You know you should be exercising, and you want to get fit- start battling that beer belly, get rid of that baby weight once and for all. But gyms are expensive, and money’s tight. Even if you could afford to join a gym, you feel so out of shape you’d be embarrassed to be seen there. And you’re reluctant to invest in pricey exercise equipment when you haven’t been exercising- you worry you won’t use it. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can start getting in shape with minimal or no expense, whether you want to get out of the house to exercise or find something you can do inside. Whatever you choose, make sure that you consult your health professional and have a physical before you start exercising.

Finding a Place to Walk

Walking is an appealing exercise for beginners, because you already know how to do it! It can be a particularly good choice for moms, since you can keep your baby or toddler with you (and pushing the stroller burns more calories). Starting an exercise program can be as easy as lacing up your sneakers and heading out for a walk around the block; the biggest challenge with walking can be finding a place to walk where you don’t wind up cold, wet through, or playing dodge-the-traffic.

Your Neighborhood is the most obvious place to start. If your neighborhood has sidewalks or low traffic, and often has decent weather, you’re in luck. Remember, though, that if your neighborhood isn’t great for walking, there’s no law to stop you from driving to some other neighborhood, parking your car, and walking there.

School Tracks can also be a good outdoor option if you’d rather not walk in your own neighborhood. Usually located around the football field, many public high school and middle school tracks, as well as some college and university tracks, are open to the public when school is not in session and there’s no team practicing there. Often, hours when the public can use the track will be posted on the gate to the area; if they’re not, you can call the school and ask about using the track.

The Mall is an option that might not seem obvious, but haven’t you ever gotten to the end of a long day shopping and decided you’d burned enough calories to justify an ice cream sundae at the food court? Many malls have special mall walker clubs, with perks that often include access to the mall before it opens for shopping; find out if yours is one of them. If there’s no mall walking club, you can still walk there informally on your own or with a few friends, or you can contact the management of your mall about starting a club. The biggest advantage of mall walking is that it’s climate-controlled, and it never rains or snows in the mall.