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5 Cost-Free Sports to Get Your Heart Pumping

So, you’ve decided that you want to lose weight; you’ve probably cut down your portions, started to eat healthy food, but now you are looking for that additional factor to help towards making a real impact.

Taking part in physical activity such as a sport is a great way to get your heart pumping and the calories burning, but sometimes the price of these sports can put us off the idea. That is where we sometimes turn to take out short term loans to help us fund these weight loss activities. However, with these in place for financial emergencies only, we must find an alternative way to help us lose weight; cost-free sports!

#1 Swimming

Taking to the water has a lot of great benefits, far beyond just getting your heart pumping. If you want to build up your muscle definition and strength, as well as improve and enhance your bone mass, then you should get to your nearest swimming pool for your next workout.

All you need is swimwear and a towel, maybe goggles and a hat if want to be streamlined and you are away! A public pool will typically charge around £5, but this can vary dependant on how busy it is, and when you decide to visit.

Alternatively, if you live near the coast, you don’t have to pay to swim! If you don’t mind a cool dip, swimming in the sea is a cost-free way to still reap all the benefits. You will still burn calories, increase flexibility and reduce inflammation but if you’re not a strong swimmer, it’s best to keep to shallow waters and away from the tide.

#2 Running

The easiest way to get your heart pumping is to grab your trainers and go for a run. This sport can be done either near where you live, as part of a park run or professionally on a track. With trainers being easy to purchase cheaply if you don’t own them already, and no cost for jogging out of your house and around your neighbourhood, what better way to lose some weight!

Of course, there are plenty of health benefits to running, including keeping your joints healthy, increasing muscle strength and lowering blood pressure. Run at a speed that suits you and a distance that you feel that you can accomplish. Start off with shorter distances, and increase the length of your run as you get fitter and more confident as a runner.

At first, it may be difficult to get into a rhythm, so create a running playlist and listen to it to maintain a continuous tempo and beat to prevent you from stopping.

#3 Cycling

Do you have a bicycle sitting around in the shed that you have barely used? Bring it to life and either cycle on your own or as a family.

If you are particularly stressed, this is a great way to reduce tension, as well as decrease body fat. Looking for a sport to work your cardiovascular system? Then take up cycling! It doesn’t matter if you don’t own a bike as you can pick them up for real bargain online or at jumble sales, or have a look into whether your town or city has a local bike hiring service. These can often come with free half-hour rides, so do your research!

#4 Football

This sport is a great way to socialise and get your heart pumping as you kick a ball around with your friends. Either join a team and partake in regular matches and training sessions or simply go to the park for a kick-about to increase your cardiovascular health and aerobic capacity.

The shifts between running, sprinting and walking are a great way of improving health, in addition to building endurance and strength.

#5 Ultimate Frisbee

Believe it or not, Ultimate Frisbee is a sport that will guarantee that you receive a full-body workout. Due to the interval training, you burn more calories playing this sport and improve your resting metabolic rate. This fun and social sport only require a Frisbee that barely costs anything! Get fit and increase your agility with quick pivots, turns, jumps and throws that work your whole body.

As you can see, there are a number of ways that you can get your heart pumping and improve your fitness and health at a very low cost. Try one of these sports and see which one works for you, so you can feel fit, healthy and proud of your body!

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Andrew H.

    December 10, 2018 at 4:02 pm

    Excellent article, thanks for sharing these tips!

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