Marissa Nieves, Fitness Expert for the March 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge has shared some great ways you can get in regular exercise to lose weight without needing an expensive gym membership:
Contrary to popular belief, working out doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. There are many ways to benefit from fitness activities to stay strong, fit and healthy without spending money.
Studies involving simple, short bursts of exercise have shown to reduce the risk of chronic disease, diabetes and all round provide a boost of health. Sure gyms can be wonderful but depending on your time allowance, lifestyle and budget, you may choose to save a few dollars and exercise efficiently in and around the home instead.
There are many low-cost or no-cost activities that you can perform with little or no equipment. Here are 6 ways you can include gym-free exercise in your daily routine.

1. Dance

Aerobic dance workouts can burn over 400 calories per hour and the beauty of dancing is it does not require constant effort. Short bursts of dance throughout the day will burn calories, increase cardiovascular function and help to reduce stress in the body. So feel free to break out in dance at any time during your day for some fun, gym-free exercise!

2. Go Exploring

Exercise is usually more effective when we are having a good time. Studies show that people who enjoy their workouts tend to be more consistent. Put on your hiking boots or walking shoes and go exploring. What better way to move your body than in nature seeing the beauty of the planet.

3. HIIT the Pool

Swimming is a fantastic low-impact exercise and if you suffer from any injuries, swimming may also be a wonderful support for you. Float for 2 minutes and swim your favourite stroke for 2 minutes to create a HIIT based swimming workout. You don’t need an olympic swimming pool to create an effective routine for yourself in the pool!

4. Clean the House

Next time you’re ready to clean, time how long it takes you to complete your cleaning duties. Then the next time you are ready to clean, set the timer again and see if you can beat your original time. Once you have a timer on your cleaning, you may find household chores are performed even more efficiently and you end up with more time in your day. You can spice up home cleaning workouts by adding squats, walking lunges, dancing, overhead presses, core balancing and jumping to your cleaning activities!

5. Take the Stairs

A recent study showed that taking the stairs instead of the elevator actually saved about 15 minutes of time per day. Although we believe that taking the elevator in stores, office buildings and residential suites may save us time, there is little evidence to support this. So, taking the stairs could actually provide a platform for greater daily fitness through lower body strengthening, cardiovascular fitness and core stability but also productivity.

6. Time in the Garden

If you have ever raked or weeded a garden you know it takes a variety of muscles and movements such as squatting, bending, flexing and twisting to perform gardening activities. Become an active and conscious gardener by focusing on physical movement while performing tasks that are both effective and enjoyable. In addition to the physical fitness gardening can bring, the simple act of being in nature, breathing fresh air and calming the mind can reduce stress which in turn may increase the body’s fat burning potential.
Marissa Nieves, Fitness Expert