by Hope
Speaking of health…Over the years, I have been very guilty of the mindset “if I pay for it, I’ll be more motivated to go” when it comes to gym memberships. In fact, just two years ago, when we first moved to Georgia and into my Grandmother’s house, I joined a gym for the family.
It was in walking distance of her house and gave us somewhere to go on a daily basis to get out of her way and burn off some steam. I was determined to lose some weight. And for about 4 months, I went daily. Every morning at 5am before I go to work, I would do 30 minutes of cardio there.
And then I fell off the wagon and we got settled in and we stopped using that outlet. Thank goodness there was no long term commitment and the cost was very affordable. About $35 dollars for the whole family, I think.
Need to Exercise
I know you are groaning now, aren’t you? Thinking I am now going to justify joining a gym again. Don’t worry, I’m not. Not even thinking about it. First of all, I never leave the house if I don’t have too, so going to a gym is not even on my radar.
But I do need to add some movement to my days. Working from home tends to make me a bit lazy…other than weekly yard work and taking the dogs out a few times a day, I really don’t have to move around a lot. And I need too.
Workout Plan
With the advent of the new school year this week, I’ve come up with a plan. Free plan, even!
At 6:20 a.m., I take the dogs out every morning. We typically just walk around a while or I tie them up and work in the yard for a while. But I’ve decided to add jump roping to my daily routine. It will get my heart rate up. I heard it’s one of the best “all over” exercises you can do. And doing that early in the morning gave little chance of many people seeing my fat jumping around.
Afternoon lull. I don’t know about you, but I tend to hit a wall in the early afternoon. I can hardly keep my eyes open. And my brain is fried from concentrating on work for the last 5-6 hours with few breaks. So I decided to add something super convenient, free and upbeat. I’m going to try doing the Dance Fitness with Jessica workouts that she posts for free access on YouTube. I literally can turn them on in my computer screen, slide my desk chair out of the way, and get to moving! I figure just doing one dance, at my very novice level, will be a good start. (Yes, you can laugh when you picture, I do.)
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
I don’t remember ever seeing anything about a gym membership, maybe I missed that.
First time commenting here in a really long time. I have a gym at work, complete with classes I can take. Unfortunately I don’t take advantage of it. And I should. I am finding myself low in energy. But I do yoga in the morning and I walk a lot, but I need more. I used to get up really early and work out, and I felt so great. There are lot of online videos for workout and all it would cost be your time and your internet fees.
That is a nice work perk. Bet you just want to leave after work though.
Most of the time yes but only because I have classwork to do.
I do Zumba and hip hops abs Monday- Friday in the morning at home. Monday, Wednesday, Fridays I use the gym at work after work to lift weights and about 15-20 minutes cardio. Weekends is sometimes walking or hiking. If hubby is working I’ll do Zumba.
That’s a good plan, Hope! Good luck. I do quite a lot of yoga, but barely anything else. I need a plan too.
I don’t think you ever mentioned that you got dogs again or said how they fit into your budget. As of not all that long ago, you had to get rid of all your pets because of losing your housing situation, and it sounds like you’re potentially close to that again, so why would you take on more pets?
I actually did mention the dogs…but not much. We began fostering through the local humane society almost 2 years ago now. We’ve had the same 3 dogs…old and extremely needy. One was pregnant when we began fostering her, but her puppies didn’t make it. She is just now starting to go outside (is puppy pad trained, they began that in the shelter) and will come when called by me. No one else.
A woman from the humane society comes to our home to watch them when we are out of town due to the extreme skittish-ness of two of the dogs.
All the fun and responsibility but none of the cost! Best of both worlds.