BOYCOTT THE GYM!!!!!

Since I have quit my gym membership at 24 hour fitness....some of you might have sensed I have become a tad bit "anti-gym". This is not really the case, I love the gym for the classes, pool, sauna, and television (seeing as we have none...which is good, but sad at the same time).

Something I have come to realize is that there are many other options. For me working a whole day in an office makes me want to do nothing but get outside and move my body for a little bit. Also the saving of the money does not hurt either.

If you find yourself in the same place as me I found some good tips for ditching the gym...

PS...found this at empty-purse.com... I dont have a five year old...although, you can never really tell with me.

Exercise ideas:

• Walk as much as you can. Walk to work and back and up and down stairs instead of using lifts. Get a pedometer to see how much you can do and a cheap MP3 player/walkman to keep you entertained!
• Dance like a maniac or jog around your apartment for 10 minutes a day before you shower.
• Use your bottom stair, a low coffee table, a strong box or something similar to do step-aerobics while you watch T.V.
• Look for “vintage” exercise videos in thrift stores. You’ll burn calories and get a laugh at the 80’s workout gear!
• Use cans of food as hand weights.
• Borrow a bike and go exploring.
• Use your furniture as equipment - do bench dips with a chair, press ups against the wall, do leg-lifts on your bed, hook your feet under the sofa to do sit-ups…
• Fidgeters burn more calories than those that don’t! Keep your hands busy with knitting, doodling or just chuck a little ball from hand to hand.
• Be lively in general. Stand up, potter about, run around and have fun! Watch little kids for inspiration - my five year old is always running around, jumping on furniture, weaving in and out of lamp posts…
• Keep your home clean and tidy - half an hour a day of cleaning, putting things away, vacuuming, making beds etc is half hour not sitting on your arse!
• Spend 10 minutes a day doing toning exercises. If you really do it regularly it builds up muscle that will “eat” calories for you and improves your body shape.
• Get a mini trampoline for your apartment and bounce to your hearts content. They can be really cheap, shop around or see if anyone has one to get rid of.

Food ideas:

• If you have big home cooked meals in the evening, have half of what you usually have and eat the rest the next evening.
• Have fruit and yoghurt for breakfast
• Take colourful salads to work for lunch.
• Cut out bread and potatoes.
• Have one day a week where you just eat fruit and veg.
• Or eat a completely healthy diet Monday to Friday and eat whatever at the weekends.
• Always have a bottle of water with you at your desk or in your bag or next to your armchair! Water is sooo good for you and fills your belly up leaving less room for doughnuts!
• Plan your meals for the week, including healthier-than-usual treats and make sure you have everything you need - that way you will be less likely to cheat.
• Make a little tick chart to encourage yourself to eat 5 fruit or veg portions a day.
• Keep a container filled with sticks of carrot, celery, peppers, along with any other vegetable you like raw, like mushrooms, green beans and tomatoes. Eat them dipped in Humous whenever you get peckish for a guilt-free snack session!
• Buy your fruit and veg at markets as they’re much cheaper than stores. Sometimes stores are good for last-day-of-sale bargains though.
• If your veg is on it’s last legs use it to make soups, stews or casseroles or stick it all in a roasting tin with some herbs and spices and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for about an hour and they come out really yummy!

Let's Get Physical...physical...