Your Guide to Low-Cost Ways to Move Your Body
Move better. Feel better. Spend less. These resources double as great ways to stay active while traveling!
Welcome back to this month’s Wellness Guide series: Feel Good for Less.
This is the second guide in our multi-part series created to help you feel your best without breaking the bank.
This week, we're breaking down how to move your body, boost your energy, and stay active without pricey gyms, boutique studios, or expensive gear.
Because feeling strong and energized shouldn't come with a high price tag.
Last week, we explored how to eat well on a budget, with actionable tips on meal prepping, savvy ways to save, and shared 120+ LFG-approved picks from affordable grocery stores like Aldi, Walmart, and Market Basket.
Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the rest of the series landing in your inbox every Wednesday in July:
July 16 – Glow for Less: Your Guide to Clean Skincare & Personal Care on a Budget- we are sharing all our LFG approved favs for under $30!
July 23 – Mind Over Money: A Practical Guide to Low-Cost Mental Wellness
💥 Why Movement Matters
Movement might be the single most powerful thing you can do for your health.
It boosts how you feel, strengthens your body, supports your mind, and dramatically reduces your risk of chronic disease.
Regular movement has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer while significantly increasing both your healthspan (how well you live) and lifespan (how long you live).
Just how powerful is it?
Those in the top 25 percent of exercisers live 11 years longer on average.
In high-income countries, 70 percent of future healthcare costs are projected to be spent on illnesses linked to inactive lifestyles.
Adults 60 and older who sat for about three hours per day had a 33 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease over nine years compared to those who sat for seven hours.
In a study of 8,000 people, replacing just 30 minutes of sitting with light movement daily—even in one-minute bursts—lowered the risk of death by 17 percent.
Reducing sedentary time by one hour per day cut the risk of heart disease by 26 percent in over 5,600 women, even with short, low-intensity activity.
And beyond the stats?
Exercise is one of the most effective natural antidepressants. It boosts your mood, increases energy, sharpens mental clarity, regulates hormones, improves sleep, and supports emotional calm.
The best part? You do not need a gym membership or expensive gear to reap these benefits. You just need to move consistently, creatively, and in ways that feel good in your body.
In this guide, we’re covering:
💻 The best free (& low-cost) workout resources
🏡 Everything you need to build a budget-friendly home gym
🌳 Creative ways to stay active beyond the gym
👟 The best free (& low-cost) workout resources
Free YouTube Channels to Bookmark
MadFit – Dance cardio, Pilates, and resistance training with no equipment needed. These full-body workouts are easy to do from anywhere. This account is one of our absolute favorites!
Yoga with Adriene – Amazing yoga classes you can do from home—perfect for all levels.
Move with Nicole - Pilates and yoga fusion classes.
Heather Robertson - Cardio, strength training, and full-body workouts—some using dumbbells, others using just your bodyweight.
Apps & Platforms
Nike Training Club – A library of free workouts, including cardio, yoga, strength training, and HIIT.
FitOn - Free, no-equipment workouts, guided meditations, and nutrition support all in one place.
Apple Fitness+ - Full-body workouts including HIIT, yoga, and meditation that require little to no equipment. Only $9.99/month or $79.99/year.
Ladder - Daily workout plans customized by certified personal trainers. $29.99/ month or $14.99 a month if you pay annually.
Orro – Sculpt, Pilates, Barre, Yoga, Dance Cardio, HIIT, Meditation, and Stretch all in one place. $19 a month or $199 a year after a 7-day free trial. You can also purchase videos individually.
Sculpt Society - Get access to 900+ on-demand sculpting workouts for all levels—including dance cardio, yoga, and meditation. $19.99/month or $179.99/year (billed annually).
Form - Full-body strength and Pilates workouts, plus guided meditation and nutrition support. $28/month or $179/year.
The Pilates Class - Pilates, Barre, HIIT, and Stretch classes. $29/month or $139/year (billed annually).
Olivia Ostrom - Free workouts on IG!
🛠️ Build a Home Gym
All you need for an incredible workout.
Resistance bands – Full set for $9.98
Bala Bands - $35
Yoga mat – $28
Gliders (or just use socks on hardwood!) – $9.99
Yoga Block - $10.31
Wrist & Ankle Weights - $16
Weighted Vest - The simplest way to turn your walk into a resistance training session starting at just $28. (Weighted vests range from $28–$80)
No Gym, No Equipment, No Problem: Creative Ways to Move Your Body
You can build strength, improve endurance, and boost mobility without any equipment.
