Not everyone can afford one-on-one personal training sessions while trying to get in shape. But don’t allow this to become an excuse to lose motivation and fall off the wagon. One cheaper option is to get together with a few friends and do a group fitness session with a trainer. And there are plenty of other cheap and even free ways to work on your fitness while watching the budget.
HBF run free boot camps over spring that attract large groups of people. While these sessions don’t cater for individual needs, this is a great way to get some good, vigorous general fitness.
The community organisation Living Proud runs a monthly fitness session with yours truly. These sessions have seen us kayaking down the Swan River, doing yoga with the ducks, walking the Narrows and Causeway bridges loop, making friends with Jacob’s Ladder and the Kokoda Trail, and enjoying many other fun fitness activities. These ‘Living Proud and Fit’ sessions are normally advertised in OUTinPerth and Facebook, and are free.
Incidental exercise is a great way to find fitness for those tight on funds. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Walk or ride to work and other places where possible. Go for a walk during your lunch break. Everyday activities such as digging in the garden, or helping a friend move house or renovate also provide incidental exercise.
Many parks throughout Perth are now equipped with exercise equipment and have instructions on how to use the apparatus and the areas of the body you will be working. Although the equipment is a little primitive (it needs to be for safety reasons and to survive weather extremities) and is only really for beginners, it will give you a good workout if you push yourself hard enough and combine it with a cardio-based exercise like running, cycling or even a large number of step-ups. You can find this equipment almost all the way around the river, at Hyde Park, East Perth, Cottesloe Beach, Burswood and many other locations. Maybe combine a bridges walk/run with sets of resistance training on the equipment you pass on your travels.
Living in a beautiful city like Perth never leaves you short of free, outdoor exercise often coupled with breath-taking scenery. Great views of the beautiful Swan River can be found from many locations, we are blessed with many other parks including the incredible Kings Park, Bold Park and Whiteman Park, and many other natural places are just on our doorstep.
Bush walks along the Bibbulmun Track (which starts near Mundaring), and through Araluen Botanic Park, John Forrest National Park, Lesmurdie Falls National Park and countless others are perfect for those with interests in native wildlife and greenery. And these natural areas are more than just places to exercise; they provide a sense of serenity that tends to pamper the soul.
For more fitness ideas and information contact your lifestyle-friendly, mobile fitness consultant
Sav Adele
