Getting Active on a Budget
Even if your family has a limited income, you can still be physically active. Many activities are low cost or free. What’s more, many community agencies can help outfit your family members for their favourite sports, e.g., the Bell Community Sport Fund, Jump Start, or Everybody Gets to Play.
Read this article for information about free activities for you and your family, low-cost ways to outfit yourself and your kids, and programs that can help your family participate in the sports they like to play.
Free Activities
Active living simply means including physical activity in your day. You don’t have to play sports in league, be a fitness club member, or train to run a marathon. There are many things you can do and places you can go (alone, with friends, your children, your parents or grandparents) that will allow you to be active enough to gain health benefits. Being active enough is as simple as doing 30 to 60 minutes (in at least 10 minute bouts) of some form of moderate physical activity on most days of the week.
The kind of activity you choose might be free or cost very little. Public parks are for everyone. Many parks have playgrounds, trails, wading pools, exercise trails, and picnic areas you can use for free.
Recreation departments, churches, or community leagues in many communities offer free summer playground programs for children. In the winter, sledding, skating, and walking are cost free. You just need some warm clothes and skates, a sled, or a sheet of cardboard.
It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to be active, just time and a bit of planning and imagination.
Low-Cost Ways to Outfit Yourself and Your Family
Scout the sales. You can find sports clothing and equipment (e.g., running shoes, workout gear) on sale at certain times of the year. Good times for sales are at the start or end of seasons, Boxing Day and the month of January, or before the beginning of a new school year.
Second-hand bargains. If you can’t find what you need on sale, used sports equipment is a good choice. Young children grow so fast. There’s no point in buying brand-new equipment that they will grow out of before it wears out. Many sports stores have sections of used equipment for children and adults.
Some stores will take your used equipment on consignment. With consignment, you get the money when the store sells your equipment. Other stores offer you a trade in (in exchange for your old gear, you get a deal on your new purchase).
Agencies such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill have discount stores with very inexpensive fitness gear for families. Check out the weekend garage sales in your community for another great source of equipment. Just be careful that any second-hand safety equipment (e.g., helmets) isn’t damaged.
Many community leagues offer equipment swaps in the spring and fall. Groups like KidSport also give equipment to children who need it.
Programs for You and Your Family
Are budget problems making it hard for you to be as active as you would like? Fee-reduction programs can make it easier for you to take part in recreational activities.
Check with your city or town to see if they offer any other fee-reduction programs in your area.
Getting Active Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank
We all face barriers to being physically active, but cost should not be one of them. There are many ways to reduce the cost of sports. If you find that your budget is still a bit tight, you can also access programs to help you cut some of your costs.
Source: HealthyAlberta.com
Tags: Free Activities, Public parks, recreational activities, used equipment