In today's economy, not everyone can afford a gym membership. But fitness isn't just for the wealthy. Parks and other public access areas can help bridge the gap between those whose wallets bulge and those who just have wallets.

Research has long shown that living near green spaces -- parks, manicured boulevards, gardens, etc. -- can improve health. Recent research shows the benefits of green spaces are greater than originally thought. The open spaces help residents release stress, and they promote physical activity.

If you're feeling the budget crunch, a local park might be just the place to score some free fitness opportunities. You may be lucky enough to have a local park that has areas specifically designed for fitness. If not, there's still plenty you can do. Check out this post for ideas.

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I spent many of my summer vacations as a little girl visiting SeaWorld. I loved it so much that I almost pursued marine biology. The thought of riding Shamu was and still is more enticing to me than flying or any other magical act. So, bringing my family of four to SeaWorld last week was a no-brainer. This time, though, not only was I in search of fun ... I decided to dissect the park and find out how it fared in the healthy living department. Could we leave more fit than when we arrived?

I've done this experiment before at other major theme parks and vacation destinations and these are the things I look for.

• Is there an opportunity to be physically active?
• Is healthy food readily available?
• Will I and other guests be inspired to do and be better?
• Is the vacation fun?

Here, I focus on physical activity.

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If you're watching what you eat, there's no better tip than preparing your own meals. Many people have the habit of going out to eat on their lunch hour. It's nice to get out of the office and stopping at a restaurant seems more convenient. Brown bagging it is far less expensive and it allows you the ability to control the foods and preparation.

But don't limit yourself to basic sandwiches and salads. There are many delicious, healthful options perfect for your noontime meal. Divine Caroline shares ten great lunch suggestions including stir-fries, creative salads, pasta, and yummy sandwiches.

Still want to get out of the office? Consider bringing your lunch to a nearby park. You can enjoy your home-cooked, healthful meal and then take a walk around the park before heading back to work.

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When it comes to fitness opportunities China is doing something right. I recently read a blog post that discusses the public fitness centers that are available there and how many of the people that frequent the sites are older. In some cases -- like for one 82-year-old woman -- they spend hours each day taking advantage of the free community fitness equipment.

When I think of the public parks in my community, they're very kid-oriented. Which isn't a bad thing, of course, but what about the adults that live in this community? There are basketball hoops which are obviously appropriate for any age, and there is a sidewalk running around the perimeter of the park for running or walking. Other than that, the equipment is of the playground variety.

This makes me wonder, if fitness equipment geared toward adults was provided in local parks, would you take advantage of the opportunity? I know I would. When my son and I visit our favorite park in the area, I often circle around the park to try to squeeze in a little fitness while he's playing.

[via SmarterFitter]

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I was roaming around Central Park this week while working in New York City , and came across the nicest yet strangest thing. This man, pictured at right, was ambitiously pursuing a workout in the park. That's the nice part.

The weird part is two-fold. First oddity, he was only wearing his boxer shorts. I suppose that is better than frolicking around in a pair of bikini briefs, but still ... it looked a bit silly to me. The second bit of strangeness was his routine. Of course I'm always telling you guys and gals to 'just move', but this dude took that movement to another level.

He flailed his arms around, tip toe jogged in circles, and frequently practiced handstands (at right) against this tree. I both admired his ambitiousness and marveled at his lack of concern for what others thought. I also giggled a lot too.

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I love multitasking! Any opportunity I get to kill two or more birds with one stone gets me giddy. I'm a busy woman with far too much to do, and when things get done in an efficient and pleasing way...I feel elated. Where am I going with this, you ask? Women's Health recently published this Park Workout and I thought you may need to see it as well.

If you have kids, I'm guessing there is a 99.9% chance that they like to run around and play at the playground. If this is true, then I'm talking to you. Let your kids and their buddies have their fun while you get a workout. No use sitting on that park bench anymore....use it for a glute training! Utilize the swings, monkey bars, and more.

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In my expert opinion, yes! Disney World is the healthiest place on earth. I just returned from a five-night, six-day vacation with my husband and two children and was blown away by the amount of physical activity both offered and required of ourselves in order to indulge in the full Disney experience.

