Getting Fit the FREE way!

by: Tanya Peila

One of my, what you can call "New Year's Resolution", is losing some baby weight and getting in shape for myself and for my family!


First step, which unfortunately is not free was joining a gym. However after some research there are gyms that will offer you financial aid like your local YMCA. After joining the gym I decided eating right or better was the key to success!



First I started out looking online for FREE fitness and nutrition websites. There are TONS out there and what will work for you may not work for others. I found Sparkpeople.com works very well for me. One because it is completely FREE and two because I can take it with me anywhere in my iPod with their FREE app!




http://www.sparkpeople.com/ is the largest weight loss website in the US and it is completely free (no membership fees, upsells etc). They also provide http://www.sparkrecipes.com/ as the largest healthy recipe website in the US (completely free).

The second site and app I found that helps me out is caloriecount.com. This site is a FOOD DATABASE! I want to eat everything in it but I know I can't! So instead I use it when I need the nutrition info on a specific food. I have found being conscious of what I put in my mouth and how much of it I put in my mouth helps put things into perspective.



Calorie Count is a free Web site that provides guidance and support to dieters. The site uses interactive tools combined with community elements and information on food and exercise to enable dieters to cultivate a healthier lifestyle while helping them to reach their diet goals. The site also features a personal nutritionist, Mary Hartley, who is available to help answer calorie/nutrition questions in forum discussions and Q&A sessions on the Calorie Count site. Also available for users is Calorie Count Mobile, a free mobile service that allows users to receive nutritional data and ratings of over 70,000 foods on their mobile devices in order to help them stay on track of their diet plan.


Nutrition & Simple Meal Planning Sites:

http://www.healthy-diet-mom.com/, from a mother of three, healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle to your families

http://www.wholefoodstherapy.com/blog/, digestive and reproductive health

http://www.quickandhealthy.net/, quick-to-prepare, healthy recipes and menus, including the grocery list

https://411fit.uncc.edu/411Fit/Client/index.cfm, track your caloric intake and monitor your caloric expenditure through exercise

http://www.kewlbites.com/, Is a great site for moms to go for fun/family friendly kid tested recipes.

http://www.healthydiningfinder.com/, Dining menu items at 60,000+ restaurant locations nationwide

www.healthfulfilling.com A Nutrition, Health and Wellness site by a Registered Dietitian, geared toward preventive health and fulfilling health goals.

http://www.calorieking.com/- online food tracking

http://www.health-calc.com/ free calculators and tools to evaluate your fitness level
http://www.dailyburn.com/- can track your food log online and check out workouts

http://www.menus4moms.com/ provides free weekly menus

http://www.happyandhealthymom.com/ , free e-zine offers articles on health, nutrition, fitness, and happiness of new moms and mommies to be

http://www.sparkpeople.com/, largest weight loss website


Fitness Sites:

http://www.shapefit.com/ (wealth of information)
http://www.fitday.com/

http://www.fitforreallife.com/ , fitness, nutrition, & motivation blog that is completely free
http://www.picfit.ca/, healthy living support site

http://www.breakpal.com/, Break Pal - Fitness at your desk
http://www.youtube.com/user/sadienardini, 150 free videos and counting

http://www.foreveryoungdiet.com/, heart health and fitness-oriented blog

www.youtube.com/isobreathing, IsoBreathing is the kindergarten of exercise concentrating on proper body positioning and isometric exercises.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/ (has a free newsletter)

http://www.exercisetv.tv/, Has great workout videos you can stream for free and a ton of great info about fitness.

http://www.holosfitness.com/, free online tool that can help individuals get in shape, stay in shape, and lead healthy lifestyles

http://www.mapmyrun.com/ free tool to map your runs to see how far they are and how many calories you burn

http://kathicaseypilates.com/ , offer recipes, wellness tips, exercises and more

http://www.befitmom.com/,
prenatal and postpartum fitness and exercise to help women have healthier pregnancies and babies