Save Time and Money With Good Old Fashioned Exercise

August 1, 2012 by / 12 Comments

H and I are off enjoying our honeymoon.  I wont be responding to comments, but I will be posting new article and I’ll read all my comments when I get back.  Thanks for reading!  This is a guest post from Nathan at Real Sustainable Habits.

Staying fit is an important priority, but it sure seems expensive nowadays. Home gyms run close to $500, can be costly to maintain, and don’t really include a way to get in a good cardio workout, which might incline you to fork over another $400 for a treadmill or some other complicated piece of motorized equipment designed to induce calorie-burning movement of your bodily appendages. Even a modestly priced membership from, say, Planet Fitness is likely to run $23.33 a month,1 plus travel, premium classes, and the fancy new active gear you might find yourself picking up in order to blend in with your fellow gym members. The upfront costs and small but steady stream of monthly financial hemorrhaging might seem just enough to drive the frugally-minded batty. The operative word, here, however, is seem. I’m going to illustrate that, despite appearances, one of these options provides a pretty darn rosy picture for the health-conscious penny-pincher. To put it in as few words as possible: Gym memberships are for suckers. All you really need to whip yourself into shape is a little bit of time and the resolve to follow a low-cost, good old fashioned workout routine that can be done pretty much anywhere.

Gym Memberships are for Suckers

 

Despite the higher initial price for the home gym equipment, taking this route to maintaining and improving your health ends up being far cheaper than paying for a gym membership in the long run. Let’s compare the cost of these two options, both in terms of money and time, over the period of a year. For sake of simplicity, we’ll assume the following scenario pertains to you:

  • You exercise 5 days each week after work,
  • your home, gym, and workplace are each 4 miles from one another, taking you approx. 7 minutes to get from one to the other while traveling an average of 35mph in a car,
  • gas runs $3.25 a gallon,
  • and your car gets 27 miles to the gallon.

Moreover, due to crowds, waiting for others to stop hogging the work out equipment, the time it takes to change in the locker room, and other miscellaneous nuisances, the exercise routine you follow at the gym takes an average of an hour and 15 minutes. A similar workout takes 45 minutes on your home gym & treadmill.

Lastly, there will inevitably be maintenance expenses for the home exercise equipment, and clothing/shoes will need to be replaced. Let’s say maintenance averages out to $20 per year over the lifetime of the equipment (a 20 year lifespan) and clothing costs $60 a year. The clothing costs will likely be much less if you’re exercising at home, seeing as you can wear whatever you want (or wear nothing at all!), but to be on the conservative side, let’s say the clothing costs for at-home exercise end up running $30 a year.

Given the information above, the annualized expense for the two scenarios works out as follows:

Gym Membership

Time (hours)

Money

Mon./Ann. Fees:

 – $280

Travel:

 30.33 $125

Clothing:

 2 $60

Exercise:

 325 –

TOTAL:

 357.33 $465

Home Gym

Time (hours)

Money

Prorated Cost:

 – $45

Repairs:

 – $20

Clothing:

 1 $30

Exercise:

 195 –

TOTAL:

 196 $95

 

Even with expensive equipment, working out at home saves $370 and just over 161 hours per year. That amounts to $4,654 and just over 67 days saved over the course of a decade!2 That’s pretty impressive, but the frugal-minded can do better still.

A Simple, Effective Home Exercise Routine

 

Exercising at home doesn’t require fancy gadgets and expensive bulky equipment that you probably don’t have enough room for, anyway. All you need to get a full workout with results as good as you’d get in a gym are a) some dumbbells (or resistance bands), b) a pull-up bar (or resistance bands), and c) your very own body. This will not only cut costs; done properly, it’ll significantly reduce your workout time even more.3

Here’s what brand new sets of the above-mentioned equipment are running for nowadays:

Even if you were to buy all of the above-mentioned equipment brand new (check craigslist, yard sales, and thrift stores first), your cost would still be $590 less than buying a home gym and a treadmill. What’s more, maintenance costs will be virtually $0 and, with the exception of the resistance bands, the equipment may never need to be replaced. But let’s just say for the sake of our analysis that the weight-set and pull-up bar last 40 years before they need replaced and the bands need replaced every 10 years. Given this, our “bars or bands” workout will run a whopping $9.75 a year, with a total annual cost of $39.75 after accounting for clothing replacement. This will save at least an additional $1,608 over the course of a decade, but probably much more.4

