Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and author of 12 fitness bestsellers. She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider.

OMG!! I am really freaking out about the economy! Every day you read about staggering layoffs, another company tanking or some index you've-never-heard-of-but-it-seems-really-important hitting a 27-year low. Even those of us who still have jobs are cutting back on spending because we're so twitchy about the future.

As scary as it is out there and as important as it is to save your pennies for the economic monsoon that's probably coming, this is not the time to neglect your workouts. You need to be as fit and resilient as possible to weather the tough times ahead; the last thing you need is to get sick or find yourself without the strength and stamina to go about your day. All well and good, but how do you justify the price of a gym membership when buying bread is now a major investment for many of us?

Sometimes having to cut back can bring about inspired solutions that are just as good (and sometimes even better) than the expensive, convenient options we've been spoiled by. Here are four (mostly) FREE WORKOUT GEAR options that I think are pretty darn good. If you have others, please share them with your fellow fitness bloggers.

Cardio

Go to ExerciseTV.tv and download full length cardio workouts on your computer for free and own it for life -- no strings attached. Most cable providers also offer free exercise-on-demand channels featuring dozens of top exercise videos. They switch them every month or so, so you never get bored. (Even if you decide you must own a workout, the most an exercise DVD will set you back is twenty large.)

Strength

Take 50-150 old CDs and put half on each side of a threaded rod you can buy at the hardware store for about a buck and use four to 5 bolts on each side to hold them together. No tools required: Just thread all of the CDs onto the rod and bolt it tight. A 50 DVD dumbbell weighs about five pounds; a 150 DVD dumbbell weighs about 10 pounds. I got this from a random website (wish I could remember where). I made my own bells and they actually work great! How's that for saving money and keeping it green?! And since you've gone digital, those old DVDs were just taking up space anyway.

Yoga

Turn your mp3 player into handheld yoga class by subscribing to the Yoga For Runners podcast series. These free-flowing, 15-minute workouts demonstrate easy to follow yoga poses taught by top yoga specialist Kimberly Fowler. You don't have to be a runner to benefit. (iTunes.com or yogaforrunners.com.)

Balance & Stretch
Raid your kitchen for some calorie-free balance helpers. Place a paper plate under your foot and do some slide lunges. To improve alignment, posture and balance, kneel on a plush towel and stretch out your opposite arm and leg. Hold for 30 seconds and switch. Substitute a can of peas for a medicine ball and a rolling pin for some foam roller exercises too.