How to Start Working out on a Budget in 10 Easy Steps

A budget and a plan is necessary to achieve great results with minimal losses.

No matter what social strata you come from, it always boils down to the basics. Working out can become a full-time investment which requires time and resources to maximize yields and maintain results. It is therefore extremely uncommon for those who wish to engage in the lifestyle.

To first, plan and make some very heavy decisions along the way. Second, research and gather information pertinent to their results. Lastly, divulge time and resources to achieve gains and minimize loses.

In this article we will show you some helpful tips to stay on your budget track and making sure it doesn’t blow out of proportion.

TIP #1: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Remember the story about the tortoise and the hare?

If you do, you know how it ends right? the slow and determined shelled racer won it with flying colors versus the fast and overconfident fluffy tailed competition. This is a relevant piece of moral advice when working out. There are always no shortcuts or easy way out to get that sculpted body.

You can achieve results only through hard-work, a focused determination, and a never ending supply of willpower and elbow grease. The only way to get those washboard abs is through sheer dedication and advocating the lifestyle, there is no easy way out unless you wish to go under the knife.

In order to cut down cost, always start with a small investment and work your way up, don’t directly buy that gym set if you don’t even built up that habit. On the first few months avoid extra costs and observe your body, your time, and keep a log.

Don’t spend too much on fluff unless you’ve worked up that drive to stay buffed. So take it slow and steady and don’t get work up on deadlines you set yourself. This is a lifestyle not a quarterly tax report, the more pressure you put on yourself the more it becomes a chore instead of a fulfilling activity.

TIP #2: Stay Focus and Determined

Keep your eyes on the prize!

Having the focus and the determination to stay on track can save you a lot of money. The biggest waste a person can do is overwhelming themselves with fitness and wellness advertising which do not help you reach your goal faster. Simply because there is no easy or fast way to build muscles.

The speed on how you build muscle always depends on too many intricate factors that enumerating them on this article would cause it to shift focus. To put it simply there is no fast way to build muscles and workouts either work or they don’t. It is a continual process of experimentation and exploration that having the focus and resolve to continue despite shortcomings is important.

Another important factor when working out involves cleaning out bad habits such as alcohol and smoking. If you speak to an alcoholic or a smoker they’ll tell you its easier said than done. Most often it is through these bad habits that expenses can skyrocket. They are unnecessary roadblocks to fitness.

Not to nag but having them around surely doesn’t help you become an inch closer to achieving your ideal body. Keep your focus and resolve when you work out and keep it constant.

TIP #3: Be Inspired and Seek Inspiration

Depression is an absence of inspiration and a failure to keep being inspired.

Shortcomings are normal to anything we do. There is no surefire way to keep what you have and the fear of losing something to change does not help anyone. Remove the fear of losing and keep the desire to gain something.

This is how you can easily get back up on track and continue working out. Do not pressure yourself too much that you’ll eventually reach your breaking point but don’t be too lax about it that you’ll also lose your focus. Inspiration is easily achieved to those who are used to balancing their emotions and manipulating their environment.

On taking the path to inspiration you’ll not simply keep your focus, drive, and determination but it is also a self-enlightenment process. You’ll also know more about yourself that you didn’t know about yourself. Different people have different ways to keep inspired and seek out inspiration.

To others they easily gain inspiration through running, walking, taking pictures, cooking, and possibly any activity you can think of there is a person who gets inspired from doing them.

The key point here is in order to obtain inspiration you have to diversify your activities. The market is flooded with books and materials about this topic. You can easily get them for free if you spend the time to search for it.

How does inspiration save you money?

For one thing you’ll be too inspired to really become shortsighted to waste time on attempting to reach unreachable goals and other reasons. The most important reason is it saves you money by making use of the most of it, it keeps you fueled up.

The biggest waste is wasting your potential simply because you lacked the vision and inspiration to keep it.

TIP #4: Avoid Taking too many Detours

Variety is the spice of life, too much variety is the bane of time.

