This is a reprint of an article that was in the Wall Street Journal today (Jan. 17, 2010)   Jonnelle did a great job interviewing me and was very gracious with her time and to include me in the article.

Get Fit on a Budget

By JONNELLE MARTE

Are money and motivation getting in the way of that resolution to exercise more and lose those pounds?

There are ways to reach those goals on a budget. And many employers and health insurers offer the push you need to get started.

Some employee wellness programs offer cash incentives and premium discounts to individuals who get health-risk assessments — which determine an individual’s overall health and offer advice on how to improve it — or participate in exercise programs.

Dollars and Pedometers

Health assessments aren’t just for older workers with medical risk factors. Younger employees, who tend to be healthier and fitter on average, also can use them to help make sure they stay that way.

Kaiser Permanente, a health-care organization, offers appraisals to members that evaluate a person’s nutrition, weight management and pain management, among other things. And employers offer incentives for employees to partake. In California, for instance, some companies pay employees $10 to $200 for completing the online appraisals.

“The kinds of incentives we see most commonly are incentives intended to get people to start thinking about their health and caring about their health,” says Christine Paige, senior vice president of marketing and Internet services for Kaiser.

Some employers entice workers to join activities such as walking programs with cash or raffle entries. In some instances, the company provides pedometers for employees to record progress.

Meantime, many companies offer partial reimbursement for gym-membership costs. Others are rewarding the outcome by lowering premiums for individuals who attain certain health goals, says Ms. Paige. For a young person on a tight budget, a lower premium can make a big difference.

Check with your human-resources department and insurance company about available wellness-program incentives or discounts.

Flexibility Can Pay Off

Here are some other resources for reaching your fitness goals on the cheap.

Aetna has a free application for the BlackBerry smartphone aimed at college students and twentysomethings. It has a calorie tracker and daily nutrition and fitness tips, such as instructions for decoding food labels or for doing different exercises. The iPhone has free apps that track calorie intake.

At AetnaStudentHealth.com, college students and twentysomethings will find tips on quitting smoking, eating healthier and other issues.

If you plan to join a gym, shop around and look into rates at university gyms that accept outside members. Also check if your alma mater offers discounted rates for alumni, says John Rowley, director of fitness and wellness at the American Institute of Healthcare & Fitness, in Raleigh, N.C. Other lower-cost options are community gyms, such as the YMCA.

Ask a gym manager if you can get a discount or special rate for working out during offpeak hours, he adds.

A gym membership not an option? If you have a cable-TV subscription, take advantage of workout routines offered through on-demand services or on fitness channels. And improvise when it comes to equipment: Food cans and water bottles can be used as weights, Mr. Rowley says.