10 Ways To Save Money & Still Lose Weight
Three of the most popular New Year’s resolutions are to get in shape, lose weight and save money. Unfortunately, saving money isn’t always possible when trying to get in shape or lose weight… After all, it costs money to join a gym, eat healthy, or buy fitness gear…these “luxuries” are often the first to go when trying to save.
When you think about it, taking care of yourself will save you money in the long run, less Dr. visits, medications etc…so it’s important to find ways to stay active and healthy even when you may not be able to afford professional training or first-class fitness clubs. Luckly there are ways for you to keep your resolution goals, lose weight, get fit & save money. Here are ten easy ways to get started with your new years resolutions.
Downsize Your Dishes
Free & Simple Solution…Help control your portions by using smaller plates and bowls to serve your meals – it will trick your brain into thinking you’re eating more than you are! It’s a trick used by restaurants around the world! Move or remove your huge dinner plates from your cabinets and replace with your smaller “salad” plates.
Smaller Portions
Downsizing your dishes is a great start and makes it easier for this step…Use your hand to measure out proper portions..no I don’t mean put all food into your hand, eyeballing it works! Here’s what you will want on your new smaller plate..two handfuls of veggies, one handful of fruits, a palm-size amount of meat or fish, and a thumb size portion of fat. Downsizing portions will not only help you lose the weight, it will also save you money when you’re not eating as much!
Cook & Eat at Home
I know, this isn’t always possible, but when you eat out, you are most likely over eating. Have you seen the size of the salads now days?! Make your lunch to take to work, cook dinner, these things will save you money and help you stick to eating healthy.
Get A Tracker
There are so many apps for helping you track your calories & fitness…my favorite is My Fitness Pal. I can track what I eat, and the amount of fitness I get each day (truth be told its been a while since I’ve logged in, but If you want to find me my user name is Frymom), you can connect with friends and keep each other motivated. The best part is the service is free!
Ditch The Soda
I know yea right..if your like me, soda is your drink of choice…but if you switched your soda for a water, or better yet a water infused with fruit or cucumber you will reach your goals faster! A reusable water infuser bottle will run you about $10 and then you toss your fav fruit into the bottle for a low-cost delicious alternative to the high sugar soda.
Join NOW!
Act now to take advantage of New Year’s savings. Many fitness clubs slash their membership rates in January to draw in people who make weight-loss resolutions. Paying a whole year’s dues up front, instead of month per month, may also save you money, and keep you going. Planet Fitness is growing in popularity due to it’s $10 a month basic membership fee and $19.99 a month for the “Black Card” (check them out to learn more).
Bike To Work
This is growing in popularity, and while a lot of us (ok, I don’t drive to work anyways) work to far away to do this, if your only a few miles from work, why not trade your four wheels for two!
Get Walking
It doesn’t take much to go for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. Kids love going out for walks and just think of how much energy they are burning before bed time…free activity and burning bedtime energy…it’s a win-win.
Search The Net
You can often get great deals without the hassle of crowded malls or pushy salespeople—if you know when and where to look. Sign up for sites like ShopItToMe.com (they’ll email you when workout clothes or shoes in your size go on sale at various sites all over the Web) or look through sites like Amazon & Ebay for great deals on just about anything you will need to meet you goals.
Know when to splurge and when to save
A good pair of walking or running shoes, a heart-rate monitor, or a MP3 player will be valuable investments if you know that you’ll use them often. A lot of fitness products are pricey just because of the name, or contain high-tech features that will sometimes only get in your way. Don’t be afraid to check retail stores like Target and Wal-Mart for basic lightweight, breathable workout apparel, or secondhand sports stores for fitness equipment. Do your research, talk to experienced salespeople, and know what you need—beware of anyone trying to up sell you on something with more bells and whistles.
I hope these ten tip help you with your new years resolutions!