We pushed our double-stroller miles through two theme parks, climbed thousands of stairs and jumped an equal amount of waves at two water-parks, danced our tushies off to live bands at various Disney resorts, and played game after game with our children as we giggled, oohed and ahhed at all the Disney magic. As a fitness trainer, one of my biggest obstacles is convincing my clients not to trash their fitness efforts when they head out on vacation. Disney offers the perfect opportunity to not only maintain one's fitness level, but improve it.

The physical adventures are endless, and Disney World has made a deliberate effort to increase the availability of legitimately nutritious, low fat, and lower sugar foods. Fruit stands have popped up all over the theme parks, and children's dining has switched from burgers and fries to grilled chicken with carrots and grapes offered as side dishes. Soda has been dumped for low fat milk! I can't get food that "clean" in my own neighborhood, unless I cook it myself! Of course, the old junkie favorites like popcorn, fries, and ice cream are still available, but if you do care about your health and want to maintain it on vacation ... Disney makes it easy.

While any kind of exercise is good for your health, a hike on a nature trail has added perks. Many people who live in cities or towns are rarely exposed to nature. And even those who live in a more natural setting often spend their days packed into office cubicles like so many sardines. Escaping to a park or nature preserve for your daily dose of exercise not only does your body good, it also soothes your mind.

While there may not be actual medical evidence pointing to the benefits of nature, you can do your own "study" of sorts. Exercise on a treadmill one day and then go for a hike on a wooded trail another. Just see what type of exercise leaves you feeling more energized, more at peace, and more in stress free.

The gym has a place in our lives. It serves its purpose. But there's something to be said for a jaunt through the woods -- so head outside and enjoy!

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Whenever I see field-tripping kids at the zoo or other event with giant name tags on, my stranger-danger alarm always goes off. After all, when an adult knows their name, kids are less likely to be cautious. Many schools now send their kids with tags that only contain the school name, or sometimes the kids wear school t-shirts, which also makes them easier to spot in a crowd.

A mom of three developed an ingenious way for educators or parents to reconnect with wandering children, the Safety Tat. This temporary tattoo goes on the child's arm and includes a parent's cell phone number. If a child gets separated from their family, they can find the nearest helpful adult and be quickly located.

Think you're doing everything you can to keep your child safe on outings? Take this safety quiz to make sure.

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I'm good when it comes to exercising on my own turf. I have a treadmill at home, a bunch of steep hills in my neighborhood, a good outdoor running course, a bike, a garage full of fitness gadgets, and a gym nearby. Give me these luxuries and my workout routines rarely fall short of my expectations. But put me in a hotel or in someone else's house and I get a little anxious about fulfilling my personal fitness goals. Now that I've located this gem of a video, though, I think I'll be OK next time I'm swept out of my comfort zone.

Just click on the top right thumbnail when you arrive at this Austin Fit Magazine website and you'll come face-to-face with fitness expert Sara Stewart who demonstrates five different exercises for use on the fly. Do them at home, in a park, in a hotel -- Sara does them at the Hilton in this video -- and plan to give just 10 to 20 minutes to this total workout. You'll need a JC travel band -- it fits in closets or entry doors -- and of course, you'll need this lesson on how to properly execute the Squat to Pull, the Back Lunge to High Pull, the Push-Up to Arm Raise, the Kneeling High to Low Pull, and the Core Rotation.

Ready to get started? Click here.

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Tomorrow is the New York City Marathon. Tomorrow is the day I knew was coming for a while now, and one I've for which I've been trying to prepare myself.

Unlike approximately 38,000 others, including my husband, I will not be running in the marathon. Instead I will remain with our seven month old son and perhaps scoot on down to the avenue in Brooklyn where all the runners travel.

Most of this was my choice. Actually, ultimately it was my choice. At some point along the way training for the marathon became too much. I had a new job and a new baby and my sense of family was being thrown askew with every additional minute I was out of the house. In addition to that, after I hit nearly fifteen miles at a pop I realized I didn't have it in me to do more.

Perhaps if I'd not just had a baby or not been breastfeeding and so focused on my new family I would have done better, tried harder, etc. There were times when I was so tired I couldn't go any further, times when stomach cramps frustrated and stopped me dead in my tracks.

