A healthier lifestyle can be had with little money, plus it often can put more back in your savings account.
If you smoke a pack a day, that can easily cost you more than $1,000 a year. For just $40, you can join Central Baptist’s smoking cessation class from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays at its HealthwoRx Fitness & Wellness Center at Lexington Green. Call (859) 260-6419.
If you are planning to use gum or lozenges to help you quit, print a $7 coupon on Nicorette.com. Nicorette has a “Committed Quitters” plan.
You also can save by preparing healthy foods at home. For tips, consider attending the Fayette County Cooperative Extension Service’s new Food for Thought classes. Each one is $10; sign up for six or more and get 20 percent off. To learn more, call (859) 257-5582 or visit the organization's Web site.
While you don’t often see coupons for produce, you can save in other ways. Join the Birds Eye club to get a $1 coupon on frozen vegetables and lots of tips.
Also, Whole Foods at Lexington Green is offering a Healthy Eating 101 tour from 6:30 to7:30 p.m. Thursday. To register, email Lindsay.bruner@wholefoods.com.
A major health expense can be a gym, but you can save by working out at home or incorporating more activity into your daily routine. Check out fitness DVDs from your local library.
The Lexington Public Library’s Beaumont Branch is offering a weight loss class, “A New You, Begin in 2012” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 23. Reservations are required; call (859) 231-5500. You also can take a beginners Pilates class at the Eagle Creek Branch at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31.
An option for seniors is the SilverSneakers program, which offers discounted memberships to participating gyms. Click here to see if you qualify. And don’t forget local parks and your bike for a quick, fun and frugal way to lose weight. If you belong to a gym, check out competitors’ deals and see if your gym will match them. If not, it might be time to change.
Health freebies
■ Join Sparkpeople to get a free weight-loss plan.
■ Sign up to walk with Walgreens. The more you walk, the more rewards and coupons you earn.
■ Free health screenings, exercise and fitness demonstrations, nutrition and weight management at Joseph-Beth Booksellers’ Family Wellness Fair, 1 to 5 p.m. Jan. 22
■ Many of today’s household pets are overweight. Join Project Pet Slim Down from Purina to receive a $20 Purina Veterinary Diets coupon.
■ People with exercise-induced bronchospasm are committed to getting healthy. Sign up to get a free EIB Active Kit.
■ Get a free package of Keebler White Fudge Dipped Pretzels 100 Calorie Right Bites with mail-in rebate (up to $4 value).
■ Sign up to receive a free blood-sugar control kit that includes a blood-sugar diary, a meal planning guide and the GoMeals app.
■ Register for the Atkins Community and receive a free Quick-Kit and three free Atkins Bars.
■ Like MegaRed on Facebook for a free sample.
■ Get a free one-year membership to AARP or renew for one year for free.
■ Sign up for Know My Bones and receive a free guide to bone health from the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
■ Receive a free sample of Breathe Right.
■ Get a free sample of Fiber Choice.
■ Get a free sample of BiPro Whey Protein.
