rest of my body is just more toned.

How has exercise affected your body? How has it affected your curves?