Movement doesn’t have to be a “workout” to make an impact. Simply adding consistent movement throughout your day can do wonders for your health, energy, and mood.
Let’s expand the definition:
💃 Dance in your kitchen for 10 minutes
☕️ Walk to get your coffee in the morning
👟 Walk or bike to work (or at least part way)
🥾 Go for a hike and soak up nature
🛍️ Carry in groceries one small bag at a time to get extra steps
👕 Stand while folding laundry instead of sitting
🚶♀️ Put away just a few clothing items at a time to keep moving
📞 Stand up every time you take a phone call
🔄 Pace around your home while talking on the phone
🧘 Stretch while watching TV
🚶♀️ Walk and talk with a friend
🧗♀️ Take the stairs instead of the elevator
🚗 Park farther away in the parking lot
📞 Take one of your calls on a walk each day
⚽ Join a community rec league or free local sports club
🧹 Deep clean your apartment or house
🌷 Spend time gardening
🌳 Take your dog for an extra walk
🧺 Carry groceries instead of using a cart
🪑 Do chair squats or calf raises while brushing your teeth or waiting for your coffee to brew
🖥️ Set a 20-minute timer while you work. When it goes off, take a quick movement break—walk around the office, hold a 1-minute plank, do 10 jumping jacks, or 20 squats
🌊 Swim around in the pool, lake, or beach
🧍♀️ Stand and stretch during commercial breaks or between tasks
💡 Stay Consistent
The key to making movement a lasting part of your routine is consistency over intensity.
You don’t need to overhaul your schedule, just build movement naturally into the rhythm of your day.
🌿 We love habit stacking—it's one of the easiest ways to naturally add movement into your day and turn it into a lasting habit.
🪥 Do calf raises while brushing your teeth
📺 Stretch or foam roll during your favorite TV show
📦 Do squats or lunges while waiting for your food to heat up
📞 Walk around during phone calls or Zoom meetings
🧺 Turn laundry time into a movement break—add lunges or step-ups between loads
🖥️ Stand or pace while reading emails or scrolling on your phone
🚿 Do a 2-minute wall sit before hopping in the shower
🧃 March in place while filling your water bottle or waiting for coffee
🧼 Add a mini dance break while cleaning your kitchen or tidying up
🔔 Link movement to alerts, every time you get a notification, take a deep breath and stand up for 10 seconds
Set micro goals that feel realistic and achievable.
Pick just one habit to start with.
Ask yourself: Can I commit to a 10-minute walk after lunch each day?
Begin there. As you start to feel better, you’ll naturally feel more motivated to continue doing the things that support your well-being.
These small actions may seem simple, but when done consistently, they lead to powerful and lasting results.
Movement is a gift. It’s not about punishing your body—it’s about supporting your energy, mood, and long-term health in ways that align with your lifestyle and your budget.
You don’t need a gym. You need a plan, a bit of inspiration, and a reminder that your body, your mind, and your health are worth prioritizing.
Because when you focus on what makes you feel good, everything else in your life starts to feel better too.
We’re excited to shout out MyAtlas, a proud partner of LFG.
Think of MyAtlas as that friend who just gets you. It’s a mental health app that uses your health data and personality to create a personalized daily wellness plan—built around your real life. We’re talking small, practical steps that actually feel doable, not overwhelming.
Need a little extra support? MyAtlas connects you with affirming, trusted mental health care—and even helps cover the cost.
That includes things like free gym memberships, discounted massages, and $0 copays if you need to talk to someone 🥲.
If you’ve been looking for a low-lift way to feel better in your body, mind, and daily routine—this could be it.
For the entire month of July, all MyAtlas users get a free subscription to LFG.
Just sign up for MyAtlas, follow LFG, and we’ll comp your LFG subscription automatically.
This guide is for educational purposes only. Product names and images are used under fair use for commentary and comparison. “LFG-approved” reflects personal standards, not medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before making dietary changes.
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Love this. Thank you.
Such good info, Annie! I love Yoga with Adrienne when I need to slow down and take a few minutes to move my body during the day. This is the first time I’m hearing the word healthspan - and I love it!