The idea of beginning an exercise program or purchasing a gym membership can become overwhelming, especially if money is a concern. Joining a gym can also be intimidating with all of the different equipment that is available and being surrounded by the “experienced” gym members.

There are multiple ways to exercise without spending money and most of these can be done in the convenience of your own home. Working out outside is the easiest form of free exercise. Since winter is upon us, working out inside might be more feasible, but if dressed appropriately, exercising outside can be very beneficial during the winter months.

If working out at your home seems to be the best fit, there are workouts available for you to accomplish this. We are surrounded by technology that offers us access to numerous workouts. If you search for workout apps on any smart device, you will be inundated with information. Some of these apps are free and if they do cost, it is usually less than $5.00. These apps help track exercise, how many calories you have burned, the distance you covered and the time it took you to do so. There are also apps with built in trainers who audibly tell you when to speed up or slow down your workout. Others contain programs designed to put you through an entire workout. Regardless of what type of fitness app you are looking for, there is bound to be one to work for you.

Another way technology has brought us easy access to affordable workouts is through Pinterest and Twitter. Check a Pinterest workout page and you will have home workouts at your fingertips to last you for months. Most of these workouts are designed to be quick and require little to no equipment. Numerous fitness magazines and trainers post workouts and workout tips on their twitter pages and these also usually require little to not equipment. Most are designed by fitness professionals and are safe to participate in on your own. Always check the sources of your information and if you have health risks, check with your physician before beginning a workout program, specifically if it involves high intensity.

Other available forms of affordable exercise include hand weights, bands, exercise balls, or DVD’s that can all be purchased for a small amount. These can be done as a strength training workout or combined with cardio to be a higher intensity interval training (HIIT) exercise. For instance, Insanity and P90x are both workouts of high intensity and progress through a series of strength, cardio, and flexibility. These workouts aren’t for everyone. A more moderate example of interval training would be Jillian Michael’s DVD workouts. Don’t get me wrong, it is still a tough workout but at a more moderate level. These can be a little more costly initially, but are cheaper than a monthly gym membership and you can progress through the workouts more than once.

Exercise does not have to cost a lot of money and it can be done almost anywhere and anytime. The key is to find something you enjoy and sticking to it!