Work out for less: Shape up and save in 2009

Consider second-hand equipment. If you have the space, a home gym can be a very convenient way to stay in shape. But outfitting one with new cardio equipment and weight machines could cost you several thousand dollars.

Cut costs significantly by shopping around for second-hand equipment on Craigslist and other sites, suggests Davis. “Used equipment is all over the place at a very cheap price,” she says.

And some of it may have been used for little more than a place to hang clothes.

Work out for free. If you’re really cash-strapped and a gym membership, personal training and fitness classes are out of the question, work out for free — or for really cheap.

“You don’t need a health club,” says Davis. “There are so many free ways to say fit.”

If you live in a warm climate year-round, like Gordon does, you can jog, walk or bike outdoors. If not, consider walking at the mall during cold months or working out at a community center, which may be free or very inexpensive. Local churches also may offer free fitness classes, notes Davis. Other options include ice-skating, roller-skating, and going to the park and the local pool.

You might also invest in a few pieces of inexpensive fitness gear and gadgets that you can use at home, in your living room, basement or garage.

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“I truly believe that people can get fit with very little equipment,” says msnbc.com fitness contributor Gina Lombardi, a personal trainer and author of the new book “Deadline Fitness,” which includes workouts for both the gym and home. “In fact, everything can be done with a few free weights, a little discipline and self-determination.”

Some other ideas for cheap home equipment include stability balls, resistance tubing, a jump rope, a yoga mat and workout DVDs.

Look at the big picture. Not everyone considers gym membership or fitness classes a dispensable luxury. Some view them as expenses that actually save money in other areas.

Robin Elton, 32, a stay-at-home mom in Landenberg, Pa., who’s always on a tight budget because of her single-family income, says she’d cut out her cable subscription before dropping her $78 a month family membership to the local YMCA.

“I consider it to be an investment in our health,” says Elton. “Going to the gym motivated me to quit smoking and continues to motivate me to watch my diet. The way I see it, this saves me boatloads of money later on doctor and dentist bills.”

Since joining the gym a year ago, Elton goes to the gym about three times a week and has lost 20 pounds. In addition to saving the money she would have spent on cigarettes, she quit buying junk food, too.

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The gym also offers family entertainment. Rather than making a trip with her three kids to the mall or movies, where they’d spend more money, the family often heads to the Y to swim or shoot hoops.

“All in all, I think my gym membership is one of the best deals going,” Elton says.

Crunch the numbers and see if a membership may actually save you money in the long run.

While Gordon, the Internet business owner in Tampa, views a gym membership more of an “added bonus” than an essential, he misses working out at a club and hasn’t ruled out joining one again — if the price is right.

While he’s happy with his cardio workouts — primarily jogging three to four times a week, plus some tennis and basketball — he feels his strength-training routine isn’t cutting it. The calisthenics and simple free weights he does in his living room just don’t produce the results he used to get by training on a variety of weight-training equipment at gyms.

So recently he’s toured some local gyms. One gym, while affordable, didn’t strike him as a place he wanted to spend time working out. Another has a lot of attractive amenities and has even slashed its monthly membership fee from $399 to $99.

Gordon says he’d have to further curtail his entertainment, dining and travel budget to afford another monthly gym membership, but he may join the high-end club.

“I’m considering that,” he says. “But I may wait a little longer and see if the price goes down further.”

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