It is healthy to choose alternative paths but keep it at a minimum. Adding a variety of routines would initially keep it fresh but avoid adding too many that you’ll simply have no time nor focus to keep them. In retrospect keep what works and throw out what doesn’t work.

Do not hoard unto something you simply can’t do and maximize your resources and effort on something which is achievable. If you lack a certain type of equipment to do that exciting new workout then just throw it out and find an alternative. Try not to buy workout equipment on a whim when you can do an alternative for free or with minimum expenses and only buy them when you can afford them.

Understanding how detours work and how they can affect your workout is key to becoming the person you want to be. You are the master of your own achievements and also your failures.

TIP #5: Develop a Results-oriented Mentality

If it works, it works, and if not – throw it out.

In order to be able to stick to a budget, you’ll have to become a master designer in your own right. Know your limitations and work around it. Nothing is impossible to achieve if you truly want to happen. Roadblocks are a costly investment themselves which you must avoid.

You should overcome roadblocks by using a healthy dose of positive thinking and realistically setting goals is a must. A vision keeps you focus, an objective keeps you motivated, but a realistic mindset keeps you well-grounded. If a workout is simply not working out for you, then throw it out and find another. It might sound like a costly game plan of trial and error but you are after results not sentiments.

To maximize gains and minimize loses you’ll have to be a quick thinker and an able bodied tactician. You must never keep workouts regimens which do nothing for you. Keep it streamlined and dynamic. Be a master of your own growth.

TIP #6: Always Expect the Unexpected

You should always prepare for anything life throws at you.

One of the greatest excitements in life is that it is unpredictable. No one can really fault you when a plan goes awry or if a sunny day becomes a tropical storm. There is however a difference when plan for everything than simply planning. A careful understanding to every possible scenario or situation can help you overcome the debilitating responsibility of cost-cutting.

Cost-cutting is an act where you re-prioritize your budget plan in favor of another due to a certain situation or event. This happens more commonly than you would expect. It is a common problem that it throws you off budget most of the time also includes your focus. One way to avoid having to do all these balancing act you’ll have to make heavy handed decisions. Most importantly its sticking to those decisions which can cause problems.

To avoid having complications coming from heavy handed decisions. Decide base on a standard you are comfortable with such as re-prioritizing based on time, effort, quality, rather than price. This is so you can easily tweak it. If you’ll be busy the entire week next week then just tone it down from a three day 2 hour session at the gym make it 30 minutes to an hour affair instead.

The amount of effort you put into your workouts lets say for example if you are always using heavy reps then do light reps instead so you’ll not burn down as quickly. Now if the gym subscription you have is burning a hole in your pocket then switch to a cheaper gym or remove any temporary any additional amenities and services you might need which could be add-ons in your current subscription.

TIP #7: Keep Decisions and Options Simple

Never overwhelm your options and make sure your options do not overwhelm you.

Keep every decision or option you have as simple as possible. Oftentimes we usually get upgrades which are unnecessary or simply a burden. Start by keeping it simple and always keep it simple. It is not uncommon to waste a lot of resources in maintaining options which are not even necessary.

One such option is having a fitness magazine subscription when you are not even interested in reading, buying a home gym but usually do your workouts outside the house, and how about ordering special workout apparel but not really using them.
These might look like wise decisions when you first start out but think of long-term. Maintaining this constant urge to spend on things which are unnecessary could deeply affect your end-goal.

These investments while not having any direct effect on your workout routine can have a direct impact on your pockets. Always go for the bare-bone basic options whenever possible and avoid piling decisions upon decisions without first trying it out.

TIP #8: Never Overwhelm or Underwhelm Goals

Goals are decision makers, Indecision are deal breakers.

Great decision makers always make one tiny consideration which goes a long way on how they handle their goals. They simply consider no goal is too short or long and none is big or daunting. It is through having an equal and unbiased judgement on what your goals are and how clear you set them which makes it worthwhile.

This might sound unrelated to how you can stay on a budget but it does help a lot on how you can prepare for the expected hurdles and unexpected obstacles head on. Designating a goal as a priority based on relative scale on how big it is or how difficult it is will not help you overcoming it any easier. The key point is to view them equally and take chunks off every single way.

