How to Stay Healthy on a Budget

How to Stay Healthy on a Budget
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Greg_Bastin]Greg Bastin 

It's easier to stay healthy on a budget than you might think.

Shop Bulk - Bulk foods cost much less than their individually packaged counterparts

You get a lot more for your money without the packaging, labeling, and advertising.

Bulk foods need less energy to produce and cut the amount of waste going into landfills.

Some of the most common items found in bulk include: beans, cereals, confectionaries, flours, grains, herbs, spices, nuts, oils, pastas, sweeteners, coffees, teas, laundry detergents, and soaps.

You can split large bulk purchases between friends and family for easily managed portions.

Buy Local - Connect with your local farmers.

It's often cheaper than buying from the grocery store and much healthier. If you can, take a trip to the farm. Visiting the farm brings out a much deeper connection to the food you eat.

I spent hours touring Greener Grass Farms and it was incredibly informative and entertaining. They put a lot of care into raising happy animals that have everything needed to thrive. If you are near southwest Michigan I highly recommend visiting. 

Ditch the Gym Membership - Most gym goers spend nearly $55 a month for a membership that can go unused for months at a time. 2 out of 3 people with gym memberships never use them. About $12 billion is spent annually on unused gym memberships.

If you are not using your gym membership, cancel it.

You can get a great workout at home doing exercises like push ups, squats, and pull ups. There are many free yoga or fitness programs online to get yourself in great shape that only need some open space.

Many communities offer walking or biking trails, tennis courts, and pools for a low-cost or free. Take advantage of everything around you to get active and in shape.

Garden - Growing your own food is like printing your own money. It also provides the freshest and highest quality food. 

You don't need to dig up your back yard, either. A window box or houseplants are a great way to start.

A growing number of studies find mental and physical health benefits that extend far beyond the exercise and fresh air.

Simply looking at a garden can generate changes in blood pressure, heart activity, muscle tension, and brain electrical activity. Gardens look beautiful and invoke calming, happy emotions, plus they save money.

Buy Frozen - Frozen foods can have as much or more nutrition than fresh foods. This is because they are picked when they are perfectly ripe and flash frozen to lock in the nutrients.

Fresh produce is priced seasonally. In season it's cheap, when it's not it's expensive. One of the biggest bargains is frozen spinach, a $1 bag in the freezer is equal to ~$5 of fresh spinach.

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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Stay-Healthy-on-a-Budget&id=8332703] How to Stay Healthy on a Budget