Ah, December -- the season for feeling stressed out, overfed and underfunded. And that's before you've polished off the plum pudding and tackled all the bills.
This year, get a jump on your New Year's resolutions by treating yourself to a fitness makeover that will have you feeling trim, toned and tuned instead of tired and tapped out.For about $500 -- less than the cost of an annual membership at many gyms -- you can embark on a shape-up program that gives you a lot more than crunches and curls. Choose from the ideas here to tailor a program that suits your needs.
Spring for new shoes: $60. Begin from the ground up with a pair of good-quality athletic shoes, starting at about $60. Running and cross-training shoes usually suffice for all-round exercise, but you'll need sport-specific footwear for any activity you'll undertake more than three times a week.
Build a budget gym: $200. Sure, you could spend a Schwarzenegger-size sum on exercise equipment. But a bargain-basement home workout can be as effective as a big-budget one, says Richard Cotton of the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
Start with an exercise mat for stretching and floor exercise (about $30), plus perhaps Bob Anderson's classic book "Stretching" (Shelter Publications, $12), which offers more than 1,000 ways to get flexible. Then, get pumped with Hex-brand dumbbells, available at most sporting-goods stores for 50 cents a pound.
As an alternative, try some Xertubes -- body-building, dollar-stretching, hand-held rubber ropes that let you isolate muscle groups and gradually increase resistance ($30 for several tubes plus instructions and a video; Spri Products, 800-222-7774).
Finally, order up some inspiration from Collage Video, of Minneapolis, 800-433-6769, or www.collagevideo.com. The catalog lists more than 350 exercise videos on activities from kickboxing to hula dancing. Most cost $15 or $20.
Take home a trainer: $135. You'll need a coach to get your program off the ground, especially if weightlifting is involved. Cotton suggests at least three sessions with a certified trainer, averaging $45 a visit.
To find a trainer who has been certified, contact ACE (800-825-3636) or IDEA, another professional organization for trainers, 800-999-4332, www.ideafit.com.
Get the dish on diet: $100. To round out your program, schedule a few sessions with a dietitian, who can analyze your food intake, identify bad eating habits and provide support for any diet you're attempting.