5 Ways To Improve Your Health At No Extra Cost.

One of the big questions I hear when people are looking to embark on their fitness journey is: How much does a gym membership cost? Depending on where you live and which gyms you have in your area, you may be stuck with expensive options like health clubs or high end commercial gyms. Now, people who workout there may say well you can’t put a price on health, but let's be real.  Not everyone can afford expensive gym memberships. Below is a list of options you can  use to help promote your own health at no extra cost.

Drink Water

Yes, It really can be that simple to improve your health. After all your body is made up of 60% water so it is important to replenish fluids lost through sweat and urine. Water is a nutrient that the body needs and not drinking enough water throughout the day can lead to fatigue, food cravings, dry skin and hair and headaches. As a general rule of thumb, the recommended daily intake of water by the National Health Service is 3 litres of water for men and 2.2 litres of water for women. I hear what you're saying; ‘What happens if I don’t like water?’ Well, there are other ways in which you can consume the good stuff but be aware that some fluids may have a negative effect, such as coffee but I shall discuss that later. 

The best way to consume fluids is to carry a water bottle with you or have a couple scattered around in your daily life such as in the office, the house, in the car or if you are out and about carry one in your bag. You can fill your bottle up with low sugar diluting juice as an alternative. I don’t want to sound like your Mum here but if you eat more vegetables in a day that will contribute to around 20% of your daily intake of fluids as fruits and vegetables have a high water content. ​

It's All About The H2O

The drinks to be aware of when attempting to stay hydrated are caffeinated drinks, teas and coffee and excessive consumption of sports drinks. There is nothing wrong with drinking tea or coffee but drinking lots throughout the day can actually make the body produce urine more quickly, therefore having the reverse effect. Caffeinated drinks such as Monster and Redbull can help an individual feel more stimulated but the high sugar content, the large amounts of caffeine and various other ingredients which the body does not agree with (I’ll go into further details on caffeinated drinks in another article) has a huge negative effect on your hydration levels. ​

Go For A Brisk Walk Or Run

By going for a brisk walk or a run outside (NOT ON A TREADMILL) has some amazing positive effects on the body and on the mind. Let us look at it simply. When you are outside you can receive some vital vitamin D, also known as the happy vitamin. Getting your daily fix of vitamin D helps with your immune system and bone health and with the majority of people in the United Kingdom being deficient in vitamin D there has never been a better opportunity then to make sure you are not one of them.

Whilst you are outside receiving the happy vitamin, you are actually making yourself feel happier. This is down to your body releasing a chemical called endorphins, the body’s natural anti depressant, meaning you will feel a million times better after your walk than you did before it.  If these aren't ticking your boxes then you’ll be happy to know that a brisk walk also improves circulation, energy and improves sleep. So, for those of you who are light sleepers or find it difficult to find the zzz’s, then this could be the trick for you.

Meditate

The benefits of meditation far exceed just chilling for a few minutes a day. It has massive physical, mental and emotional benefits which will help you in your daily life. Meditation has shown to help lower levels of blood pressure and help reduce anxiety. Whilst during the body’s calm state, the body releases a chemical called serotonin which helps to improve your mood. So, meditating first thing in the morning for 5-10 minutes sets you up perfectly for the day.

Take Time To Switch Off

Exercise With Friends

By exercising with a friend you are more likely to workout. Committing to meeting a friend at the end of the road or at the cafe to go on a brisk walk or run makes you accountable. If you bail on them for a lame reason like you just can’t be bothered you will not only let your friend down but you’ll feel bad about it too.

Whilst out on your brisk walk, run or doing your body weight workout the chances are that you and your friend have different fitness levels.  There may not be huge differences in fitness but if there are this is a good thing as you will naturally push yourself through to complete the workout, walk or run and maybe do better than you’ve done before. 
The best thing about exercising with a friend is that you both get to recover together. This could mean getting together for a nice coffee, green tea and healthy snack afterwards in your local cafe. You are more likely to eat healthily straight after exercise with someone whom you’ve just exercised with.

Body Weight Workouts 

Body weight workouts don’t have to be complicated. They are a great way to improve fitness levels, strength and flexibility and overall health. Best of all they don’t cost you a single penny.

Let’s start by saying there is no excuse not to be doing body weight workouts. Once you have a plan in place and have exercises to follow you can literally do them anywhere. Here's a guide to the best Body Weight Workouts Ever.

You can burn fat fast by doing body weight circuit training. With calculated but minimal rest between exercises your body is responding to the demand you are putting it through. Even after the workout is complete, your body’s metabolism is working over time in the hours to come.

Body weight workouts are great for all ages and abilities as they can be modified for any fitness level. By adding in extra repetitions, taking out or adding in additional exercises or even progressing certain exercises, are just a few ways in which these workouts can be adapted. 

A great alternative to body weight workouts is yoga. This is a great way to help build strength and get a good stretch on a mat. You can do this for free by going onto YouTube and finding a yoga practice that suits you. There are a few variations of yoga and by choosing a form such as Ashtanga, you will not only increase your heart rate to a level you didn’t think was possible through yoga but your flexibility and core strength will also improve massively. The benefits of yoga can lead to improved posture, flexibility, and significantly improve general strength and your core. A strong core is not just defined as the “six pack” but actually all in all includes your glutes, lower back and mid back and a few more. With time this form of body weight workout is a great way to strengthen these areas. 

Remember your health is vital, it's not about those couple hours a week you spend exercising a week, it's what you do with the rest of the hours that count.

Much Love,

Cal

PS- Whenever you’re ready, here's the best way I can help you;

1 - You can work with me in my world renowned Online Transformation Academy. This is for you if you are ready to make the leap of faith and truly get into the best shape both physically and mentally in your life.

ONLINE TRANSFORMATION ACADEMY

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