A little of a bit can certainly create a big difference. Instead of tackling one goal at a time, knowing how to micromanage every task and making sure you are achieving results can certainly make a difference. Lets say in a situation where you have to choose to prioritize a specific goal and forgetting the little ones along the way. You are already wasting opportunities to achieve what people call “Hitting two birds with one prodigal stone” as most often we tend to dislocate the little goals for the larger ones. This of course makes us shortsighted of the true prize at the end of the rainbow.

While it is always good to look at the elephant in the room from time to time and making sure it is dealt with accordingly, you should also not forget to take care of any breadcrumbs you find along the way. A small bit can become a big problem if left alone. So set your goals, be focused and determined, and take a little at a time whenever possible. Do not just throw them under the rug while you settle for the one you are most interested in.

TIP #9: Keep it Constant and Steady

Keep it as close to clockwork as possible, in constant motion and in a steady rhythm.

Never jump the bar and bite the bark without analyzing the options and weighing in the alternatives first. There are two situations which can come from lack of planning and becoming under prepared to take part on a specific task.
One, the frequency on which you do your regimen will be inconsistent as menial and trivial matters would often take up your attention. Two, the activity becomes sporadic which hinders any progress or development towards muscle and general fitness development. Three, it becomes expensive as you’ll most likely compromise the lack of time you’ve work out with supplements and other fast alternatives.

The reason why keeping it constant and steady works is because it allows you time to build up the habit. Think about how cost effective it is to build up the habit of brushing your teeth. Not only do you avoid costly dental procedures you will also less likely to over indulge on dental products which may or may not work for you.

This simple little advice can help you maintain your budget cost-effectively. It also allows you to maximize returns in the form of accomplishing goals. As an added bonus, you will also be gaining that aesthetically sculpted physique you’ve always wanted. It is always a wise bet to build the habit first till it takes less effort to do and becomes second nature. Having a good habit of working out will eventually work out in your favor in the end.

TIP #10: Stay Positive and Work for the Budget

You have to love to work on it in order to stay positive and profit from it.

The thing about working hard to achieve something is that it becomes redundant and repetitive to the point of exhaustion. This does not bode well for all the times you’ve sweat and carried those heavy pieces of metal from point a to point b. Although giving up is free, the repercussion and the effort you’ve put isn’t.

Throwing the towel and flushing everything you’ve worked hard for down the drain simply is the biggest loss to your budget. Admit it or not, giving up is a costly endeavor which you must always try to avoid. As stated physical fitness is a lifestyle choice not a fly-by-night affair.

If you continually treat it as a one night stand then you’ll get your results but keeping and maintaining it becomes a costly tango of ups and downs. It is easy to stop doing what you do simply because you are overwhelmed. This however can be cured by simply adding diversity to your routines.

Doing something you love in between your rest periods will really do wonders for your mental drive too. Even if it means baking a cake. Having a hobby to rewind, unwind, and keep you distracted in between workouts will eventually pay off. The main focus here is to stay positive and that can only be achieved if you are happy.

You have to work hard for it and not be bored with it. Having a healthy mind as well as a healthy body is key to keeping your cost down. As stated in the previous tips, what drives your workout cost isn’t about the physical or tangible things associated with your workout. It has more to do with your own habits, perceptions, mindsets, and the things you believe in.

Cultivating a positive self-image is one and having a great outlook is another. We all have our momments where giving up seems like a lucrative choice but always remember nothing you love comes easy. It also doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your soul for the sake of achieving a goal. This simply a game of balance the ball and get the best offer.

“Nothing in life is certainly free, if you want it you’ll have to really want it to truly have it. The adage however doesn’t truly say that you can make compromise or make a deal.” 

~ H.F.V ~

Additional Reading:

• Ways to Make Exercise a Habit
• How to NOT Suck at Building Healthy Habits
• 10 Easy Ways to Make Exercise a Habit
• How To Motivate Yourself Into an Exercise Routine