Last summer, I ditched my gym membership for the first time in 20 years. It dawned on me that, having visited the premises precisely twice that year, each of my workouts (in a no-frills council leisure centre, mind) had cost me £120.

I’m not alone in throwing in the fluffy towel. Recent statistics from the accountancy firm Deloitte show that gym membership in the UK is in decline – 54,000 fewer people joined in 2007 than they had the year previously, while the United States has seen a 24% drop in gym recruits in the last year. The average monthly outlay for health club membership is £46, and it’s an expense that many feel they can’t justify in the current economic climate – especially given that only a quarter of gym members actually go regularly.

But financial belt-tightening needn’t lead to trouser belt loosening. The absence of a shiny membership card in my wallet has led me to explore new ways and places to be active – and I’d say I’m fitter than ever. I have run and cycled more (freeing myself from the stultifying boredom of the cardiovascular machines), dipped my toes into open-water swimming, and devised home-based workouts which, I believe, match anything I could have done in the gym (see my bench circuit, below).

According to Spencer McGawley, a fitness and injury consultant at The Functional Group, my homegrown efforts may even be superior to gym-based exercise. “I firmly believe that the most advanced piece of gym equipment ever invented is the human body”, he says. “The great thing about training with your own body is that you use more muscle fibres, burn more calories and get a greater increase in metabolism. You’ll also develop far greater functional strength and fitness than you would in the gym, sitting reading a magazine on the stationary bike.”

A classic study from Maastricht University in the Netherlands backs up the idea that it’s perfectly possible to achieve and maintain fitness without those serried ranks of gleaming machines. The researchers found that gym-goers burned fewer calories overall during the week than did people who integrated exercise (such as walking and cycling) into their day – because they subconsciously did less activity once they’d ‘ticked off’ their exercise session.

“Perceptions about what it means to be active are changing”, says Peta Bee, author of the gym-free workout handbook Integrated Exercise (Kyle Cathie). “We are beginning to realise that there is no need to compartmentalise exercise into timed daily sessions at the gym, and experimenting more with activities that entail no fancy equipment, membership fees or travel expenses.”

A 20% drop-off in gym membership has been forecast this month, but Bee believes there’s more behind the gym exodus than a lack of funds. “Even before the credit crunch hit hard, I think a lot of people were beginning to discover there is more to exercise than calories burned and inches lost”, she says. “Gyms can be sterile places, and their clinical approach to activity quickly loses its appeal.”

While many gym dropouts beat a retreat to the sofa, my slack gym attendance last year was more to do with spending an increasing amount of time exercising outdoors. Marathon training meant I was out running most days, and I was working with the British Army Physical Training Corps on a book (The Official British Army Fitness Guide) which taught me that fitness can – and should – be an anytime, any place, anywhere scenario. After watching military recruits running, cycling, dragging tyres, climbing ropes, tackling obstacle courses and improvising weights with everyday objects, the gym began to seem pretty dull and monotonous in comparison.

And that’s important – researchers from the University of Florida studying exercise adherence found that the less variety you have in your exercise regime, the lower the likelihood of sticking with it.

“There’s no need to do the same exercises every day”, says McGawley. “Training equipment is everywhere you look. At home, use a wall or a step for dips and step-ups. That tree branch overhanging the path makes a good pull-up bar. Vary the number of repetitions, the time, location, get on your bike, or add in some running. You have an infinite number of choices. Training with a friend will also keep you motivated.”

I have to admit, there are still times when I hanker after a warm, dry gym, but the joy of exercising wherever and whenever I like, without expense or time limits, more than makes up for it. And I don’t have to put up with out-of-order machines, crap music and other people’s sweat.

Five ways to get fit for free

• Trim trails consist of a dozen or so widely-spaced exercise stations, such as parallel bars, leapfrog blocks and balance beams. These are typically situated in a park or recreation area or alongside a cycle route, and have user instructions beside each piece of equipment. Ask your local council if there is a trim trail in your area.

• Digging, planting, lopping and path-clearing work up a sweat at Green Gyms – an initiative to improve the health of both people and the environment. There are 95 Green Gyms nationwide and attendance is free.

• Take advantage of one-off trials at gyms and even with personal trainers. See freegymmembership.org.uk for details of one-day passes at major chains.

• Walk or cycle (or run) from A to B to save on public transport fees and petrol. Or check out Walk the Way to Health, which offers more than 500 ‘health walks’ across the UK in parks and other green spaces for people of all ages and fitness levels.

• Borrow fitness DVDs and books from the library, and burn some calories in the comfort of your own living room.

How to go it alone

Spencer McGawley offers advice on successful gym-free fitness:

• If you’re not sure what sort of exercise to do, most of the exercises that you did at school make a good basis. Set yourself targets and try to add a few more each week.

• Good technique is crucial – don’t allow yourself to cheat. Be strict about good form, and work through a full range of motion.

• People venturing out of the gym for the first time could benefit from a session or two with a trainer who can show them the ropes, and help them put a plan together.

• Set yourself fitness goals to work towards, to ensure you continue to make progress. Working against the clock or a friend can add an element of competition.

• For those keen to train with equipment, a 3kg medicine ball does not cost much and adds some interesting options. Hold it when you squat or do sit-ups. If you own a normal bike, a turbo trainer is a great piece of kit. It effectively turns your bike into a stationary cycle for those days when the great outdoors isn’t welcoming.

Sam’s bench circuit

Beginners: 1 circuit. Improvers: 2 circuits. Advanced: 3 circuits

All you need to perform this strength circuit is a park bench and the space around it. Perform the exercises in the order shown, with no rest in between.

Dips
Shuffle your bottom off the front of the bench, holding the seat with fingers pointing forwards and with legs out straight in front of you. Bend your elbows directly behind you to lower yourself towards the ground, pause when your elbows reach 90 degrees, then straighten.
Reps: 8-15

Step-ups
Stand in front of the bench and step up on to the seat with the right foot, bringing the left knee up towards the chest. Step down, leading with the left foot, following with the right. Then step up with the left foot first and continue to alternate from foot to foot.
Reps 10-20

Plank
Face the bench and place your elbows on the seat, forearms down and hands clasped together. Form a straight line from heels to crown and draw the abdominal muscles back towards the spine. Hold for 10-30 seconds, breathing freely.

Lunges
Take a big step forward with your right leg, bending the knee and simultaneously bringing your left knee down towards the ground. (Don’t allow the right knee to extend further than the toes.) Push back up through the right foot and then lunge with the left leg. Continue to alternate.
Reps: 10-20

Push-ups
Face the bench (or the back of the bench, to make it easier) and place your hands shoulder-distance apart on the edge, shuffling back to form a straight line from heels to crown. Now bend the elbows to lower the chest towards the bench. Pause, then straighten and repeat.
Reps: 8-15

Sit-ups
Lie face up on the ground with knees bent and feet flat. Cross your hands over your chest and curl the head, shoulders and upper back off the ground. Lower and repeat.
Reps: 8-15

Dorsal raises
Lie face down on the ground with head supported on your hands, palms down. Lift the upper body slowly off the ground, keeping the head in line with the spine. Pause then lower and repeat.
Reps 8-15

Power squats
Stand with feet hip-distance apart and arms crossed over your chest. Lower your bottom towards the ground (sitting back, as if on to an imaginary chair) until your thighs are at 90 degrees. Now straighten. On the next squat, when you reach the bent-leg position, spring up into the air. Alternate between normal squats and jump squats for the set.
Reps: 10-30

• Get Sam Murphy’s latest book The Official British Army Fitness Guide for only £10.99 from Guardian Books

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