Gym memberships can cost the earth, and even stop you from joining.

And that’s fair enough. But you shouldn’t let price stop you from exercising. There are plenty of things you can do for free. Here are five helpful ideas.

Check out these small lifestyle changes that can make a BIG difference to your health

Use your body weight

You don’t need weights or machines to keep trim and in shape. Use your body instead by performing press-ups, sit-ups, dips, squats, and calf raises. You can perform these exercises anywhere – in your house or outdoors.

Go road running

Don your running shoes and take to the streets for a jog or fast run. If you’re running at night, make sure you wear something luminous for safety. You can run around a park or through the countryside if you live near a green area, taking in the views as you improve your fitness.

Take up cycling

The only cost involved in cycling is buying the bike itself. But that investment more than pays off if you use it regularly, especially when it comes to improving your fitness and losing weight.

Walk everywhere you can

Walk to work instead of catching the bus. Or if that’s not possible, take a daily walk on your lunch break. You could even up the ante and go walking in the countryside or visit one of the UK’s 15 national parks. Get your friends involved to make it a social occasion as well as a fitness session.

Find a trim trail

Sometimes known as ‘free gyms’, trim trails can be found in parks or recreation areas and consist of things like parallel bars, leapfrog blocks, and balance beams. A quick internet search or phone call to your local council will give you information on a trim trail nearest to you.