How I Try to Live a Healthy Life: Exercise (On the Cheap!)

Work it!  Source.

Exercise is not something I have always been a fan of.  My lowest mark in High School was a C in Phys. Ed.:  getting all sweaty in the middle of a school day was NOT my idea of a good time.  Team sports made sporadic appearances throughout my childhood, but belonging to an organized league was not Jaclyn-esque.  Yes, scheduled practices and games were eschewed in favour of lazing around the pool and general dicking around. 

As I have aged, I have discovered the two-fold benefits of exercise.  1. I easily gain weight and carrying around 30 extra pounds is not healthy nor do I feel attractive at the weight, if I am being honest (where did the metabolism of my youth go?!).  2. Exercise helps ease anxiety and OCD.  There's seriously a shit-load of resources about this, so google away! However, it is worth noting that with people who have OCD,  it may be easy to fall into compulsive exercising/exercise addiction.  This is something I could see myself falling into and have made a point of taking one day off a week from working out.  At first I felt guilty  (Guilt with OCD?!  Quelle surprise!) about it, but now I enjoy these off days and recognize that it is healthy to allow your body a rest day.

Over the last 3 years I have lost around 50 pounds and done so without going to a gym or taking exercise/yoga classes.  This decision was because I was saving money to do my Masters and then once I was in grad school I did not have the money to spend!  Also, I am not a fan of the gym environment--they smell and seem to be a waste of time for me (driving to/from, checking in/out, changing, waiting for machines to be free...).

I started out walking around my hometown.  Gradually I began to run (REALLY SLOWLY and SHORT DISTANCES), working up to going for actual runs (listening to my body, if I was getting shin splints I knew it was time to back off).  Thankfully, my parents have a treadmill which I could use on days the weather was to incliment (which I still use in the winter).  I also had a heavy bag and used to do workouts with it (I had taken boxing classes in the past).  Yoga podcasts helped me keep up my practice without going to a class (disclaimer: I have been to one in the last 3 years).  Workout DVDS such as Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and Jackie Warner's series helped get me into weight training.  In November 2011, my cousin introduced my to BodyRock.TV, now known as the DailyHiit.com and I discovered the glory of High Intensity Interval Training (here's what wikipedia says about HIIT), although not all their workouts are HIIT, but rather regular interval training (which is still effective). ZuzkaLight.com, run by one of the co-founders of BodyRock also has some kick-ass workouts.

When possible, I try to get my workouts done outdoors, which in the winter can be more difficult, therefore I am so happy with my investment in snowshoes!  Running, yoga, and many workouts can all be done outside.  Currently, the husband and I are living in a relatively small space and I am still able resist the gym and get my workout done at home (although the hubs still is a gym-man).

The message I hope this long post gives is that there are SO MANY options for being physically active that require little to no monetary investment.  Plus, if you are short on time, HIIT can really help you out.  Please, though, listen to your body and respect it--health not injury is the goal, right?

I'd love to hear how you stay active!