How to keep fit without stretching your finances
How to keep fit without stretching your finances
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Gym fees not required. The Guardian’s resident fitness expert gives tips on how to exercise for (almost) free. There are lots of ways to work out that do not involve paying gym fees. Phil Daoust, the Guardian’s resident fitness expert, has six tips on how to exercise on the cheap.
![[Phil Daoust]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2024/03/14/Phil_Daoust.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Whatever you are doing to stay fit, walking should be the cornerstone. Not only will it support your heart, lungs and muscles, it will get you places – for free. What you’ll need: Nothing apart from your usual outdoor clothes, unless you develop a taste for something more extreme, such as fell-walking.
![[A woman jogging in a frost-covered Greenwich Park, London.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/7b8bb9880b79d28bb21f7e4e194d1270f5347b3b/853_601_1969_1182/master/1969.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The simplest form of aerobic exercise – but if you’re not already a runner you’ll need to ease into it. It’s hard to beat the NHS’s free Couch to 5k programme, which aims to get you running for about 30 minutes in only nine weeks. What you’ll need: A smartphone and, as a bare minimum, shorts, leggings or tracksuit bottoms and underwear that won’t chafe, plus trainers that don’t immediately hurt your feet. If you don’t hate the whole experience, you will want to invest in dedicated running shoes and some sort of synthetic top to wick away your sweat.
![[A woman stretches on a yoga mat with her hands on the floor.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/736e321f1439ca24b1c745d5a2246b674afc4037/1011_572_1661_1673/master/1661.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The Yoga with Adriene YouTube channel is stuffed with free and beginner-friendly workouts. As the host, Adriene Mishler, tells her 13 million subscribers: “Jump on in! You don’t even have to leave the house.” If you like dogs, you’ll love her companion, sweet Benji.
![[Phil Daoust exercises in Norwood Park, London.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/36f37b158799e06222764221c39824537c024f6e/0_107_6240_3744/master/6240.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
What you’ll need: Ideally, a yoga mat to protect your back and knees, especially if you have hard floors. A couple of blocks may help if you struggle with flexibility. For clothing, you’ll be fine with a T-shirt and some shorts or tracksuit bottoms. Shoes not required! Or just do it in your underwear.
