I have to remind myself constantly that I provide a service that is a luxury.
Not many people can afford to have a personal trainer.
Not many people can afford to have a nutrition coach.
Not many can afford to work remotely with someone who can write their training programs and coach their diets, no matter where they live in this world.
And yet, everyone deserves the opportunity to be and feel fit.
So, this article is about some ideas for getting yourself there if you don’t have much money but you need to improve your health.
–Start With Steps: Improving your step count remains one of the most underrated forms of movement you can do for your body. It’s easy to do, it’s free, it’s low impact, and yes, it burns calories. It’s also good for your heart, your lungs and your brain. I’ve worked with clients who could barely walk a full block when they started with me but they built up their stamina and endurance to be able to walk miles. If it’s financially possible, buy a pedometer to track your steps and see how you’re improving. You may also need to invest in some shoes that can handle the mileage. You can start slowly. If the best you can do is 1000 steps a day, it’s a start. Build up to 2000, and then 3000. Just improve. You can break it up into several short bouts per day. Every little bit counts.
–Bodyweight Movements: Depending on your current physical condition, some bodyweight movements may be easier than others. For instance, you may not be able to do a free-standing bodyweight squat, but you may be able to squat and stand back up from a chair. As your body acclimates to that motion, try losing the assist of the chair and you can try squats on your own and build up your repetitions. If you can’t do a push-up from the floor, try doing one from your counter-top. Like the squats, you can build up your strength and reps over time to start attempting push-ups from the floor. Other bodyweight movements that you can utilize might be lunges, step-ups, planks, crunches, glute bridges, bird dogs, dead bugs and more.
–Band Resistance: While bands have been around for decades as an alternative to weights, the lockdowns during COVID were a great example of leaning on band work when you don’t have access to more (and heavier) equipment. With bands, depending on the type of band, you can introduce band variations of squats, bicep curls, lunges, band chest presses/flys, rowing movements for your back, kickbacks and extensions for your triceps, and over head presses. Some movements may require that you have an anchor point for your band to complete the movements.
–Dumbbells: Many people have light(er) dumbbells in their home. Maybe they were found at a garage sale, thrift store, or were handed down from a friend or family member. While dumbbells give you considerably more variation when it comes to exercises, limitations may be whether or not you have a weight bench and the very real potential that the weights you have are too light and aren’t challenging enough (this can also happen with bodyweight and band movements). Nonetheless, the more tools you have at your disposal, the more variation you can add to your routines.
–Gym Access: With the popularity and ease of access of places like Planet Fitness and YMCA, your most affordable gym options (with the most amenities) might be places like those. The downside is that you may be going at busy times and may have longer that ideal weight times to get to the equipment you need. Many people find they’re intimidated by the huge selection of equipment and have a genuine concern that they are risking injury by being unfamiliar with how a piece of equipment works. The good news is that most people in a gym are friendly and helpful. No one wants to see another member get hurt when the main reason someone goes to a gym is for self improvement. You can ask for assistance from a staff member or another customer to gain better understanding of what every machine does. Like a lot of things in life, just because the variation is there, doesn’t mean you need it. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with just a few staple movements in your program that you can track progress with.
Of course, in a perfect world, I’d love for everyone to have the ability to work with a personal trainer. I think the more people we can lead to the gym, the better. Should you be in position to have a coach, or a boutique gym like RevFit, you gain the advantage of the community, someone to take responsibility of writing your training programs, to teach you how to lift as safely as possible, and to have a place of accountability.
However, if that’s not in the cards, remember that you can do a lot with a minimal amount of equipment or very little monthly expense if that’s the best option for you.
The most important thing, is to start moving and find a method of movement you can stick with for the long haul.
(Photo courtesy of Danielle Cerullo)
