Let’s discuss how to stay fit without a gym, because, let’s face it, the gym environment is not for everyone.
Besides, as you get older it is important to stay active, and you are not going to achieve this if you have to force yourself to go to the gym. The reasons for not wanting to go to the gym could be due to personal preference of atmosphere, lack of self-confidence, financial constraints, or possibly simply logistical issues such as time or transportation, but fortunately there are a number of ways and means that you can stay in shape and get some exercise without ever stepping into a gym.
Consider the following 5 suggestions that provide a great workout in an alternative setting.
How To Stay Fit Without A Gym
Hiking/Walking
Whether you go to the park closest to you and walk around for 20 minutes, or you take a day trip to whatever state park with hiking trails is most feasible for you, or even if you just take an hour to explore your town or city.
Consider it taking yourself on a tour of your town which likely would result in you either re-discovering the town that you call home or learning things about your city of which you were previously unaware.
Walking and hiking are excellent ways to get some exercise without going to a gym. Anything from a brief stroll to a vigorous hike will most certainly be worth the time and the effort, and you will be happy that you did it.
Get a group of friends together and form a walking group. This way you will always have someone to walk with and having company makes the walk so much more fun.
Donate Your Time/Labor
Volunteering in a community garden, or with a charitable organization such as Habitat for Humanity, or any other activity that is similar will not only get you moving and active without the need to even step onto a treadmill, but the sense of accomplishment and reward that your philanthropic activities will yield will make you feel better both inside and out.
If you love animals, volunteer to take the dogs at your local shelter for a walk.
Your local Chamber of Commerce or YMCA would likely be able to point you in the right direction when it comes to choosing the volunteer activity that is right for you.
Turn Cleaning Into A Workout
Basically most weekly or daily household chores (vacuuming, mopping, general maintenance and cleaning) involve a certain amount of physical activity anyway, so why not turn these tasks that need to be done anyway into a work out of sorts?
Accomplishing this efficient use of your energy is as simple as putting on your work-out clothes and shoes, turning on your favorite work-out music, and just putting a little more energy into your movements as you get your house chores done.
This is a real time saver as you are doing two jobs at the same time – getting fit and cleaning your house.
Take Up A Sport That You Enjoy
Just about every town and certainly every city has adult league teams that play a variety of sports such as softball, soccer, basketball, cricket, etc. Even if you’ve never played a team sport before, there is a good chance that you will find a sport and team that is appropriate for your skill level and physical ability.
And you might be surprised at how much you enjoy your new found activity and the comradery of your team mates, and who knows, may discover a hiden talent which, like volunteering, will not only give you exercise and help you to stay fit but will also improve your mental and emotional health. If you find the right sport and the right team to join, it will most certainly be a win-win situation for you
Participate In An Obstacle Course Or Organized Run/Walk
A fast growing trend in outdoor fitness activities are organized obstacle courses, and there are options for every level of athlete, many of which are also themed which makes them more fun and interesting.
Obstacle courses such as Tough Mudder, Zombie Mud Run, Spartan Race, etc. are just 3 of the multiple options of fun obstacle course races that will certainly give you a work out but won’t make you spend time at the gym.
Otherwise there are always organised runs/walks which are usually manageable of about 5 to 7kms at a time.
So what are you waiting for. How to stay fit with out a gym is not rocket science, so get off your butt and get moving!
Hey thanks for this useful post!
I have never been to the gym though have a few times considered it. However the thought of paying when I could do exercise for free probably is the reason as to why I never went ahead.
I mean the gym can be a nice environment especially since you don’t have to be aware of weather conditions however for me nature wins! I love the outdoors, the nice gentle breeze, or sun, drizzle basically nature. I much prefer staying fit in other ways than the gym so this has given me many other ideas to spend my time exercising!
You are right Sariyah, you definitely have loads of options when it comes to exercise besides the gym. There are also a lot of fun ways to stay fit with friends that don’t cost a penny.
Thank you very much for this valuable detailed post about how to stay fit without a gym. This is a really important post. I used to go to the gym before. But I don’t have time to go now due to busy schedule. What you said is true. I want to go for a walk too. I think that is a very good thing. Playing some sport is also a very good thing. I have to do both. Keep these articles coming.
Thanks Pasindu, and yes you can exercise anywhere for free. I think the main reason people join gyms is for the motivation that it takes to exercise. It is more difficult to exercise on your own, as life just seems to get in the way.
Hi and well done. The first thing that I attracted to was “Stay Fit Without A Gym”. When I opened your site up your claim is the gym isn’t for everyone well I am one of the ones that have always hated the gym. It was never appealing to me I just hated the whole concept about it. Now, I know many people that love it and just the idea that they are going get’s them pumped. For me it was always a source of stress and anxiety.
With that said, I took your intermittent fasting quiz and I thought it was awesome. I loved the slides as you waited for results that kept you in a calm mood. Anything about exercise, diet, and fitness is a stressor for me so reading each little pic kept me patient for the results. The questions were relevant and I would have done the $1 trial but for some reason my card wouldn’t work. I was hooked to purchase the 7 day trial and if you send me some information I may continue that plan.
The website was clean and clear for people like me to take action. I am just the type of client you would want and if the plan you created worked a great testimonial for you in the future. My daughter has been doing intermittent fasting and she has lost much of her body weight. I have been dieting of all kinds my whole life and honestly I am so tired of getting hung up on this topic so to read your website was really different and inspiring. Kudos to you and your site and may you find many more people like me to help you fulfill your life purpose.
Hi and thanks for stopping by. I just wrote the article, and you must have clicked away to get onto the intermittent fasting thing, which is probably an outside advertiser of ours.
Good luck with all your health transformations.