Exercise - budget; Weight loss - Exercise; Obesity - exercise
You do not need a pricey gym membership or fancy equipment to get regular exercise. With a little creativity, you can find many ways to exercise for little or no money.
If you have heart disease or diabetes, be sure you check with your health care provider before starting to exercise.
Walking is one of the easiest and least expensive forms of exercise. All you need is a pair of comfortable shoes. Walking gives you a great workout that you can tailor to your own fitness level. Plus, you can find many ways to add walking to your day:
Just make sure you are walking fast enough to benefit your health. If you can talk, but not sing your favorite lyrics, you are walking at a moderate pace. Start at this pace, and go faster as you get fitter. You can also use a pedometer or activity tracker that will track your steps. Many will calculate calories burned and distance, too.
You do not need expensive exercise gear and equipment to have a home gym. By making the most of what you already have, you can work out at home without breaking the bank.
Whether you work out indoors at home or outdoors, there are many exercises you can do that use your own body weight to help you tone muscle. These include:
To make sure you use proper form, go to the online exercise library at the American Council on Exercise. They also have sample workout routines you can try.
Many sports and activities are free or cost little to begin with.
American Council on Exercise website. Exercise database & library. www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/. Accessed May 3, 2024.
Arnett DK, Blumenthal RS, Albert MA, et al. 2019 ACC/AHA guideline on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: executive summary: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2019;140(11):e563-e595. PMID: 30879339 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30879339/.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Physical activity basics. www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics. Updated October 16, 2023. Accessed May 3, 2024.
Kraus WE. Physical activity. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 14.
US Department of Health and Human Services website. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2nd edition. health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf. Updated 2018. Accessed June 17, 2024.
BACK TO TOPReview Date: 4/18/2024
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
![]() Health Content Provider
06/01/2025
|
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, for Health Content Provider (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics. This site complied with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information from 1995 to 2022, after which HON (Health On the Net, a not-for-profit organization that promoted transparent and reliable health information online) was discontinued. |
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- 2025 A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.