Stop the recession from damaging your health

Serena Cowdy rounds up 10 ways to get fit and healthy on a budget.

The downturn has damaged many people's finances and job prospects - but has it also damaged our health? Or has the recession actually had a positive impact on your physique; the effect of a lot more cycling to work and a lot less takeaway food?

Here, I'm going to look at both sides of the argument. I'm also going to suggest some steps you can take to stay fit and healthy on the breadline.

A silver lining?

According to new research commissioned by Friends Provident, 10 million people in Britain feel more fit and healthy than they did this time last year, because of the recession.

Some 83% of those questioned said they'd changed their eating habits, with 48% eating fewer ready meals and takeaways. A whopping 12 million people said they had replaced the junk food with healthy alternatives like fresh food and home-grown vegetables.

The study also indicated that the recession has had an effect on alcohol consumption. Some 28% of those surveyed said they had been drinking less alcohol over the past year, with just over a third of these people saying they had cut back to save money.

Overall, the results suggested a 17% drop in people drinking more alcohol than the recommended limit.

So, has the recession really turned us all into rosy-cheeked, green-fingered individuals growing veggies on windowsills and going for runs in the park?

Not so simple

I think the reality is far more complicated. Yes, many of us have reared a tomato or two, and shunned the fatty takeaways we can no longer afford.

But there are also plenty of people now relying on poor-quality, low-nutrition food because it's often the cheapest thing on the supermarket shelf.

In a recent poll commissioned by debt charity Christians Against Poverty, a third of those questioned said they were now eating less healthily because of rising food prices and pressure on the household budget.

When the National Consumer Council did a spot check on the top eight leading British supermarkets last year, it found that over half (54%) of all new promotional offers were on foods high in fat and sugar. Just one in eight special deals related to fruit and vegetables - despite the government's strenuous 'five a day' health push.

I also think the recession is taking a psychological toll that impacts on health. For every person who's cancelled the gym subscription and taken to running round the park instead, there's another who's just cancelled the gym subscription and now can't motivate themselves to do anything else.

Depression and anxiety - exacerbated by redundancy or debt problems - are likely to make many of us drink more, not less. And although exercise may be a sensible thing to recommend, the reality is many people feel more inclined to shut the world out and eat comfort food when things get tough.

10 ways to get fit and healthy on a tight budget

For most people, I suspect, the reality is somewhere between the two extremes.

Take my household as an example: We now do get takeaways less often... but we sometimes get stodgy comfort food 'meal deals' from the supermarket, instead. I now take a very infrequent run, instead of a very infrequent trip to the gym.

And if my measly veg-growing efforts are anything to go by, most of us will still need to make a trip to the shops to get all of our 'five a day'.

Here are ten tips to staying healthy when you've got no money:

1. Get free fitness equipment

Tap your local Freegle (previously Freecycle) network for free fitness equipment. This sort of stuff is bulky and people are often quite happy to give it away to make more space. Just make sure you give something back when you can.

2. Learn to cook frugal recipes

Browse lovemoney.com's Frugal Recipes series, put together by our resident chef Paul Warburton. Paul takes cheaper cuts of meat and cheaper, more sustainable fish and shows you have to turn them into affordable, delicious and nutritious meals. Find out more about frugal cooking.

3. Borrow fitness DVDs

If you want to work out at home, check your local library for fitness DVDs. These are free or very cheap to hire, and it means you can boogie to a different routine every week.

4. Sign up for free training

Sign up online for the Territorial Army's interactive training programme. It's completely free to take part, it will help keep you motivated and don't worry - you don't have to join the army at the end of it!

5. Get healthy tips for your heart

Have a look at this good, common-sense eating advice from the British Heart Foundation. It focuses on how to 'recession-proof' your diet and get healthy on a tight budget.

6. Go back in culinary time

Read Recipes to get you through the recession: There are cheap and healthy recipes for students, for vegetarians, from wartime Britain and many more.

7. Swap and save!

Try swapping your usual grocery purchases for cheaper (and very often healthier) alternatives. Read 12 food swaps that will save you money to find out more.

8. Get free help from lovemoney.com

Learn how to cut hundreds of pounds (and calories) from your food bill every month by adopting this goal: Cut your food bills. Then, watch this video: How to save when you've got no money to learn how to squeeze a bit of extra money for healthy food from your budget. Then, use our Q&A tool to ask other lovemoney.com members for hints and tips about what worked best for them.

9. The internet is your friend

If you fancy a frugal workout there are plenty of fitness programmes you can download online for free. Just check out the many exercise videos on Youtube.com or the tips on websites like Fit Map and Net Fit.

10. Get a part-time job

Finally - if you're currently unemployed or have a bit of time on your hands, think about taking a part-time job that will up your fitness levels. That way, you can make a bit of cash and get healthier at the same time!

For example, you could walk other people's dogs, dig over someone's garden or babysit energetic toddlers.

Tell us your tips

Got any tips of your own? Please share them with other lovemoney.com readers using the comments box below!