Episode 18Dec 17, 2025· 9:22
No Gym, No Equipment, No Money | The Guide to Free Fitness That Actually Works
About this episode
Think you can't afford to get fit? The fitness industry wants you to believe you need expensive memberships, equipment, and gear. You don't. This episode breaks down exactly how to build strength, improve cardio, and transform your health spending zero dollars.
I share free workout methods that actually work: walking (the most underrated exercise), bodyweight training you can do anywhere, YouTube workout videos,…
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Full transcript
00:08
What's up you guys? Famous Ashley Grant here.
00:09
Welcome to More Movement Please, the podcast
00:11
where I hope to inspire you to move your body
00:13
more by sharing my story and occasionally the
00:16
stories of others. Let's get into it. Today,
00:18
I want to talk about money. That's one of my
00:21
favorite subjects in the whole world, but it's
00:23
specifically in the lens of fitness. That's how
00:26
I want to talk about it. So let's talk about
00:28
the myth that you need to spend a lot of money
00:29
to be fit. Gym memberships and boutique fitness
00:33
classes and personal trainers and fancy equipment
00:35
and CrossFit. Yes, all these things can be helpful
00:38
in your fitness journey, but are they necessary?
00:41
Absolutely not. So today what we're doing is
00:43
we're breaking down how to move your body on
00:45
a budget. I'm talking free or very low cost ways
00:49
that you can stay active. No gym required. Because
00:51
here's the truth. Your body doesn't know the
00:53
difference between an expensive gym or your living
00:56
room. It doesn't care if you're doing squats
00:58
with a barbell or with your own body weight.
01:01
Movement is movement, and you can get an incredible,
01:04
incredible workout without spending a dime. So
01:07
let me start with the most obvious one, walking.
01:09
This is like the ultimate free workout, right?
01:11
It's completely free, and you can do it anywhere,
01:14
and it's one of the best things you can do for
01:15
your health. Seriously. The research on walking,
01:18
it's incredible. It improves your cardiovascular
01:20
health. It helps with weight management. It boosts
01:23
your mood, reduces stress. The list goes on.
01:26
You don't need special shoes, though I will say
01:28
a decent pair of sneakers will help. You don't
01:31
need a gym. You just need to put one foot in
01:33
front of the other. Walk around your neighborhood,
01:35
walk to the store instead of driving, walk during
01:37
your lunch break. Hell, you can walk while listening
01:40
to podcasts, you know, like this one. Or if you
01:43
prefer, listen to music or audiobooks. Walking
01:46
is free fitness and it absolutely counts as exercise.
01:49
I know of a girl that started her fitness journey
01:51
in her living room and she literally just walked
01:53
from her front door. to her bedroom, to her kitchen,
01:57
and then went all the way around to all those
02:00
places again. And she did it over and over for
02:03
about 30 minutes a day. And it was such a simple
02:05
thing to do, but it's how she started her fitness
02:07
journey and began losing weight. Next up is YouTube.
02:14
It's one of my favorite, favorite, favorite things
02:17
to use when I can't get to the gym. Think of
02:19
it as like a free personal trainer. It has thousands,
02:22
like literally thousands of free workout videos.
02:25
I'm talking everything from yoga to Pilates to
02:28
dance fitness to high intensity training to strength
02:31
training, stretching, you name it. And I'll actually
02:33
share some of my favorite YouTube workout playlists
02:35
in the show notes of this episode. There's just
02:39
some amazing creators out there. They're offering
02:41
the most professional quality workouts and they're
02:43
all doing it for free. And some of my favorite
02:45
ones don't require any equipment at all. These
02:48
include stretch classes and standing Pilates
02:50
and even beginner dance fitness. You can follow
02:52
along in your living room with no equipment.
02:55
I want to make that very clear. You don't even
02:57
need any equipment. If you do want to add some
03:00
resistance, sure, you can use household items,
03:01
but we'll get to that in a minute. Next is body
03:04
weight exercises. Your body acts as the equipment.
03:07
You don't need weights or machines or whatever
03:10
to get stronger. Your own body weight provides
03:13
plenty of resistance. Think push -ups and squats
03:17
and lunges and planks, burpees, mountain climbers,
03:20
jumping jacks. All of these are incredibly effective
03:24
exercises that require zero equipment. You can
03:27
build muscle, burn calories, and improve your
03:30
fitness using nothing but your body. If a regular
03:33
push -up's too hard, do it against the wall or
03:36
on your knees. That's how I started. If squats
03:38
feel challenging, hold onto a chair for balance.
03:41
You can modify everything you're doing as needed.
03:44
But just know that bodyweight exercises, they're
03:46
legitimate and they're effective. Now let's talk
03:49
about household items as gym equipment. I've
03:52
seen so many videos of this and it's so fun just
03:55
to watch people and see how they work out with
03:56
different things because you don't need dumbbells.
