Guest blog by Gabriel Patel of Healthwellwise.com
Survival has been at the forefront for months, leading many people to adopt bad habits to make it through. But for most, emerging post-quarantine means realigning your health and wellness goals. Fortunately, transitioning from survival to wellness mode doesn’t need to break your budget. Here are all the budget-friendly tips you need to get back into a healthy routine.
Enlist a Trainer’s Help
Working with a trainer can be an affordable way to reach your wellness goals. Sure, paying for a gym membership (if gyms in your area have even reopened) may be an option. But it’s not your only path toward healthier living.
An affordable alternative is collaborating with a personal trainer. A trainer can provide a comprehensive plan for shedding weight, bulking up muscle, and addressing your unique challenges. Whether virtual or in-person, your training sessions – and built-in support – can be a significant wellness benefit. You can find a local trainer through the Personal Fitness Trainer Directory and get started shedding pounds right away.
Make Healthy Recipes at Home
Some trainers offer assistance with nutrition planning. But seeking the advice of a nutritionist on your own may incur additional costs. The good news is that there’s plenty of free advice out there for making the most of what’s in your kitchen cabinets.
Overall, cooking at home will also cost you less money and fewer calories than eating out. Case in point: You can create healthy meals from cheap pantry staples. For example, legume-based quesadillas, healthy fried rice, and spinach tortellini soup are easy to whip up with shelf-stable ingredients. You can also avoid the temptation of fast food by outlining a budget for your grocery shopping and sticking to it.
Choose Healthier Snacks
Though snacking isn’t an ideal use of your quarantine time, it happens. By making smart snacking choices, you can avoid extra calories and bloat. Grabbing whole foods – like fruits and veggies – is preferable to packaged treats and often cheaper, too.
Plus, foods like carrots, apples, celery, cucumbers, and mandarins are so low-calorie they’re almost calorie-free, explains Business Insider. You can consume more of these fresh snacks without impacting your counts for the day. Produce also adds more water to your diet, another cheap and healthy trick to shedding pounds.
Use Workout Gear as Motivation
If motivation is a challenge on your renewed path to wellness, new workout gear might be in order. When keeping costs down is a priority, you can use online promo codes at many retailers. Nordstrom Rack coupons can help you save on the gear you need without compromising quality.
Wearing new workout clothes can help keep you motivated to finish your workout each day; researchers call the psychological impact of your clothes “enclothed cognition.” Athletic gear is also far more comfortable – and breathable – than your quarantine uniform of sweats and t-shirts.
Add At-Home Exercises to Your Routine
Whether or not your partner with a personal trainer, at-home exercise is an excellent way to burn calories and get moving. For beginners, starting with simple at-home exercise is smart. If necessary, you can DIY equipment, too – like using gallons (or perhaps quarts) of water as weights.
If you’re anxious to up the ante, however, you can also follow high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts at home. In 30 minutes, you can complete a HIIT workout that strengthens your muscles and invigorates your entire body, notes Women’s Health Mag.
If you’re exiting pandemic quarantine with a few extra pounds, you’re not alone. And even if your budget is tight, there are plenty of smart ways to get back on the path toward wellness. With these five tips, your health and weight loss goals are just within reach.
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