With the sky rocketing prices of gym membership and aerobics classes, it's hard to keep the gym in your budget, especially when it comes to your general list of necessities. Today, Self Magazine listed 20 activities outside the gym that can help you burn 200 calories.

Some of the activities are actually very clever. One of my favorites is to master the dance for "Single Ladies" by Beyonce for practicing for 29 minutes. You can really do this with any music video that has some intense choreography, like Lady Gaga's new video for "Born This Way."

An incredibly practical activity the article listed was doing your bootcamp workout at home. This is a great idea because you can get a partner or several partners.  The entire process was broken down in the article:

"Try this 30-minute circuit workout from Ruben Belliard, co-owner of Warrior Fitness Boot Camp in New York City. All you need is a pencil and paper, a watch, a chair and a set of dumbbells heavy enough so your 10th rep is difficult but not impossible. Warm up for five minutes, using your choice of cardio. Then do one minute of each of the following moves, pausing only to jot down the number of reps you completed: jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches, biceps curls with dumbbells, lunges, overhead presses (holding a dumbbell in each hand, extend to ceiling, then lower), squats, planks, triceps dips on a chair, mountain climbers (in push-up position, alternate bringing one knee at a time toward chest). Repeat, trying to complete even more reps than you did in your first set. Cool down for five minutes."

By doing this workout at home, you can save yourself some serious cash. The only thing different is that you need a bit more willpower than you did with an instructor. By exercising with a partner, you can support each when you start to get tired.


More From Q 105.7