03:59
You can get creative. Think water bottles or
04:02
milk jugs that are filled with water or sand
04:05
if you want more weight. Canned goods can be
04:08
your lightweights or a backpack that's filled
04:10
with books for weighted exercises, towels for
04:13
sliding exercises or resistance work, or stairs
04:16
for cardio and strength training. You can even
04:19
use chairs for tricep dips or step -ups or support
04:22
during exercises. And one of my favorites is
04:25
just using the wall for wall sits or wall push
04:27
-ups. Seriously, look around your house and I
04:30
bet you, you have things that could act as your
04:32
makeshift gym right there. Finally, there's free
04:36
apps and resources. There are so many fitness
04:38
apps. In fact, one of the ones that I was using
04:40
early on, I'll leave in the show notes as well.
04:43
It was just a simple dumbbell workout program
04:46
that I found on, I think it was Google Play.
04:50
And I only have threes and fives in my apartment,
04:53
but hey, they got the job done. So it worked
04:56
for me. There are so many free different things
04:59
that you can find online. Apps for things like
05:01
couch to 5k running programs, seven minute workout
05:04
routines, yoga and stretching, HIIT workouts
05:07
and body weight strength training. And don't
05:09
forget about resources like fitness blogs and
05:11
podcasts. Hello, subscribe to mine and social
05:14
media. Follow fitness creators who share free
05:17
workout ideas and their motivation. You know
05:21
what? I actually just remembered another one.
05:22
Outdoor activities. Nature is like your free
05:25
gym. And honestly, it's often more enjoyable
05:28
than being indoors anyway. Hiking, running, biking.
05:31
Well, you know, if you have a bike. Swimming
05:33
at public beaches or pools or playing at the
05:35
playground with your kids, doing yoga in the
05:37
park. All free or very low costs. Many cities
05:40
even have outdoor fitness equipment in parks.
05:43
Check and see if your community has a fitness
05:45
trail or outdoor gym equipment that you can use.
05:48
The main thing I want you to do is start looking
05:50
into what your community offers for free or cheap.
05:53
Believe it or not, many libraries offer free
05:55
fitness classes or even passes to local gyms.
05:57
Community centers will often have low -cost fitness
06:00
programs. For example, at the YMCA, the local
06:03
YMCA here in Richmond, Kentucky, they have an
06:05
amazing financial aid program for people who
06:07
can't afford regular gym memberships. There's
06:11
also park and recreation departments that run
06:13
affordable fitness classes, and some churches
06:16
and community organizations also offer free exercise
06:18
groups. and running clubs, those are usually
06:22
free to join. There's a bunch of them on Facebook.
06:24
Just do a quick search for your city, plus the
06:27
words free fitness or community fitness programs,
06:30
and I bet you'd be surprised to see what comes
06:32
up. And while you're online... Check out some
06:36
free workout challenges. You wouldn't believe
06:38
how many are on social media. You will find so
06:40
many free fitness challenges. I've seen challenges
06:43
from 30 -day plank challenges to squats to walking
06:46
challenges. All of these give you structure and
06:48
community support with no cost. And if you can't
06:52
find one that you like, create your own with
06:54
friends and family. Accountability doesn't have
06:57
to cost you money. But if you do have a small
07:01
budget to work with, here's where I'd suggest
07:02
spending it. And I'll leave some links in the
07:04
show notes for a couple of the things that I'm
07:06
about to discuss. First one is a yoga mat. You
07:09
can actually find one of these for as little
07:10
as $10 to $20. And they make floor exercises
07:13
so much more comfortable. Resistance bands, they're
07:17
super affordable. Think $10 to $15. They're incredibly
07:20
versatile and they're great for strength training.
07:23
And one that I am not as big of a fan of, but
07:25
some people really love is a jump rope. You can
07:27
get one of these for less than 10 bucks and they're
07:29
great for cardio workouts. And there's some awesome
07:32
videos on YouTube for that as well. And of course,
07:35
good sneakers. If you can afford it, I really
07:37
recommend you get some decent shoes to protect
07:39
your feet and your joints. I won't leave a link
07:41
for those because there's so many different types
07:43
of sneakers that I would end up just basically
07:45
leaving 11 billion links, but you get my point.
07:48
Make sure you invest in some good sneakers. And
07:50
honestly, even these are, are completely optional.
07:53
I've seen people who work out barefoot and they
07:55
use a towel instead of a yoga mat. So the point
07:58
is, whatever you can have access to, use it.
08:01
Because here's what I really want you to understand.
08:04
Expensive doesn't mean better. Some of the most
08:06
fit, healthy people I know don't even have gym
08:08
memberships. They move their body consistently
08:10
using free and low -cost methods. And the fitness
08:14
industry, they want you to believe that you need
08:16
all the things, right? The memberships, the equipment,
08:18
the gear, the supplements, blah, blah, blah,
08:20
blah, blah. But what you actually need is consistency,
08:23
effort, and the willingness to move your body.
08:25
And you can do that completely for free. In the
08:29
show notes, I'll also leave a link to a free
08:31
workout plan that you can start. It's so simple
08:34
and the total cost is $0. And the next time that
08:37
you think, I can't afford to work out, I want
08:39
you to remember this episode. You can afford
08:42
to work out. You absolutely can. Because movement,
08:45
it doesn't require money. It just requires commitment.
08:48
Onwards and upwards, my friends. Have you worked
08:50
out today?
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