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Now that I've lightened up on the ever-so-intense marathon training schedule, I've started to enjoy running again. You know, running for running's sake.

There is a strong opinion among many that one should never run merely for the sake of running. One must always be setting and achieving goals, then setting bigger goals. One must be racing or going a further distance or doing more hills or some such thing.

Well, not me. Today I just ran for the heck of it. And it felt great. The only downside was the realization that I stretched out my favorite long-sleeved running shirt while I was preggers.

Actually, it was good timing that I loosened the reigns on the training schedule when I did. This past week I became sicker than I have been in years. To make matters worse the baby had a little something too, so we were sick together. Needless to say he was in a better mood than I was. He still got all the attention he needed, while I had to carve yet one more thing out of my life by not being able to run.

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Sometimes I think I just can't do this anymore. I can't run one more mile, take one more step. I feel like my legs are made of stone and my feet hurt so much they might explode out of my running shoes.

This normally happens towards the end of a run, when I know I have more miles to go and am no longer comfortable running. I've never been a competitive runner, so for me, to feel comfortable when I run is key.

But not always. Sometimes I hide in my comfort and forget to challenge myself. I enjoy a challenge almost as much as I enjoy comfort. Yet there are times when the challenge seems overwhelming. I can't make it up the hill, or around the park one last lap.

Then I start to think about all the other people in the park. Some of them are going through the same thing--struggling just to make it a few more yards. I start to think about the people who can't even make it to the park, those who can't run or literally can't take another step.

I think about an inspiring picture I took from last year's NYC marathon of a man hauling it down 4th Avenue in Brooklyn who had no limbs. He was kicking butt and having the time of his life. And he was working very, very hard. He'd worked so hard just to get to the marathon--I can't even imagine what it must have been like the first time he got on one of those machines and got going just using his arms.

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Recently, I wrote a post about "What Not to Wear's" resident make-up artist, Carmindy, and her tips on how to get great, glowing skin. The Californian beauty always looks fantastic without being overly made-up, so I thought it would be cool to check out her advice on how to get that naturally beautiful look.

Those of you out there who are also Carmindy fans, especially New York City-area residents and fashionistas who'll be in town for NYC Fashion Week, are in for a treat as the artist will appear at Byrant Park on Monday September 10th, as a part of the Word for Word Author Series.

Carmindy, who has penned a book called The 5-Minute Face: The Quick and Easy Makeup Guide for Every Woman, will appear at 12:30 p.m. and 1:45 p.m., and give away some of her best secrets and tricks of the trade including tips on how to enhance your best features and how to look great without spending hours primping. The author will also be available to sign copies of the book. If you love to look great and have fun with makeup, mark the event in your calendar.

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Two weeks ago before a ten mile run I posed the question of whether running made me a better mother. Well, ten (actually more than that, say sixteen) miles and a lot of hills later I am here to report on my findings.

I'd been worried about the increasing time away from my son spent doing self-centered things like running up hills to help me lose the baby weight and train me to run the marathon--a dream that was never really mine in the first place, but that fell into my lap via the lottery last year before I got pregnant (and won a lottery of a totally different kind!).

I'd been worried about all the emotions that came up when left with all that time to myself. My voice was the only one who answered me when all those awkward questions about what I was going to do with my life now that I was a mother, and needed to DO THE RIGHT THING came up, along with all the emotions of having to move on, to let go, to live. Well, there was my voice, the inner voice, but there was also the answer of the pavement.

I could hear my footfalls like a steady heartbeat--tap, tap, tap, tap. My feet lightly tapping the road as I gingerly made my way around the park. And again. And then a third time. Boy, that was a LOT of miles. After a while I stopped remembering which lap I was on--I was so caught up in my emotions I'd lost sight of the fact that I was getting sore and tired.

Physical pain--say, giving birth or running a marathon--I've realized is nothing compared to emotional pain. The former I can deal with no problem. It ends, one way or another. Emotional pain is different. It can overcome you. You can ignore it, bury it, deny it--but it will always be there. And it will haunt you.

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