So we’ve got the cost part down; now it’s time to address how a “bars or bands” exercise routine can cut down your workout time, too. The key is to sneak cardio into your strength training by keeping the rest period between sets under ten seconds, just enough time to jot down the number of reps completed in a journal and get ready for the next set. Give yourself 20 minutes to complete a series of 5 to 6 sets, and do as many sets as you can in that period. The aim is not for speed, but to keep the body as active as possible during the 20 minute window. Do this for 4 days each week, and on a 5th day, spend at least 40 minutes or more engaging in intense cardio activity (e.g. running, biking, swimming, basketball, etc.) I’ve been doing this for a few years now, and it works like a charm (not to mention that I lost 39 pounds over the course of the first year following it). Here’s one variety of my own workout routine, to give you an idea of how it works (determine a weight that will provide enough resistance & adjust reps as needed):

Day 1: Arms & Shoulders

  • Bicep Curls: 25 reps
  • Straight Arm Shoulder Fly: 20 reps
  • Tricep Extensions: 25 reps
  • Shoulder Press: 25 reps
  • Concentration Curls: 25 reps
  • Repeat above until 20 minutes are up

Day 2: Back & Core

  • Sit-ups: 25 reps
  • Wide Grip Pull-ups: 15 reps
  • Pulse Ups: 25 reps
  • Pull-ups: 15 reps
  • Bicycle Crunch: 25 reps
  • Chin-ups:20 reps
  • Repeat above until 20 minutes are up

Day 3: Chest & Arms

  • Push-ups: 40 reps
  • Chair Dips: 40 reps
  • Military Push-ups: 25 reps
  • Static Dumbbell Curls: 20 reps
  • Plank: 90 seconds
  • Repeat above until 20 minutes are up

Day 4: Legs & Core

  • Lunge: 25 reps, each leg
  • Pendulum: 30 seconds each side
  • Squat: 30 reps
  • Mason Twist: 30 reps
  • Calf Raise: 75 reps
  • Repeat above until 20 minutes are up

Day 5: Cardio Day

  • 40 minutes or more of intense cardio activity5

Foregoing a gym membership and following this routine or a routine like it will preserve at least $5,349 of your riches and give back 105 1/2 days of your life,6 while keeping you in at least as good a shape all the while!

A Few Brief Tips on Staying Motivated

 

Given the numbers above, it’s hard to argue that one shouldn’t abandon the gym membership to adopt a home exercise routine. There may still be some leftover concerns, however. Gyms provide a community, and workouts take place in a semi-public atmosphere, all of which helps to keep one motivated to continue exercising. By foregoing the gym, you might worried you’ll sacrifice those motives and eventually sputter in your routine. This is a legitimate concern that I had when I switched exclusively to working out at home. Here’s some things I did that have kept me motivated:

  • Keep a “Journal:” That is, use something to track your progress (I use a LibreOffice spreadsheet), so that you can see where you’ve improved and what you need to work on. It’s a big boost of confidence to see over the course of a few weeks that you’re completing more sets in less time, doing more reps, or increasing your weight.
  • Make Your Goals Public: When you let others know that you’ve committed to a particular goal, this can help get you to follow through with it. Not only will others hold you accountable for your action/inaction, they will likely show encouragement and support, as well.
  • Find Partners and/or a Community: This can be done in either of two ways, local or online. The former is probably more difficult, but if you know of friends, acquaintances, or family members in the area who are health conscious or are looking to get in shape, you could find find times to collaborate workouts. But even if that isn’t an option, seek out an online community for assistance, encouragement, and to challenge one another to improve.

Do you exercise at home or at a gym? What is your experience with them? Do you have any further tips or effective exercises you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments!

1. $20 service fee per month, plus $40 annual membership fee.

2. The ten year savings estimate assumes the yearly savings ($370) receives a conservative return of 5% on investment, compounded over the ten year period.

3. Or, alternately, you could spend the same amount of time and get more from your workout.

4. The ten year savings estimate assumes that the remainder of the home gym & treadmill expense minus the expenses for bars & bands ($590) and the yearly savings ($55.25), receive a conservative return of 5% on investment, compounded over the ten year period.

5. Every few weeks or so you’ll want to swap these exercises with others that work the same muscle group. This helps keep the muscles from acclimating to the repetition, which slows growth.

6. More time to read! Woohoo!

Filed Under: Finance, Health  / Tagged: , ,

Work Travel and Exercise

August 5, 2011 by / 30 Comments

As I’ve mentioned recently, I’ve been traveling quite a bit for work these days, and that can really disrupt my routine.  Usually, I don’t have that set of a routine every day, but because I did a triathlon and will also be doing the warrior dash, I’ve been trying to train for those events.

