Exercise isn't Free

But it doesn't have to be expensive either!

Nearly 1 year ago I committed to a 1 year membership with Fitness First in Singapore.  Running has always been great but I felt like I wanted more variety.  I pondered the expense of getting a gym membership and after MONTHS of internal debate I decided to go for it.

Although I enjoy the classes that the gym has to offer and Fitness First is certainly a great gym to be a member of, my weight has not changed ONE BIT since I got that membership.

Now, a small part of me feels OK with that.  After all, my BMI fits into the healthy range and I've successfully run two 1/2 marathons - what do I wanna lose weight for anyways??  But I suppose we all want to get rid of that little extra holiday weight, tone up our arms, firm our abs or whatever it is.

I'm telling you all right now - you do NOT need to pay for a gym membership to stay fit, get fit or lose weight.  You actually don't need many expensive gadgets at all.  Here's a few tips that I've found over the past few years that might be helpful, especially since summer is coming to a close and outdoor activities are starting to dwindle.

SHOES
Let's face it - the one main expense you do need to fork out some cash for is a GREAT pair of running (or cross training) shoes.  And please, don't go to a place like the Nike store and pick out a pair based on their color.  If you're really serious about running specifically, it would be helpful for you to find a place to get a gait analysis.  This will tell you whether or not you pronate (collapse a bit due to flat-footedness) and is a great way to KNOW for sure that you are buying the right shoe.
Regardless of running or cross training, I think it's worth the extra money to go to a store that employs people who actually know a little something about shoes.  The Sporting Life in Toronto is usually pretty good but I imagine that a lot of independently owned shoe stores are the best.

CARDIO
Cheap cardio equipment isn't really worth the purchase.  I can always tell whether or not I'm using a good quality machine because they are usually quieter and sturdier.  Running, hiking or power walking outside is always the easiest and simplest way to get some free cardio into your day.  As winter approaches, that gets more difficult though.  If I were living in Canada and I wanted some good cheap cardio this is what I'd do: Pool together a group of women (and men) who also want a good workout and shop around for a personal trainer who would be willing to offer some circuit-training style classes.  As I'm a teacher, I'm sure the school gymnasium would be available for this type of purpose.  Although personal trainers charge around $100/hour - if you got a group of 10-15 women that cost would drop dramatically.  Usually the only other cost would be a stretching mat.  A lot of boot-camp classes can be found online as well and operate outdoors or also indoor facilities.  However, those attached to any type of "brand" will inevitably be more expensive.

RESISTANCE TRAINING/YOGA
So I'm sure some of you are thinking - great, but I don't wanna run around my block every single day - that's boring!  Here's a ton of other incredibly inexpensive ideas to help you stay fit on a budget:

Workout Videos: These have changed dramatically since the days of Jane Fonda.  You can buy them on Amazon (who ship for free on orders over $35) usually for around $10.  You can find videos for pretty much ANY exercise: yoga, pilates, abs, muscle toning, zumba, etc.  Here are some of my favorites:

Starring Jillian and past contestants of the show instead of anorexic models.

My most-used workout video - it does it all!!

She's annoying but good.

Yoga: MyYogaOnline is a fantastic site with professional videos that you can stream (or download for $4) and use 24/7.  The fee is about $10 a month or less depending on how long you subscribe.  You can also sign up to receive regular emails that introduce you to yoga, the moves, the philosophies, etc.  It's especially great for beginners.


Well, that's it for now.  As I keep thinking of more ideas I'll make a new post to update you all but in the meantime hopefully some of you are inspired to stay a little more active this winter - and by spring you'll be happy you did!

Presents, Friends, Cake

Although I'm about twenty thousand miles from the nearest maple tree, there are certain times in Singapore when I truly feel at home.  Thanks to so many loving friends, my birthday (last Tuesday) was one of those times.

Justin has been traveling A LOT lately.  Keep in mind, that he normally travels quite a bit - some would say an obscene amount but for several reasons, July and August (and upcoming Sept and Oct) he has been and will be out of the country more than he is in it.  Therefore I didn't really expect, or even want, any big party this year.  I just wanted to spend some quality time with my husband.  Luckily, the weekend before my birthday was a long one and we enjoyed a wonderful Sunday exploring new parts of the city and having a delicious dinner at a new restaurant (more on that later).

