Frugal Fitness

It is no secret that necessities indulgences* such as belly dance classes, workshops, DVDs for practice and performance, costumes, and so forth can rack up quite a charge. We dancers, of both oriental style and tribal style persuasion, do love our sparklies. It can be a fine balancing act to keep our budgets in check while still finding ways to afford those dance extras that make us smile so broadly.

As I tend to be rather hypervigilant with finances, I am well aware that keeping one's pocket book healthy helps to keep one's mind healthy. That, of course, translates into a healthier belly. My husband and I are currently saving very aggressively for a home down payment, so this term's class cost has got me thinking quite a bit about where I can cut back my dance costs. This term I decided to take three classes instead of the five that I originally wanted. I fully realize that taking three dance classes still represents a sizable investment, but axing those two other classes was still a conscious decision. Furthermore, out-of-town workshops are currently out of the question, and in-town workshops will only be attended if I am particularly impressed by the presenter.**

That being said, I think that it behooves everyone to find cheap, frugal, simple ways of working out. Simple training tactics and habits are the most sustainable, both financially and mentally. My primary workout tactics are to do most of my physical conditioning and training at home. I have found that this is the best way to make regular physical conditioning a habit: I don't have to drive to a gym, I don't feel guilty about fitness fees, I spend no time commuting. This saves me a packet in money and in time. Happily, my new workplace is within a reasonable cycling distance from my home, which saves me even more time and money by allowing me to save on transportation costs, bypass traffic jams, and turn my commutes into cardio workouts.

J.D. Roth, author of the fantastic blog Get Rich Slowly addresses the urge to spend on fitness gadgets/memberships in the post Frugality in Practice: Home Based Physical Fitness. There are plenty of links to more quality information at the end of that post, so I won't repeat them here. If you would like more inspiration and advice on starting and maintaining your own home fitness or dance conditioning practice, check out J.D.'s other blog, Get Fit Slowly.

You may even have the opportunity to have other people pay for your fitness efforts! If you have an employee benefit plan, I highly recommend becoming intimately acquainted with its features. With the increased awareness that fit, healthy employees are happy, productive employees, many companies have started offering fitness and wellness allowances. Because the university where I work has excellent benefits and development funds employees may apply for, they are currently paying for my two lunchtime yoga classes. Plus I have full access to the campus gym, which is something that I would never pay good money for but will happily use now that I have the access. If you have the good fortune to have benefits such as these, use them and use them well.



*Right, now most people consider dance classes an indulgance, but they've become what I would consider a "near-necessity." So does my husband, and my father for that matter. Classes help keep me sane, and that makes them a good investment.

**In case you are wondering, the decision to very carefully evaluate workshops before jumping in and forking over the fee (as I would normally do if one was on offer, assuming that I have the cash on hand) has led me to turn down one out-of-town workshop and two in-town workshops over the past three months. This has represented a saving of close to $500.