So you want to stay fit and healthy, but you don’t have the £500-a-year required for the annual membership at the local gym, you’re scuppered, right?

Wrong!

Advances in technology have not only led to a more comfortable and pleasurable life at home, but also in the variety of ways that modern household items can be used. In this article we’ll examine the way in which you can save yourself plenty of money on expensive gym membership fees and turn your home and its contents, into your own personal gymnasium, where you can get a workout every bit as good as you can achieve in the gym!

1. Cardio

Do you think you need an exercise bike, rowing machine, cross trainer or treadmill to enjoy a fabulous cardio workout? Think again. Your home provides you with all the things you need to enjoy a fabulous cardio workout. Simply jogging up and down the stairs repeatedly can get you out of breath and burning those calories, while if you flick on the kids games console, such as the Xbox, Wii or PS3, then you can start playing any number of fabulous, enjoyable fitness games that will really give you a fabulous aerobic workout!

2. Strength & Toning

So you need a weights machine to tone up those muscles? Not any more, just fill a sturdy bag (one of the ‘bags for life’ is ideal) with a few packs of sugar or other similar items and you have your own weight training equipment. With this simple set up, you can exercise many different muscle groups individually, targeting them as you would with single exercises in the gymnasium.

3. Stamina

Who needs a treadmill when you have the great outdoors? Simply get yourself a decent pair of running shoes and upload a selection of your favourite, fast-tempo songs onto your chosen MP3 player, pop the earphones in and head out onto the streets for a jog. If jogging is a step too far, then brisk walking can also work wonders. Comedian Stephen Fry put his incredible weight loss down to nothing more than eating more healthily and walking briskly several miles each week while listening to his iPod.

4. Weight-loss

How much fat is in that pizza? Are these cereal bars really good for you if you are trying to lose weight? Well now you can use the technology that is at your fingertips to find out. There are many apps for smartphones available that can provide you with an instant breakdown of the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods that you can eat if you are trying to lose weight. Keep your phone to hand and you’ll help keep temptation at bay!

5. Flexibility

To improve flexibility, just break out the Wii games console or similar. Games such as Wii Fit not only encourage you to work your aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels, but also your flexibility through a variety of yoga-like exercises!

So why spend all that money on a gym membership when you can achieve fantastic results using the technology you have available at home?