Having a great body doesn’t have to cost you thousands on equipment or sporting gear. Use these cost-free methods to tone and shape.

LIFESTYLE CHANGES:
Busy lifestyles leave no room for exercise and workout routines. But you can use everyday activities to create a workout routine throughout your day. It’s all about maximizing your time and with these simple steps you can add exercise to your daily activities.

When you’re at work…Take the stairs and not the elevator and try stretching at your desk or getting up every once in a while. This allows you to take in more oxygen and have more energy for the day.

When you’re cleaning…Use as much energy as possible for vacuuming, wiping and lifting. Research suggests that maintaining this approach to exercise will see that you get the health benefits you need while increasing your metabolic rate.

Here’s THE BUSY WOMEN’S GUIDE TO WEIGHT LOSS

WHERE TO GO FOR HELP

Local Library Material:
You can use your library card to get great workout books that will help you focus on your specific problem areas. From a selection of different books you can build daily routines to keep you interested in working out.

TRY Intelligent exercise with Pilates and Yoga by Lynne Robinson and Howard Napper (Pan Books,2003)

TRY Strength Training for Women by Joan Pagano (Penguin Group UK, 2005)

TRY Once-A-Week Workout – Transform your Body in 12 weeks by Mark Anthony (Collins and Brown, 2006)

Website Workouts:
You don’t have to leave the house to get the workout you want. There’s yoga moves, weight training and running tips, all the fitness information you’ll need to get started right here on the web. Running Buddies:
Recruit friends or family to help you achieve your exercise goals. According to a study at the University of Georgia, individuals were more inspired to reach their goals because doing so helped the running group reach theirs. The group’s success stoked individual enthusiasm to stay active. Contact a running club in your area to stay motivated.

FUN FITNESS ACTIVITIES:

Walk it off Walking helps you lose weight says Nina Barough, author of Walking for Fitness, “If the average person power walks four times a week, for 45 minutes a time, he or she will lose approximately 8kg within a year, without changing his or her diet in any way.”

Get out the gardening tools. Gardening provides an escape for those who want to enjoy time alone while still trying to maintain a level of fitness. Exercise by digging, pulling and bending which burns kilojoules and saves you the cost of hiring a gardener.

Sexercise! Those extra minutes rolling around in the sheets can burn 630 kilojoules and can keep you in constant awareness of your body image says Pretoria sexologist, Leandie Buys. “Everyone likes to know that they have a nice physique and continually being naked in front of another person can be somewhat of a good incentive to stay in shape.”

Take up a sport and exercise your mind and body. A study at Michigan State University suggests that sport besides the obvious fitness benefits, can increase blood flow to the brain, which improves your memory, concentration and job performance.