Fitness on a budget
It is important to stay fit and healthy, however the cost of joining the gym can quickly add up. Check out Holly’s top tips to achieve your fitness goals on a budget.
Worried about your money? Understanding your money, how to budget, how to make more of your money and knowing what to do if things are going wrong are essential skills for life. Here are links and guides to help keep your finances on track.
Volunteer at the University and get more!
The University of Leeds have a programme that allows you to be a sports volunteer. In my second year of university here, I volunteered to be a netball umpire for both semesters. This meant I had to undergo training and commit to two hours of umpiring every week during term time. In return, I gained many skills, and it looks great on my CV.
It was also a great way to get involved in sport, but on the other side of the whistle. As part of the programme, I was offered the opportunity to undergo my netball umpire qualification for free!
There are many different volunteering roles you could undergo, such as the Coach Parker Programme, Gryphons into Schools, International volunteering, Level 1 or level 2 Coach Scholar and many more.
Sign up to be a volunteer here and find out more!
Student deals at gyms
Joining the gym can be costly, and it can be an expense that makes a dent in your bank account monthly. However, there is a gym at the University who offers student deals. If you are living in university accommodation you get free club membership at The Edge. This can be upgraded for a small price, but it’s a great way to take advantage of what the university already offers.
The Edge also reserves it’s cheapest prices for students. It has one of the largest gyms and pools in the city as well as over 100 classes a week. It’s not the cheapest but it has great availability and the money you pay in is reinvested in Sport and wellbeing programs around the Uni, contributing to your local community.
Park runs
Park runs consist of running a 5k in a local park and are a great way to get fit for free. You simply just turn up and run! Leeds offers multiple locations for park runs.- a popular one in a student location being the park run at Woodhouse Moor.
There are also park runs in locations such as Roundhay Park, Temple Newsam, Bramley and Armley. They happen every Saturday at 9am.
Find out more about park runs here.
Free tennis courts
In Woodhouse Moor, there are free tennis courts you can book via the website or simply turn up! This would be a fantastic and fun way to exercise with your friends. They also hold group lessons in the Spring every week for the price of just £2!
Book a court here.
Join the University societies
The university has a variety of sporting societies, including archery, football, athletics, cycling, golf, hockey, rowing and many more. Most sporting societies do come with a fee to join, but the fee lasts the whole year! You can also get help with paying for this fee with programmes such as the Plus Programme.
Check out the LUU website to find out more about clubs and societies.
YouTube, Instagram or TikTok!
Another great way to keep fit for free is through social media such as YouTube, Instagram or TikTok. There is so much fitness content on all of these social media apps that you could use to do a home workout for free. Do some yoga in your living room or a quick circuit in your garden!
Here are some fitness account on YouTube to take you through your workouts (source):
- Best Variety: POPSUGAR Fitness.
- Best HIIT Workouts: Natacha Oceane.
- Best Pilates Workouts: Blogilates.
- Best Barre Workouts: Action Jacquelyn
- Best Dance Fitness: 305 Fitness
- Best Running Workouts: IBX Running
- Best for Yoga: Yoga with Adriene.
Written by Holly Phillips, Law LLB
