I was listening to a conversation at work yesterday and a couple of people were talking about how wineter is around the corner and it's time to join a gym. It's the same thing for most people over and over again, same time of year. They sink their money into an expensive gym or fitness membership that they end up using for a month or two at best. It's one of the biggest waste of money I see people doing year after year.

We all know that during the summer it's easy to stay in shape because you can walk, swim or ride a bike and you can do it for free. Just because it's winter doesn't mean your pocket book has to suffer as well. You can stay in shape many ways without paying out high monthly gym fees.

You can always walk or run in the winter time and get your daily cardio. You just have to pick your days and dress for the weather. I love walking the dog in the winter time. I dress warm and the streets aren't crowded. It's easy to get out and go.

You can build a home gym pretty cheap as well. Just look online for the trader or buy and sell sites. There is always a used treadmill or elliptical to be had for a good price. If you can find what you are looking for odds are you can find something like a dip bar or a weight bench from your local health store or online fitness store and put a small gym together cheap. You don't need to spend the farm on expensive equipment you see at the gym. You just need the fundamentals to keep yourself fit.