With annual gym membership fees running well into hundreds of dollars these days coupled with the current economic climate, joining the gym to get fit certainly seems to be a bit of a luxury right now.  Luckily the gymnasium is not the only place where you can get back in shape. In this article, you will discover 6 inexpensive, fun ways to burn those excess calories without burning a hole in your wallet at the same time.

1. Walking

This has got to be the cheapest and most readily available method of exercising. Everybody already knows how to walk and you don’t have to have any fancy shoes to do it. Just get up off your couch and go!  A brisk 30 minute walk that would raise your heart rate a few times per week will do very nicely.  Consider going for a brisk walk during your lunch break for example, to work the exercise into your day.

2. Home Gym

Unless you live in a one storey accommodation, you are bound to have stairs in your home.  So why not take advantage and use them to run up and down several times in a row to tone up your legs.  The stairs can even double as a means to work your triceps by performing small dips at the edge of a stair.  All you need to do is to sit at the edge of a stair, hands face down on either side of you and then lift yourself up and down using small movements. Keep your arms in towards your body as you do the dips. If you have tin cans of food in your cupboard and let’s face it, most people do, you can use the tin cans as weights and do arm lifts.  Small bottles of mineral water can also be used for the same purpose.

3. Exercise DVDs

This is ideal for people who don’t want to exercise in front of strangers.  There is a vast array of exercise DVDs available on the market and if you don’t want to buy your own, you can always borrow them from your local library.

4. Dancing

This is a fantastic way to burn loads of calories and incredibly fun and enjoyable too.  You can do it in your own room or you can go out and dance in clubs and parties.  Whether you choose to dance freestyle or learn a particular type of dance like hip hop, country and western, swing or latin dance is up to you!

5. Swimming

Swimming is one of the best exercises for general toning up of the body.  It is great for people with knee joint problems as you are not putting pressure on your joints in the water and is perfect whether you are young or old.

6. On Your Bike!

Cycling is environmentally-friendly, gives you a brilliant work-out and much less stressful than driving!  You can cycle to work, to the grocery store or cycle round to see friends at their homes etc.  This being the case, you can see how easy it could be to find yourself doing a bit of cycling every day.

So there you have it!  These are just a few great ways to get fit on the cheap; I hope that you feel inspired to start doing something to improve your health and fitness.  Do not forget that your diet will play a large part in your fitness program so choose your diet plan carefully.