Free Lose it! iPhone Application

After years of working on health and fitness websites, I knew the basic rules: eat lots of fruits and vegetables; more protein, less carbs; and nothing fried. I had already started cooking more, but I needed more help than that. I decided to use the extremely popular and free application, Lose It!, which I could download onto my iPhone as a guide. The Lose It! application simply enables you to track your calories eaten and expended through exercise. You enter your weight, how much you want to lose over a specific time period, and it gives you your daily calorie allowance.

Keeping track of your calories is very eye-opening! I always figured olive oil was healthy so I would generously use it for cooking and salads. One tablespoon of olive oil has 126 calories. I started to measure it out, and realized I really didn’t need more than one tablespoon. I began making trade-offs. I ordered egg-white breakfast burritos at my local café, got ridiculed for it, but later was able to have a chocolate chip cookie guilt-free. I still went out and went over my daily calorie allowance often, but going all out sometimes made the other days of the week that much easier. I exercised more, but then was able to eat more, too. And now, a couple of months later, it’s all unbelievably become habit and my new wardrobe is complete.

Squats at Gantry Plaza

This past January, when most people were making resolutions to join the gym, I did the opposite. I quit it.

I had just returned from a month on a small island in the Caribbean where I shared in my friend’s good fortune – she traded one of her paintings for time in a vacation condo there. (We like to take working vacations to foreign places together. I write and take photos; she draws and paints. And then we spend our non-working hours exploring the new locale.) Unfortunately, when I returned to NYC all blissed out from December on the beach and ready to plunge back into my freelance work, there was no work, and I was forced to make some adjustments. The gym renewal was one of the first things to go.

There are many ways to stay fit without going to the gym. I know this because I’ve written what probably amounts to hundreds of articles on the subject. And while the gym does have certain advantages – it’s a warm, cozy place to work out in January, for example. And with all the equipment, machines, and classes, there’s a lot of variety. It’s also EXPENSIVE!

I decided to make my own fitness routines based on the knowledge I’ve gleaned from working with, writing about, and developing online exercise programs for a number of different fitness experts.

I like to change things up, so my routines vary, but my latest spring workout consists of:

• 1 hour of brisk walking…with some inspired bursts of jogging. I actually hate running/jogging, so I only run a little and I walk longer to make up for it.

In the middle of my walk, I stop and do some stretching and toning exercises at my neighborhood pier, which has a fantastic view that overlooks the East River and midtown Manhattan.

• Stretching
• 50 squats
• 2 sets of 15 side leg lifts (for each leg)
• 2 sets of 15 back leg lifts (for each leg)

I finish up my walk, return home, and do the following:

• 2 sets of 15 traditional crunches – Just regular sit-ups with my arms crossed over my chest.

• 2 sets of 25 bicycle crunches – These are like sit-ups, but instead of crossing my arms over my chest and sitting up, I put my hands behind my head and each time I “sit up,” I bring one elbow toward the opposite knee, while pulling that knee back toward my elbow and extending my other leg straight out for balance. I then release, and alternate sides.

• 1 set of 15 butt lifts – Starting out in the sit-up position, with my knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and arms at my sides, I lift my butt and hips up toward the ceiling 15 times.

• 2 sets of 25 belly fluff toning leg lifts – Lying on the floor with my legs out straight and my hands (palms down) underneath my upper butt/lower back area to protect my coccix (tailbone), as well as to help balance me, I point my toes and lift both legs straight up until my toes are pointing toward the ceiling. Then I lower my legs back down and repeat.

And then I do a little floor stretching.

When I’m done stretching, I grab my 5 pound dumbells
and do:

• 2 sets of 25 biceps curls
• 2 sets of 25 hammer curls
• 2 sets of 15 shoulder presses
• 2 sets of 15 triceps kickbacks

Then I shake out my arms, and start my mostly sedentary day, sitting on my butt in front of my computer.

Sometimes, I miss working out on the equipment at the gym, but when the weather is good, I prefer exercising outdoors anyway. Plus I’m not beholden to any annoying membership plan. And I’m saving money – about a hundred bucks a month. That’ll be $1000 by October!

We, here in Frugaltopia, often discuss the challenges we face in trying to be more frugal with our time and energy, as well as with our finances. And while I am interested in cutting the costs associated with my fitness activities, I do strongly believe that the benefits are worth spending my time on. It’s not always easy, especially when there are deadlines looming, creative projects beckoning, or friends and family vying for my attention, but I do my best to stick with it 4 days a week.

Working out on your own may be a big money-saver, but it requires even more discipline than dragging yourself to the gym. With the gym, getting yourself there is the biggest challenge, but the fact that you’re actually paying for it gives you extra incentive. When you’re on your own, it’s up to you to research your routine and make sure that you’re doing the exercises correctly, and the only incentive you have is your health and your desire to be frugally fit – and maybe a little less fluffy – however, I think it pays off in the end.

If you’re interested in designing your own workout, you can get started by checking out the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. You can also get all sorts of free fitness articles, exercise ideas, and videos online.

Laura's bike

One of the deal-sweeteners of our recent move from the city to the suburbs, in my husband’s view, was getting our car back, which had been on loan to family. And, although my partiality to car-free living has been lifelong–when I was 8, I told a friend I would never trade my bike for a car (she responded, “The air you breathe will be my exhaust!”)–I have to admit, having a car makes some things much, much easier. Weekend trips are no longer tainted by auto rental hassles, and our days of lugging heavy items through the subway are behind us.

That said, I find that most of my everyday errands can be more pleasurably conducted on two wheels rather than four. When we became suburbanites, I invested in a pair of saddlebags
(and, importantly, a comfortable seat) for my bike. The saddlebags are roomy enough to hold two big canvas sacks of foodstuffs, plus my purse, bike lock, and whatever else I’m carrying–letters for the post office, or books to drop off at the library, for example. With a little forethought, I can plan a smooth multi-errand trip. (Grocery shopping usually comes last; I don’t like leaving my groceries, and full saddlebags make locking up more cumbersome.)

Every time I swing a leg up onto my bike and get rolling, I’m reminded of the long list of benefits of this let-your-hair-down mode of travel. It makes the world feel more real–no surprise, given that in swapping car for bike, you’ve stripped a ton of steel and glass separating you from the road down to about thirty svelte pounds. The air, the birds–and yes, that gnarly pothole–are all on offer for you to experience in their full glory. Plus, it’s mood-enhancing, wiping the fog off your brain and waking you up; even the bumps are enlivening. Add a maneuver around an obstacle and a greeting to a pedestrian, and you’re feeling positively competent and neighborly. It’s good exercise, but not especially strenuous (and any work you do pumping up hills is always rewarded with effortless speed on the other side). And, it’s free, or almost. Magically, its costs are also benefits: stronger muscles and a kindled appetite to fill with something delicious. To me, it seems a frugal no-brainer.