Staying fit on the cheap

Ronald and Jennifer Bull trimmed the fat from their health and fitness budget without adding it to their waistlines.

When the economy forced them to tighten their wallets, the Oak Grove couple put a squeeze on their expenses. A $200 monthly family membership at a small health club, plus $150 a week for sessions with a personal trainer left Jennifer Bull feeling embarrassed about the size of the family’s fitness budget and shortchanged by their physical results. So, the couple canned the fitness club membership and returned home for some basic training.

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RICH ADDICKS/raddicks@ajc.com

Jennifer Bull (left), who is three months pregnant, and her husband Ron have downsized their fitness budget by doing away with their athletic club membership, and replacing it with a once-a-week visit to their home by personal fitness trainer Towanda Smith.

FITNESS ON THE CHEAP

Don't sacrifice your health and fitness because of the poor economy. Here are ways to cut costs and stay in shape:

• Walk or bike to work. Burns calories, saves money on transportation and helps the environment.

• Find a park with a fitness course. Follow the directions on the fitness obstacles for a fun exercise session in the fresh air.

• Volunteer to clean up a neighborhood park. Vigorous chores like yard work are great calorie burners, and this would be a great way to improve the neighborhood, meet neighbors and make new friends.

• Buy a jump rope. Jump rope for 15-20 minutes a day, three days a week.

• Use video on demand. You can access workout videos, cheaper than purchasing a DVD.

• Dance. It's not just for the stars. Make use of your weekend social time.

• Choose activities that get you moving. Go to the park, walk the dog, play catch or plan trips with family and friends that involve activities, such as biking, paddle-boating, hiking, swimming, skiing — or just walking to a museum.

• Park away. Stop driving around looking for a close parking space. Park in the spot that is farthest from the mall or grocery store and get some exercise.

• Take the stairs. Climbing the steps at work or other buildings burns a lot of calories and really revs up the heart.

Source: American Council on Exercise, staff reports

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“With everything that is going on with the economy, we just want to be responsible, but we don’t want to lessen our quality of life,” said Jennifer Bull, owner of an advertising firm who describes fitness as essential to her family’s life. A personal trainer at $75 a session helped them develop a home-based program using two yoga mats ($10-$20), two pairs of dumbbells ($4-$6) and a stability ball (about $20). They now spend just a third of what they did before and have improved their health and fitness.

“We’ve kept the same level of fitness and cut the fitness bill,” said Jennifer Bull.

The Bulls are not alone — more economy-plagued fitness buffs are seeking ways to downsize their budgets without up-sizing their bodies. Average health/fitness club memberships run about $35-$40 a month, but with high gas and food costs, job losses and economic uncertainty, many people are contemplating less-expensive alternatives.

At Concourse Athletic Club in Sandy Springs, membership terminations are increasing and more members are opting to downgrade their memberships from family (starting at $170 a month) to individual plans (starting at $95 a month). Membership fees fluctuate based on the full-time or weekday/daytime hours of use. Other members are exercising a leave of absence (at $30 a month) option which allows them to suspend their membership and return without paying another $250 initiation fee.

“We have always worked with terminations, but now we’re working with them more,” said general manager Suzanne Cypert, who estimates the club “saves” about 10 percent of members considering termination through conversion packages and leaves of absence. “We always remind people that this is the best thing for stress,” she said.

Even the YMCA of Greater Atlanta, which offers family health and wellness memberships for about $53 a month, reported a 20 percent increase in the number of members requesting financial assistance since July.

“More people have come in saying it’s tough,” said Kristen Obaranec, spokesperson with the YMCA, which subsidizes costs for members unable to pay the full fee. “I haven’t seen it like this in my 12 years,” she said.

Other fitness centers report flat membership rates but an intensified effort to retain members and attract new ones. Crunch, which operates fitness centers in Buckhead and Marietta, for instance, now offers a “Tough Times Call for Tougher Workouts” promotion that includes no enrollment fees, no dues for the month of November, two personal training sessions and five guest passes.

The economic downturn may stimulate an upswing of returning to the basics, said Peter McCall, exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise. People are using what they have, incorporating tools such as jump ropes and sand bags and realizing that they don’t need to be in a gym to maintain fitness, he said.

The Council recommends walking, jogging, dancing and bike riding as cost-effective means to conserve gas while losing weight. Beefing up household chores also revs up the metabolism and energy level.

If you want to maintain a consistent routine, you can spend less than $150 for exercise balls, a jump rope, a set of dumbbells and resistance tubing for a total body workout. For another $100 (per one-hour session), a personal trainer can help you design a safe, effective program to follow in your own home, he said.

“It’s a little bit of an investment, but a great way to get some really great guidance,” said McCall.

Personal trainer Ligia Carvalho, who designs programs for corporate and individual clients, has experienced a surge in requests for home-based routines. Many people need the accountability that a trainer brings to create a work/life balance, she said.

“Stress levels are high and lifestyles are changing,” said Carvalho, who trains the Bull family. [But] exercise doesn’t have to be expensive.”

AT HOME BURN

You don’t have to adopt an extra workout regimen when so many of the household chores burn plenty of calories.

• Mowing the lawn (half an hour) = 150 calories burned.

• Gardening (30 to 45 minutes) = 150 calories burned.

• Raking leaves (half an hour) = 150 calories burned.

• Vacuuming (half an hour) = 100 calories burned.

• Washing windows (15 minutes) = 50 calories burned.

• Sweeping (15 minutes) = 50 calories burned.

Source: American Council for Fitness and Nutrition