Unfortunately, Traveling takes me away from the gym and my familiar running/biking routes – and usually leaves me with very few options when it comes to getting in a workout.  Also, I usually cant (or dont) take my bike, so im fairly limited on options.  Most hotels I stay in have a fitness room, but it’s just an exercise bike or 2, normally.  I dont like staying in a hotel much while traveling, so I try to get out and see what’s going on in the  area where I’m traveling.

The best thing training I’ve done on the road is running.  I dont typically enjoy running all that much, but when on the road and I have to pack lightly, it’s easy to have the gear for and find the time.  When I travel, I’ve kind of settled into a routine.  Where I travel is usually 4+ hours away from where I live/work, so I leave in the afternoon and get there around 6 or 7.  I check into the hotel, set my things down and get changed for a run.  I check a map to see where I’m going (I choose the simplest route so that I dont get lost) and head out.  That takes a while, and after that I go back to the hotel and change to head out for dinner.

This has worked well for me so far, because I can get it right out of the way.  If I’m on a multi day trip, it usually works the same way, but with me working instead of driving before the run.  I typically like to eat after I run so I dont feel like there’s a brick in my stomach while I run, but I’ll go after dinner if I have to.

As it stands right now, the warrior dash is 3 weeks away, and while it’s been about a week and a half since I got a chance to run, I’m still feeling alright about it.  I’ll be picking up my running again this week, and am shooting for 3-4 times per week until the race. As of right now I dont have any more travel for work planned between now and the race, though that could change.

I have found that one of the most important things about leaving town (for me, anyway) is to try and disrupt your routines as little as possible.  Keep exercising, keep your spending patterns in check, and keep the right mindset.  It’ll help the transition when you arrive home.

Filed Under: Health, Mental Health  / Tagged: , ,

Exercise Goal Setting

August 2, 2011 by / 17 Comments

As I mentioned in my last article, I am slowly becoming a triathlete. Here is a list of the races I have completed and the one I am still training for (It is very short list):

In 2010 I did a  sprint tri that was for women only in support of breast cancer research.  ( You can read more about it at: Tri For the Cure.   It was my first tri, so I decided to set a few goals before I ran the race. Here are the two goals I set, and the outcomes.

Training Goal: Be able to run without fear

Outcome: I could run but I was still afraid I would have to stop running because it felt like my legs would fall off.

Race Goal: Just finish the race.                                                

Outcome: I finished ! :)

After the first one, I decided that I’d do a few more in 2011.  Here are the ones I decided to do for 2011.

Sprint Tri for Men and Women, you can read about the race here.  I decided to set more goals for this race as well, and here’s what they were.

Training Goal: Be able to run 5k easily and not be afraid

Outcome: I did it!

Goal: Run the entire 5K and get passed less on the bike

Outcome: I was passed  on my bike a lot and I did walk for  a few seconds when going up a hill.

Tri number two for 2011 was the Tri for the cure again because I enjoyed it so much last year.

Training goal: confidently run 5k and bike at a much quicker speed (I have a new bike and I think that will help)

Race Goal: Run the entire 5k and beat my time from last year

I think that it has been important for me to have both a training goal and a race goal for each event. Having goals has been helpful because it forces me to work in both stages of the game. Having goals forces me to focus.

I constantly have to think of my training goal when I am working out leading up to the event. It is a goal that  I am able to accomplish and gives me focus. I modify my workouts to reach that goal. Sometimes this goal is something just to think about so I don’t focus on how much I want to stop running or biking. It is a goal that I can discuss with my boyfriend  and my friends at the end of the workout and find ways to improve.

I also like having the final goal because then the race isn’t just about being there. It becomes a challenge that drives me to think about my race and keeps me from disengaging and focusing on wasteful stuff. I find that it helps eliminate some of the race day jitters because I am not focusing on the unknown, I am focusing on something familiar.

I just finished my second tri a few weekends ago. I was so happy to be there because my boyfriend and 3 friends decided to sign up for the tri as well. We went to the pre-race meeting together and scoped out the race. We talked strategy and cheered for one another when it came down to race day.