However, Justin being more of a party lover than myself, he insisted that I invite a few people over for a few drinks and dinner on my birthday.  August is a really busy month for most of our friends and I thought that most wouldn't be able to make it but I was so happy that most of them could - and they really turned my birthday into something special.

It was great to chat with them, get caught up with all the "stuff" we've been up to, vent about "stuff" that is getting on our nerves and generally have a good evening.  I had made a cake from Ms. Lawson's "Nigella Bites" - a super sweet chocolate fudge number - that turned out quite well considering I had over baked it a bit.  No one sang happy birthday, to my satisfaction (probably the worst song on the planet) and it was an early night, also to my satisfaction since my favourite daily activity is sleeping :)

What I was most surprised at were the lovely gifts that I received - I couldn't believe how well my friends know me and what I would enjoy!  My husband had ordered the new Photoshop Elements 10 - which I am SO excited to start using as well as some of my favourite bath products from Lush - I love that we have a bathtub now!

My friend Yada gave me a gorgeous Coach clutch which I adore. I also got a lovely bottle of French wine from my neighbors Tim and Christina which I am looking forward to enjoying with a nice fat steak and some dark chocolate.  But, what is probably most relevant to this blog are the gifts that I received from "the gang" - Nathan, Brigitte, Todd, Ariel, Simon, Dilpa and Ben.  Can you believe it??

I am SO looking forward to selecting a cooking class from this place!  I'm really interested in an Artisan Bread course they have but there are so many others it's hard to choose!  And if that wasn't enough, they also got me this!

I LOVE Macarons and I can't wait to break this out one Sunday afternoon while Justin is traveling.  Thank you so much to all of my dear friends who sacrificed their Tuesday evening to come and keep me company! Obviously, you all are the reason why I feel so at home in this far-away land.  I will never forget you!

Foods of NY Tour

Most of you already know that I rang in the 2012 New Year in NYC.  It was my very first time to the city and though it was fabulous, it was also incredibly crowded.  Times Square, Rockefeller Centre - all of it was starting to grate on my claustrophobia.

A somewhat blurry view from the Top of the Rock in December 2011

Don't get me wrong, it was a great trip.  Statue of Liberty, SoHo, Central Park, Broadway.  All of it was pretty amazing. But, I'm very glad that I got the chance to go back in the summer.  Without all the crowds, the city almost felt like a place I could live.  The people are incredibly friendly, the Natural History Museum was incredible and of course, the food was fantastic.

Thanks to a suggestion from my friend Adele, I signed myself up for a food tour with the company Foods of NY. Although they offer several themed tours of various neighborhoods around the city, I decided to take the "Original Greenwich Village" tour and I was not disappointed.  Centered around Bleeker Street, this particular tour specialized in Italian dishes.  I attempted to take as many photos of the restaurants and food however because of the fairly severe rain during the tour I had to eventually put away the camera and drape myself in a plastic rain poncho (yes, I was one of those tourists).

Divine Meatballs at Scali Caffe

I'm sure you're already assuming the food, being from NY and of an Italian theme, was wonderful - and you're right.  Every place had something to teach me and offered me something new (well, except maybe the pizza place).  Some particularly unique dishes that I tried were:

Lavender honey and truffle oil at O&CO

The Zucchini Fritter (2nd from left) was maybe my favourite bite of the day!

Tastes of Sheep, Goat and Cow's cheese was definitely enjoyable - and this place had fantastic t-shirts!  My favourite was the one that said "For a Gouda time call...." haha.

The tour itself was $50 for 8 well-sized tastings (usually far more than just a bite).  Every tourist gets a free bottle of water at the start and an opportunity to purchase a second beverage at a restaurant about half way through the tour.  There were several opportunities for bathroom breaks and the tour guide was absolutely full of knowledge - who lived in certain homes around the area, real estate, and of course, food.

Arancini from Faicco's - a place I would want to do all my meat and cheese shopping!

I went back to O&Co specifically because I loved their Basil infused Olive Oil and knew it would be a great treat back in Singapore.

If you are ever in NYC please take a food tour!  It was such a great way to spend a few hours getting to see a somewhat un-touristy part of the city!