4 Ways You Can Trim Your Fitness Costs

Your monthly fitness costs are giving your budget a real workout — and not in a good way. You need to find ways to cut these costs quickly and get your finances back in shape. 

The Problem with a Too-Tight Budget

The biggest problem with having a budget that’s too tight is that you’re leaving yourself vulnerable to emergency expenses. If you’re surprised by a sudden home repair or medical expense, you’re not going to have the savings to pay for it. 

What can you do? You could put the expense on your credit card and pay down the balance later. Or you could apply for a loan online. If you’re approved, you can use the borrowed funds to cover the emergency expense and manage repayments after. 

Be sure to look for online loans in your state. For instance, if you live in Nashville, you can apply for an online loan in Tennessee by clicking right here. You don’t want to waste your time trying to apply for loans that you can’t even access in Tennessee. 

The easiest way to deal with an emergency expense is to use your savings. So, you should take the opportunity to cut your fitness costs and squeeze more savings out of your budget.

How Can You Cut Fitness Costs?

1. Cut the Cost of Classes 

Boutique fitness classes often cost $20-40 per class. You could pay over $300 a month just to attend two classes per week. That’s a lot of money.

If you’re not willing to cut boutique classes out of your fitness routine, you should look into budget-friendly solutions like ClassPass. This is a popular monthly subscription that allows you to go to any boutique class at a lower cost. Or try Groupon! You can find great discounts for classes in your area on this site at any time of year.

2. Skip the Treadmill

Are you mostly going to the gym to run on a treadmill? Then you should consider ending your gym membership and saving yourself some money. You can get the same workout for free by heading outside. 

If you need the motivation to go running, jogging or walking, here are some budget-friendly things that you can try:

• Join a local running or walking group. It’s free.
• Set up runs/walks with friends.
• Plan trail hikes in nearby parks.
• Download mobile apps like Pokémon Go that encourage you to explore the outdoors.
• Start a side-hustle as a dog-walker and make some extra cash.

3. Don’t Get Equipment

You don’t have to spend a single penny on weights, medicine balls, resistance bands or gliders when you’re planning to work out at home. You can find plenty of fitness equipment alternatives lying around the house. Or you could stick bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, dips, crunches, push-ups, planks and wall-sits. 

4. Ignore the Supplements

Trainers are always encouraging people to fuel up with protein shakes, protein bars and various supplements before and after their workouts. All of these specialized products will cost you a ton. A single container of protein powder can cost you $100!

These supplements are completely unnecessary. With a well-balanced diet, you can get all of the essential nutrients that you need to give you energy and build your muscles. If you’re not sure what to eat and drink after your workouts, you should look at these whole workout foods that you can easily prepare at home. 

You can work out and save money! Follow these tips and see how you and your budget can get in top shape.