I found my goals helpful during the actual race because I could instantly evaluate if my training goal had been a good goal to prepare me for the race which lead to good reflection and healthy evaluation. I also had the opportunity to push myself during the race to see if I could reach my race goal. This race was so much more difficult than the previous tri I had participated in last summer. The swim was in a lake again but you had to swim around once, get out, get in, and swim it again to get the full 600 meters. My brain was accustomed to doing only one lap so it was a struggle to get excited for the second lap of the swim. I know in the future that I will need to train with repetition as well as big long runs and bikes. The biking was INSANE. The biking started at the bottom of a valley by the lake and the race went up a road to get out and then it continued on a highway. For three miles the race was all downhill and I literally worked my brakes more than my legs. The sad part was when you reached the bottom of the hill and turned around,  you were met by a giant hill and a wall of wind pushing back. It was a good three miles up hill with a wind that could literally stop your forward motion. I continued on slow and steady. I even said that to myself, “Slow and steady!” My training helped me because I had been practicing not stopping. I had no option at that point, but it was good to know that I was capable. A lot of people passed me. I decided to cheer them on and it helped me stay positive. The run was such a pleasant surprise. I was so happy to be running because I had been focusing on my running when training for the event. It felt wonderful to be in a familiar place.  I did end up walking on part of a steep hill so I didn’t reach my final goal of running the 5K without walking. I am Ok with that because now I can change my training goals and I will be able to reach my final goals in my second tri of the summer.

The most important part of all of this is that I set goals. I love to work out and I have always been athletic but I have found recently that I don’t often find the inspiration to go to the gym. I need these events, these goals, to get me going. I literally took away the opportunity for me to say to myself, “It’s ok – you don’t have to work out.” I do have to work out. If I don’t it will be a horrible mess on race day. My goals have been so helpful because I set an expectation for myself. It gives me focus and drive and the skills to become better. It has also been cool because my goals have helped others make goals and vice versa. My friend that is training for the upcoming tri in August often invites me out to workout with her. This morning we swam and after hearing her plan (2 – 300s) for a warm up, I re-evaluated my goal for the work out and stepped up my game to stay with her. She just made it easier to reach my final goal because of her training goal for the day.

I have 2 more weeks until my final tri of the summer. I have been working out consistently and it feels great. I think that I will continue to sign up for small races (5k runs and the like) so I keep working out and keep the expectations for myself high.

 

Filed Under: Health, Mental Health  / Tagged: ,

Health Resolutions: Friends

February 4, 2011 by / 9 Comments

Last week, I talked about how you needed to get into a habit instead of focusing on results if you’re trying to keep a health related new years resolution.  This week, I’m going to share another tip about how to keep your resolution/goal for the new year.  Unfortunately, this one has relatively little to do with you, but you do need to get the ball rolling.

Recent studies suggest that if you’re hanging around obese people, then you’re more likely to gain weight.  Unfortunately for you, your heavier friends are making your weight loss goal more difficult.  I’m not suggesting that if you stop talking to your heavier friends that you’ll start to lose weight.  Personally, I don’t think that will happen, and you could even find a new circle of friends and become the obese friend that causes everyone in your new circle to gain weight.  Now you’re asking

Well, what the HELL do you want me to do?!  I can’t get new friends because I don’t want to be the fat friend, and I cant just forget my old friends because that’s being a bad friend!

My next tip is going to totally blow your mind with its complexity and difficulty.  The next thing you need to do is to keep your resolutions is to get a workout buddy.  My thoughts are that this won’t be too difficult – in America, everyone likes to say they are going to lose weight this year.  I’m sure that one of your friends will fall into this category.  So what you need to do is get with them, convince that person that you’re both going to be better off if you find a time to hit the gym together.  This will help you form the habit that we talked about last week.  Because Jane, George, Sally or whoever is your friend, you’ll guild trip yourself into going every time.

The great part is, the same thing will happen to your partner – they won’t want to let you down either!  Even though it could be the day after a long weekend or you just had a long day, calling up your workout buddy and telling them that you’re “not feeling it” or that you’re “really tired today” isn’t going to get you very far.

Would you rather your workout buddy think your not committed (or a huge wussy-face) than to just suck it up for 45 minutes?  Me either, and they’ll feel the same way.

I’ve done this before, and I can tell you that it works wonders.  Back in college, my 3 friends and I met at the gym tuesday, thursday and sunday at 3:00 pm – no excuses.  We all held each other accountable, and if one of us skipped out, the rest of us would rag on them for being a wimp.  We all kept our promise, and we were all in much better shape  when the agreement finally broke down due to scheduling conflicts.

So if you’re wanting to actually keep your resolution this year (which I’m going to go ahead and assume you are because you’ve read this far), get a buddy of yours to go with you to the gym every day.  Not wanting to let them down will go a long way to ensuring that you create a habit.

(To make this really successful, you really need to ostracize the person that breaks the arrangement) Just kidding…kinda.

Filed Under: Health  / Tagged: , ,
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