Eating Healthy on a budget…You Can’t Afford Not To

Ways to get healthy on a budget…You Can’t Afford Not To

I know in the past I’ve written about how to eat healthy on a budget, which is a struggle for many people, but in today’s economy, it is also tough for many of us to afford belonging to a gym, investing in fitness equipment or purchasing diet programs.  For those that don’t know, I myself am a single mom with very limited income since losing my job last December, so I speak from experience when I say that there ARE ways around financial limitations when it comes to working out.  Just DON’T allow the budget to be an excuse as to why one can’t get (or stay) fit.  A family can also be eating healthy on a budget. There are so many options out there and while I’ll touch on a few, the possibilities are endless, so try to keep an open mind and think creatively, you may surprise yourself with what some ingenuity can come up with!

We all choose different approaches when it comes to exercise and eating healthy on a budget, but for me, going to a gym has always been my preference for keeping fit.  I am a competitive person, so when I see a 60+ year old leaving me in the dust on the elliptical next to mine, it’s ‘game on’ in my mind!  For those of out there that have ever dealt with depression, like I have (if you’ve ever lost a job, you know what I mean), belonging to a gym gets a person out amongst “the living” and provides an outlet for anxiety, releasing endorphins and serotonin that will help fight off the depression that drags one down.  However, when a job is lost, how can a single mom afford to pay the membership, let along be eating healthy on a budget?  This was a big concern for me, knowing how much my kids love our local YMCA and how much we gain from hanging out there on a routine basis.  One day, not too long after I found myself scouring the job ads, a friend suggested that I apply for financial aid through the Y, allowing us to continue our routine.  What a revelation!  While I’d made charitable contributions in the past to the Y Scholarship Fund, I had no idea I would ever be the one to have to use it.  Good example of karma at its best, don’t you think?  The application was very simple and I just had to show proof of income (my unemployment verification) and within a week or two my letter arrived in the mail saying the kids and I were approved for full membership! In addition to eating healthy on a budget we were able to get fit on a budget as well.  It was like someone handed me an early holiday gift.  If you don’t have a local YMCA, ask about financial assistance at a local gym; it’s not something that is highly advertised obviously, but there are plenty of generous members out there who are willing to give the gift of health to those in need.  I never thought I’d be one of them, but I’m glad I paid it forward in this instance, and once I’m back on my feet again, I do plan on giving annual donations to the YMCA.  The gym may also have opportunities to volunteer to help out at the facility in exchange for a reduced membership rate. 

If working out at a gym seems intimidating, or you just would rather not be around crowds, really look for ways to get the body in motion; ditch the car for a weekend and only walk places you need to go, hike the woods with a camera (one never knows what they will find), swim at a local beach or lake, play tag with the kids in the backyard… the list goes on and on. Eating healthy on a budget is only part of an overall fitness routine.  When my kids were babies, I would use them as weights and they thought it was fantastic fun while it was giving me an additional workout to have them lying on my chest while I did sit ups or gave them ‘airplane rides’ on my legs.  No kids? No problem.  Use cans of vegetables for light weights or gallons of water for heavier ones.  Take the stairs whenever there is the choice and don’t put off reaching up high and getting a good stretch while cleaning those cobwebs from the corners of the living room.  Gardening is also good exercise, particularly if a person older or have health problems that may preclude them from more aggressive workouts.  Reaching and bending for those weeds works major muscle groups and benefits health while also providing much joy as the garden blooms. Financial hardships can hit anyone at any time of there lives, but it is possible to be eating healthy on a budget and keep one’s spirits and activities up as well.

Don’t let the economic crunch or any personal situation deter you from getting in some daily exercise; a person will feel energized, more alert, happier, and you’ll see results at the next checkup. In these uncertain economic times eating healthy on a budget or getting fit on a budget is still possible.   You can’t afford NOT to.