It’s common to make fitness goals at the start of the year and then fall off the fitness wagon by March.
Usually, people don’t reach their fitness goals because they start off too ambitious, expect quick results, or they spend a ton of money purchasing an assortment of fitness equipment, fitness subscriptions, and gym memberships that they never get around to using.
I’m here to discuss some general things you need to keep in mind when setting your plan AND to show you that it’s possible to meet your fitness goals without going broke.
See Also: Weight Loss Mistakes That Hinder Progress
Have a dedicated workout space at home
Have group workout anxiety? Have a super tight work schedule?
Having a dedicated workout space at home is one of the first ways to make fitness part of your daily routine.
The best part is you don’t even have to have an entire room or garage dedicated to working out. In fact, when I first started my fitness journey I set up a home gym in a condo.
You can pick out a corner in a room in your house and start with equipment such as an exercise mat, dumbbells, and resistance bands.
See Also: How to Successfully Start Working Out at Home
Purchase used exercise equipment or pay over time
Once you decide you’re serious about working out and successfully completing your fitness journey, you’ll probably want to add in some larger (more expensive) exercise equipment.
For this, you have two options, you can purchase used or use buy now pay later apps.
I’ve done both.
My first treadmill was second-hand, and it helped me discover my love for running. It lasted for 4 years and the only thing I had to do to get it working was purchase a treadmill key ($10 investment).
When I purchased my cycling bike, I used Affirm. They broke the payments down into 4, I believe, but I paid it off in two.
Make fitness fun
If you struggle to get through workouts, you’re not going to be able to meet your fitness goals.
Fitness has to be something that you enjoy.
However, this can be where people start wasting money.
While on your journey to make fitness fun, don’t sign up for a year with every fitness class that seems like it’ll be enjoyable. Instead, see if they have a free trial period or a discounted Groupon available for a trial period.
This is how I discovered I Love Kickboxing. I saw a Groupon for them and ended up loving it and committed to an entire year.
You may have to try out a variety of things to see what works for you, but that’s okay. Once you find fitness activities that you look forward to doing daily or weekly, you’ll find your fitness goals to be much more achievable.
Get into outdoor activities
You’d be surprised by how many fitness activities are available for free or at an affordable cost in your local area.
Since I’m a runner, I researched 5K and 10K events AND was surprised by the results. There’s practically an event, or two, going on each weekend in various surrounding cities. Not to mention the wonderful running trails that I have come across.
See Also: Color Me Rad Review
Download a workout app
I know, finding a good workout app can be hard.
I’ve tried a few over the years and wasn’t able to become obsessed with multiple daily workouts until I ran across OpenFit.
As with in-person workouts, though, don’t go crazy and subscribe to a bunch of different workout apps.
I’d recommend doing your research and actually testing out the app during the free trial period to see which apps work best for you.
Ideally, you’ll want to go for one that has live classes, on-demand classes, an assortment of workouts, and other features that could be beneficial such as progress tracking and meal planning.
You can reach your fitness goals without going broke
Making the decision to get serious about your fitness journey doesn’t have to break you (financially anyway lol).
You can make a budget on how much you want to spend each month on fitness and easily stick to it by following these tips.
Just don’t forget to set aside some of that budget to reward yourself as you meet different fitness milestones.
