Check out your local churches and community buildings. In our town, the government building where the fire department is housed, offers its basketball court at no cost to its residents. Several local churches have walking tracks and fitness centers, outfitted with free-weights and machines. Often these fitness centers (sometimes referred to as Christian Life Centers or CLC's) are free for members and extremely inexpensive for members of the community. Our church is offering non-members a special of $25 per person for a year, reduced from the regular price of approximately $50 per year.

The YMCA is known for their low prices, but many branches will offer a free membership if you volunteer to work a certain amount of hours in their facility. From what I have heard, this includes working in child care.

Do your children have a Nintendo Wii? If you already have one in the home, you have a fun and inexpensive option. Even if you do not have the Wii Fit, the sports games are a great start. There are groups of moms who have lost a lot of weight with the Wii Fit, including a Wii Mommies blog devoted to the endeavour. Just use what you have and have fun!

If you like to workout with videos or DVDs, consider stopping by places like Half Price Used Books. Exercise DVDs are always at yard sales and you might even be able to trade your old ones with a friend.

If you choose to exercise at home and need equipment, there are several websites that show you how to exercise with household items and there are consignment stores specializing in second-hand sports and fitness equipment.

If you prefer the traditional gym memberships, ask about any specials or programs they might offer to reduce your price. You could also consider asking about volunteer or part time jobs at the facility that might help offset the cost.

Motivation is free, but sometimes hard to find. How do you stay motivated in your fitness routine?

For more frugal tips, visit Thrifty Thursday at Coolmomguide.com and Frugal Friday at Biblical Womanhood.

Labels: fitness, frugality

# posted by Heather@justdoingmybest @ Thursday, March 05, 2009