Say What? Say free classes!

So, I love free things and things with discounts and getting access to places outside of the gym. I'm not cheap - a major problem if you read into the balance in my bank account. But, I'm working on being more fiscally responsible and frugal. Luckily, I live in a town with a lot of free/discounted options. You can go to the standard places to find discounts, i.e. GroupOn, Trubates, LivingSocial, LivingSocial Escapes, etc. or you can go directly to outfitter, healthy living, etc. stores and locations and see what they offer. If you use any of the sites listed above, I'd recommend searching in cities nearby you as well to increase your access to great deals (i.e. I look at the DC metro area and Baltimore deals or specific deals in cities I'm going to be traveling to as well). Some examples of stores with free classes, Lululemon offers free yoga classes in partnership with local yoga studios one day each week and also has group fun runs at least one day a week at most locations around DC (check out lulumon.com to find a store near you and browse their calendar); and Pacers has fun run groups. Lucky for me they have a number of stores in DC and VA for me to make my way around the area.

Another great place to look is one the city websites wherever you live. I know in my area the Northern Virginia sites list all of the schools which offer adult classes in swimming and access to area high school tracks, etc. for free (did you know your local public library probably offers free yoga or meditation classes?...check it out). So, it's worth taking a look to see where you can find a good track or pool. Also, more and more communities are establishing initatives to get people out and active. I haven't seen a better one in the DC area then what is being done on along the Waterfront in DC and what is being done, brillantly so, in Crystal City. with their Crystal City Fit initiative. This program is linked to Crystal City Bike and Crystal City Run programs already in place and works at the community level to promote health, fitness and environmental awareness. Outdoor Zumba - check. Outdoor meditation class - check. Free outdoor yoga classes - check. 5K Fridays - why not?! This initiative brings the entire community together and they have a full schedule.