Rejoice everybody, raise your hands, and clap. My bronchitis (knock on wood) is finally gone! I cough a teeny tiny bit from time to time but no longer rattle when I breathe. HOORAY. So starting yesterday, I was able to resume to some physically activity that didn’t make me huff, puff, and hurt. I’m starting very mild as I was feeling worked.
Thank goodness for “The Eldest Princess'” Christmas gift of a Wii Fit Plus. It really was at the top of her list but it didn’t hurt that I was THRILLED at the idea of having one, too. I LOVE that thing. I’ve been using it monitor my progress and do about 30 minutes/day on it. I feel like the Strength Exercises are good and kind of challenging. Of course it is what you make it – my daughter merely swings her arms to get through the “Basic Run.”
Not everyone has a Wii Fit though. Not everyone has a whole lot of fitness equipment. So how do you get a gym level workout without having a gym? Let’s talk first about large pieces of equipment – like treadmills, elipticals, and bikes. I LOVE me a good workout on the eliptical. I like to see the numbers go up and the time tick away. I’m not sure what it is about it but it works for me. However, they’re so expensive and since our gym membership expired and we didn’t renew, I thought an eliptical was out of the question. I thought wrong.
I received some Christmas money from parents/grandparents and wondered if I might find one used for half price. I began to troll places like Craigslist and Freecycle looking for deals. I also glanced through the classifieds. I found a couple of possibilities but nothing panned out. I posted a message on the Queen of Free Facebook Fan Page. I had a couple of leads there, too. But wouldn’t you know, someone we knew, who lived less than 15 minutes from our house contacted me after seeing the message. They were THRILLED to rid themselves of what had become a glorified clothes hanger in their bedroom. And they simply gave it to us. 🙂 Yay for saving my Christmas money for a rainy day.
It’s not the first time I’ve acquired something similar (I paid a very small amount for a jogging stroller and a coat for my daughter by asking on Facebook, too). Sometimes you have NO idea who you know that has something (fitness or not) that you need or want that they no longer need or want. Use your social network to see if someone you know (or someone they know) has a piece of fitness equipment to spare. It probably will be best to check in February after all of the resolutions have been broken. And troll places like Craigslist, Freecycle, Garage Sales, and the Classifieds. You can score some great deals there, too! Occasionally, a fitness club will go out of business and you can purchase equipment from them (especially if it’s locally owned and not a chain establishment). Or you can try second hand sports stores – but be careful. Sometimes, they’re more expensive than retail.
So the tip of the day is to use your Facebook Status for more than chatting about the weather, your wardrobe, or what you’re having for dinner. You never know what might happen! It might just help you get “Buff on a Budget.”
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