On a Budget

Active Lifestyles – Anna Markwick from Sport Northland, www.10000stepsnorthland.co.nz

If you are struggling to fit physical activity into your life because you are not in a position to pay for expensive equipment or subscription fees – then all is not lost!  There are plenty of ways in which you can get motivated to get active and keep active without breaking the bank.

Following are some ideas and suggestions for being physically active on a budget - they are either free or very cheap, so now there is no excuse to miss out.

1. Go outdoors

The great outdoors is basically a free, open-air gym. Whether it is a walk, a jog or some bodyweight exercises in your local park or back garden, exercising in the open air is fun, invigorating and most importantly free!

2. Get on your bike

Another free or very cheap form of exercise that improves your cardiovascular fitness and builds your leg strength is cycling. Cycling is a fun activity and maintaining a bike is inexpensive – which are both great reasons to ‘get on your bike’.

3. Pay as you go

Rather than commit to the monthly outgoings of a membership, why not ‘pay as you go’ instead? This can include organising a game of tennis with a friend or trying a group fitness class.

4. Swimming

Head to your local pool or to the beach – there is no time limit on your workout.  Swimming is an excellent form of physical activity and ideal if impact-type activities are unsuitable for you. 

5. The home workout

If you want to work on your flexibility and tone up, then by acquiring a few basic items of equipment you can train in the comfort of your own home and at a time that will suit you.  There is so much that you can do with a chair, the back steps and a wall e.g. wall push up’s, seated front leg lifts, chair dips, sit down stand up etc.. 

The following items are also of benefit however not necessary to get you started:

• Stability ball - for core training and as a platform for other exercises.
• Skipping rope - skipping is an extremely underrated activity that combines cardiovascular training (that is where you huff and puff) and coordination in one simple package – plus skipping ropes are extremely cheap.
• Dumbbell set - for all-over toning, a cheap set of three or four pairs of dumbbells are all you need.

If you are struggling to get started with a physical activity programme then ask about a Green Prescription.  Green Prescriptions is a script with a difference allowing people to free support, advice and motivation to help with their physical activity plan.

Once a patient (aged 18 years plus) receives a Green Prescription from their Doctor, Practice Nurse or a Health Professional, contact is then made with a Green Prescription Coordinator based throughout Northland.  Their role is to find out what patients like and then advise patients on how, where and what physical activities are available and how to go about getting started. The patient is then monitored through regular follow up’s with their Green Prescription Coordinator, who tracks their progress and provides support and motivation over the course of four months to guide planning for appropriate lifelong physical activity. 

Green Prescription is an initiative that is funded by the Ministry of Health.  The programme can make a huge difference to a person’s quality and enjoyment of life.  If you would like to know more about the programme, phone 0800 ACTIVE or speak to your Doctor about it.

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