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To do sports and get fit, you don’t necessarily need to spend crazy amounts of money.
By the way, you have chosen a sport like running that is very inexpensive, or more so than others. -
In this case, the most important muscle to train is the brain: look for discounts, buy quality products, feed yourself intelligently.
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In short, add to the pleasure of doing sports and being fit the pleasure of having spent the right amount.
Thisarticle could be very short.
We could advise you to do sports while managing to spend little in two moves: don’t play golf or don’t ride and run.
Golf requires expensive equipment, golf club membership fees, and horseback riding worse.
But before we take the stymied advice of those who practice these two wonderful disciplines to show us that they don’t cost that much, let’s focus on something else: running and individual training, either at home or at the gym.
1. Clothing: use cunning
The costs of technical clothing vary widely.
A T-shirt, for example, can cost 10 or 100 euros.
Considering that the higher values are justified by the brand (so they are not in terms of industrial costs), an average cost of 40-50 euros is what we recommend you focus on.
Inexpensive garments have poor quality and will need to be replaced often (ultimately making you spend the same or more) while medium to high quality ones are more environmentally friendly, use better fabrics and are more technologically up-to-date.
However, there are also ways to save money by buying quality things:
- Shop off-season: technical garments are often discounted at the end of the season.
Take advantage of these sales, especially if you don’t care to have the latest collection. - Versatility: choose garments that can be used for different sports activities.
For example, a good T-shirt can be used for both running and the gym, some shoes as well.
2. Shoes
Shoes are probably the most important investment you will have to make.
However, you can save money here as well:
- Inform yourself before you buy: Before you buy, compare prices online and in physical stores.
Often there are special offers or promotions on shoe models from previous seasons or on models that are about to be replaced.
If you’re not interested in getting just the most up-to-date shoe, go for it. - The most expensive shoe is not always the smartest investment: if you are just starting out in sports, cheap shoes are just fine.
After all, you don’t know if you’ll continue (which we hope you will!) so it’s best to feel out the ground and then, eventually, make an investment.
Sports shoes are one of the items whose cost is usually justified: the more technological content, the more understandable it is that they cost.
However, you have to ask yourself (and answer truthfully), “Do I need them?”
Consider that the most expensive shoes, paradoxically, are also the ones that wear out the fastest.
Since they use compounds that are super-reactive but much more delicate and exposed to wear and tear, they may have to be changed much sooner than cheaper models.
In short, buy them only if you have capabilities commensurate with their technological content and if you have as a realistic goal to do incredible performance.
There is no such thing as a shoe that, by itself, makes you run like a rocket. - Prolong their life: you can spend less by buying inexpensive products or even rely on more expensive ones that last longer.
However, as long as you don’t neglect maintenance: clean them regularly, alternate their use using rotation (having, for example, one shoe for medium-long and frequent workouts and one to work on more reactive and “bad” speed).
This will make them last longer, preventing you from having to replace them frequently.
3. Equipment: choose the essentials
If you plan to exercise at home, you don’t need to equip yourself with very expensive machines.
Many exercises can be done free-body (without tools, weights or anything else) or with inexpensive equipment.
- Buy only what you need: avoid buying complex and expensive equipment, perhaps deluding yourself that its mechanical complexity makes it capable of training you like a pro.
You always have to do the work, that is, the effort. - Second-hand and rental: if you want to buy something moderately expensive, take advantage of those in the previous point who bought professional equipment, didn’t use it and want to get rid of it: buy used!
Also consider renting, if only to try it out before deciding to buy. - You already have a lot of equipment at home, you just don’t see it: A chair is a chair, a water crate is a water crate.
But not only that, take a closer look at them.
A chair can serve you to do different exercises (have you ever tried standing on it alternating legs? Have you ever tried doing it 10, 20 times? It’s called training), a water crate, perhaps equipped with a handle, is a great weight to lift.
4. How to save money in the gym
Need to feel committed and “compelled” to exercise, otherwise laziness takes over?
Going to the gym can be a solution.
- Subscriptions: knowing their clients well, many gyms offer annual subscriptions, which has two advantages: it commits you to the long term and saves you money.
Since you have already shelled out a not inconsiderable amount of money it will seem idiotic not to go, but you can do so having the (real!) feeling that you have spent less. - Promotions: you may choose a gym because of convenience from home or work, because friends go there, because there is a trainer you know is good.
However, evaluate the periodic promotions that many gyms do, often during less busy times, such as summer. - Outdoor workouts: Consider replacing the gym with outdoor workouts.
Running, brisk walking, and free-body workouts can be done in parks or public spaces at no cost.
5. Nutrition: to eat well you can spend the right amount
We’ll repeat this to you (ours and yours) to the point of exhaustion: there is no effective preparation without recovery/rest and proper, varied nutrition.
That said, it’s not like you have to spend crazy amounts of money to accomplish this:
- Simple, natural foods: favor fresh, unprocessed foods, such as seasonal vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes.
These foods are nutritious, lend themselves to very tasty recipes, and are often inexpensive. - Meal planning: you can spend a lot on eating because you buy expensive raw materials but also because you find yourself not having thought about what to eat.
It’s evening, you’ve finished late at work and haven’t thought about dinner.
You don’t feel like cooking and order online.
You are sure to spend more than if you had planned your meals weekly to avoid waste and optimize your expenses.
Cooking in advance can help you save time and money. - Take advantage of deals: Buy products on offer or with long shelf life, such as brown rice and pasta, which can be bought in large quantities and at reduced prices.
- Buying groups: a great solution for purchasing fresh produce (such as fruits and vegetables, often directly from the producer) or long-life but expensive produce, such as oil, wine, or beer (and this is not advice to consume alcohol, it is just completeness of information).