If you believe keeping fit means your financial health has to suffer, you can think again. You don't need expensive health club memberships or exercise equipment that costs thousands of dollars to stay in shape. In fact, if you already have sneakers in your closet you can exercise for free!
You can walk or run anytime and just about anywhere. If don't already have a pair of quality sneakers, then you can just buy a pair of walking or running shoes for about $50. Compare that to forking over $3,000 for a treadmill or elliptical trainer, and you are already saving money. Hiking trails, local running tracks or the sidewalks around your neighborhood are just a few of the places you can use. If the weather's bad outside, stay inside and run in place or walk inside a shopping mall.
Also, instead of a fancy piece of stair-climbing equipment that can cost thousands of dollars, use real stairs. You can run up and down your stairs for 30 minutes, or you can do it at your office building. Go up and down four or five at a time or do the whole flight, which ever is easier for you.
Forget about the burden of paying for strength-training equipment. You can use canned goods if you're on a budget or you can simply lift some of your furniture. It isn't about what you are lifting or using to build muscle, just that you are building muscle.
There are other ways to get cheap or free exercise:
