Andrew and I haven’t been gym members since August 2009, when we began our cross-country trek. Actually, I think it’s more like September ot October 2009 because we had to wait until we had proof that we actually moved….gymcontractsaretheWORST. Since quitting the gym we have been trying cheap exercise alternatives. Some have been very successful…some have not. The winners are: indoor soccer, running, and surfing. The losers are: workout DVDs (who knew The Biggest Loser DVD is in fact not a winner? Thank God, too…I doubt my downstair neighbors would appreciate all the jumping and lunging that comes along with that).Running is practically free and in SoCal it can pretty much be condered a 24/7/365 sport. Even on the rainiest of days you can run here and not be completely monsooned. It gets a little pricey when you sign-up for big races, buy top-of-the-line gear, or get really injured (whole different topic). However, all of these things can be avoided if you stay smart about your running decisions. Surfing seems expensive, but it really is a one-time-fee kind of sport. You buy a board and a wetsuit (off craig’s list I might add) and as long as those items stay in tact you are set for a very, very long time. The thing that gets costly with surfing is starbucks for a hot chocolate or Taco Surf for a huge burrito. Keep those treats to a minimum and you’ve got yourself some cheap exercise. Then there is indoor soccer. This runs us to roughly $40 each a season, 10 games a season, so $4 a game. Cheaper than yoga (very unfortunately), and still cheaper than the gym. So there you have it. We try to stay fit and try to stay within our budget. It actually is possible.
