Five fitness alternatives to joining a gym in Glasgow this New Year

And for many, that means the chance to make some changes to our lives.

New Years’ Resolutions are a great way to change any undesired trait or accomplish a personal goal to improve their life – New Year, New You…as the saying goes.

One of the most common on everyone’s’ list is to improve their fitness – often off the back of gaining a few pounds over Christmas through excessive snacking and festive drinking.

The obvious option is to join a gym – with most clubs across the world seeing a spike in membership applications in January.

But newbie members can often drop off after a few weeks – the New Years’ Resolution buzz has cooled off and it’s harder to commit to the gym.

That’s where we want to help.

We’ve gathered together a list of five healthy activities to do as alternatives to joining the gym in Glasgow this January.

1. Join a Parkrun

Save yourself an expensive gym membership by heading to one of a number of parkruns in Glasgow and the surrounding areas.

Parkruns are free, weekly, timed 5km runs for all abilities.

First launched in Glasgow’s Pollok Park in 2008, there are now weekly runs at 9.30am every Saturday at Pollok Park, Queen’s Park, Tollcross, Springburn, Ruchill Park, Victoria Park and Drumchapel.

There are also events at Drumpellier Country Park and Strathclyde Park.

Organised by run-lovers, parkruns are a great way to get fit for the new year in a sociable environment.

More info at www.parkrun.org.uk/glasgow

2. Go Climbing

Glasgow is host two three rock climbing gyms – the Glasgow Climbing Centre and two locations of The Climbing Academy.

A strong alternative to a gym – or in addition to other workouts – going climbing works both your upper and lower body muscles at the one time, while also allowing for a clear challenge as you work your way further up the wall.

The Glasgow Climbing Academy proudly proclaims that “whether you’re a humble beginner or a rock god, or something in between, there is something here for you”.

You can find out more at glasgowclimbingcentre.com or theclimbingacademy.com

3. Go a cycle (to work!)

It should come as no surprise that cycling will improve your fitness.

In fact, depending on your weight and the type of cycling you do, the low impact exercise can help burn between 400 and 750 calories an hour - and is often seen as an easier, fun way to start out when trying to shed a few pounds.

And what better way to start your 2020 than to turn up to work feeling refreshed after a cycle, all the while helping reduce your carbon footprint.

In a year that’s all about climate change in Glasgow, cycling is a great way to improve your health, reduce air pollution and do it all in some lycra - what’s not to lose.

Not only that, but you don’t even have to fork out on a brand new bike. The city’s Next Bike hire scheme has hundreds ready for use at locations across the city.

You can find your nearest location at nextbike.co.uk/en/glasgow/locations/

4. Dancing

In a similar way to rock climbing, dancing is another great option to keep fit while having a lot of fun in the process.

With dozens of classes - like Zumba - available across the city, it’s incredibly easy to find one at a time and place that suits you.

Zumba mixes low-intensity and high-intensity workouts, creating a mad calorie-burning fitness party.

Dancing combines cardio, muscle conditioning, balance and flexibility - giving you just as worthwhile a workout as an hour at the gym.

You can find your nearest class at zumba.com/ja-JP/pages/class

5. Krav Maga

Granted, this is a bit of an unusual suggestion.

But the reality is that Krav Maga has a lot of benefits - not just for improving your fitness.

If you aren't aware, Krav Maga is a self defence and fighting system which combines techniques from boxing, wrestling, karate and judo along with realistic fighting techniques.

One location that provides classes is Glasgow Krav Maga - who proudly say their classes are "designed for men, women and children of all levels of fitness and experiences."

While helping you keep fit, the system allows you to learn how to defend yourself in the most dangerous of situations in what they describe as "the most effective and quickest way possible".

You can find out more at glasgow-kravmaga.co.uk/