The Best Free Online Diet and Exercise Programs
Don’t pay too much for an online diet and exercise program. If the majority of what your membership is “giving” you is access to diet and exercise plans and software (even ones that allow you to design your own shopping list or track your changes) then the majority of what they are “giving” you is actually available free online elsewhere.
Some of the best free websites have a host of tools, trackers and tricks to help you lose weight or maintain a healthy life. Following are some fantastic ones that I would recommend looking at:
This is THE place for free exercise advice. This site comes complete with a huge selection of exercises, all with clear videos and instructions and tips on avoiding potential form faults. The Beginner’s page is a great place to start if you’re new to exercise, but some of my other favourites are Health Age Questionnaire (find out your health age and life expectancy and compare your results a month or two down the track), Exercise Adherence Techniques and Obstacles and Solutions (great tips on how to start exercising and how to stick with it), and Workout Creation Instructions (helps you create your own weights program). This last site also contains logs, templates, tidbits and a really good guide to gym etiquette. You can also click on all the technical terms that you may have heard used but were too embarrassed to ask about.
This is THE place for in-depth dietary analysis. It tells you exactly how many calories, carbs and fats you require per day, and how much exercise you should be doing as well. It allows you to create your own personal profile, select your eating preferences and record it all online.
This is THE place for everything else. It was started by a couple who made a fortune as early eBay employees and decided to use their money to make the world a fitter and healthier place – all for free. It’s quite a busy site, but there’s an excellent video tutorial. It features both weight loss and healthy lifestyle plans and a multitude of online communities that allow you to connect with others who have similar interests or goals (eg over 40s with 5 kg to lose, road runners, etc). My only criticism is that the advice is American-based, which can make both the mindset and the nutritional products featured slightly less relevant for people in other countries.
Together these sites combine to give you access to all the exercise and diet software that you could ever need to lose weight, exercise more or live a healthy lifestyle. Don’t be one of the millions of people who pay millions of dollars for these kinds of things elsewhere when they are available here free, just waiting for you to have a look!
