subject: Can You Get Fit And Healthy Without Spending A Penny Extra That Normal? [print this page] Due largely to the amount of weight loss programmes that are currently available which require you to sign up to a membership scheme, often paying in excess of 20 pounds a month, a preconception has developed regarding weight loss that it can cost a small fortune.
And if you sign up to one of these programmes that claims to help your lose weight, it will arguably cost you hundreds of pounds.
However, it's important to always keep in mind when looking to lose weight that it doesn't have to cost you hundreds of pounds a year and it can, if done correctly, actually result in you spending less each month than you do now - sometimes by a considerable amount.
Take your daily commute as an example.
If you live more than a short walk to where you work, it's likely that you either take your car or jump on the bus or tube. And although prices do vary, you're going to be looking at close to 5 pounds a day in travel costs.
Add that up over the year (taking off holidays and weekends) and you're looking at around 1,000 pounds to commute to work.
Now although some will need to pay this amount of money each day, a lot of people could, for example, walk to work, use a bike to travel there or even just get on the bus or tube at a stop further away from their house and get off at a stop further way from work, all of which will save money and help increase fitness levels.
In addition, many people believe that paying for a gym membership is necessary to aid with weight loss and although going to a gym is recommended, you don't necessarily need to pay several hundreds of pounds for an annual membership.
Instead, have a search around the internet for a free gym pass or even contact a few local gyms directly - you might not get a full annual membership for free, but receiving a free gym pass for a few weeks isn't something that's uncommon.
And then there's the food aspect, which is often the part where most people feel they can't cut back on financially or believe it will actually cost them more, as they need to buy basic ingredients that are more expensive than, for instance, a microwaveable ready meal.
What you have to remember here is that whilst a bag of pasta or rice may cost more than a microwaveable meal, it will be able to be used as part of three or four meals, meaning that it actually works out a lot cheaper in the long run.
Plus, spend the time growing some basic vegetables - tomatoes, beetroots and potatoes are all particularly easy - and you can reduce your food costs even further.
Getting fit and healthy doesn't need to cost a fortune and although it can, if you stick to common sense, you should be able to put together a diet and fitness plan that is suitable for you whilst saving yourself money each month.
