I’d always thought having a personal trainer was pretty bougie and privileged.

Who, other than celebrities, spends upwards of $50-per-hour on regular one-on-one exercise sessions? Well, turns out, I did. For a while.

Just after I welcomed my first baby into the world, and an additional 20kgs to my bod, I decided to hire some help.

It was everything I thought I needed — a challenge, accountability, tailored to me, but it also felt … luxurious, excessive and ‘beyond-my-budget’.

When I reached my fitness goals (or close enough), I decided it was time to break up with my efficient-yet-expensive trainer.

“It’s not you, it’s me,” I said. “I just can’t afford to keep it up.”

She laid on the guilt trip.

“It’s an investment,” she said. “No price is too high when it comes to health and fitness, surely?”

But the price was too high — for me.

I traded her in for a $20-per-week gym membership. A little less inspiring, a lot less glam, but seemingly more sensible for someone with a sizeable mortgage and family.

I still don’t know if I’ve got the fitness and frugality balance right. So how do we figure out how much of our budget should be allocated to exercise?

Cost is no excuse

Barrie Elvish is the head of Fitness Australia, a not-for-profit industry association, and says whatever you do, don’t use money as an excuse to avoid activity altogether.

“The very straightforward answer is that there is no cost to fitness, or there’s as much as you want to spend,” he says.

“Cost is a consideration, only if you want to make it a consideration.”

Mr Elvish also says if paying for fitness is something you do feel is necessary, it could well be worth what you pay.

“The cost of not being physically active, to your purse and your wellbeing, is significantly higher,” he says.

Fit and free

If you don’t want to spend any money on fitness at all, there’s plenty you can do.

Caitlyn Feldmann, 45, reckons she’s found the world’s best free physical activity.

She joined a group called the Stingrays that swims across Byron Bay, in northern New South Wales, every morning.

Caitlyn says exercising with a group also means she gets many of the benefits other people pay for — such as accountability and encouragement — but with her choice of exercise, she gets a whole lot more, too.

“We see turtles and dolphins and fish — I figure when you’ve got great weather and this beautiful environment, why wouldn’t you get out amongst it?” she says.

“Money definitely comes into it — my kids’ sport costs a fortune, so mine takes a backseat — but I prefer being outdoors to in a gym anyway.”

Bek Foley, 25, says nothing beats the camaraderie of parkrun — a free, weekly, timed 5 kilometre fun run held in locations across the globe. Bek works as a personal trainer, but rarely misses parkrun in her northern NSW hometown of Lismore.

“I just love the community. You see the same faces all the time, with everyone passing you and giving you a high five and cheering you on,” she says.

“It’s all run by volunteers, and the fact we have that many people willing to give up their time adds to the atmosphere and keeps me coming back.”

Bek also says there’s no pressure to perform. You can self-tailor parkrun to your needs by walking, jogging, or alternating between both.

“It’s super inclusive and I even have some clients with special needs who take part,” she says.

“And there’s always a tail walker, so no-one ever finishes last.”

If group fitness or the great outdoors aren’t your thing, try searching online for free exercise videos you can do in the comfort of your living room — there’s everything from yoga to aerobics to dancing.

Fit for a fee

If you are prepared to prioritise fitness for a fee, your options are also endless.

For 48-year-old Brisbane cyclist, Rachel Edwards, fitness is a non-negotiable big-ticket personal expense.

She owns 20 bikes and spends hundreds of dollars per week pursuing her passion for cycling.

“I like to compete, so my version of fitness is really also my social life,” she says.

“I’ll avoid buying clothes and general stuff that honestly you often don’t even need. We are so inundated with ‘buy this’ messages — I resist those. My retail therapy is usually bike fashion related.”

Melbourne triathlete Damian Wood, 44, spends more than $12,000 per year on coaches alone.

“Travel would be my second favourite thing [after fitness], so I’ve paired this with racing triathlons in the cities I want to explore — two birds with one stone,” he says.

“Everything in life is a choice. Someone might think it’s a waste of money to spend $200 on quality running shoes, but happily spend that amount on a night out drinking. For me it’s the running shoes every time.”

Damian’s tips:

• Examine your values and prioritise.
• Weigh up ‘wants’ and ‘needs’. How often will you use those top-of-the-line golf clubs?
• Think about the savings you’ll create in other areas of your life by committing to fitness. If you’re focused on nutrition you may dine out less, if you’re always in gym gear you won’t be spending on fashion.
• Alternate between paid and free activities.

How to fit fitness into your budget

Financial adviser Victoria Devine says how to fit fitness into spending is a common question for many putting together personal budgets.

“It’s really important to remember that your values are not the values of other people,” she says.

“If fitness is what drives you, and you get excited about it, and it makes you happy, it’s literally down to personal values.

“Ask yourself, would you be upset if it was taken away? If the answer is yes, you can figure out how to make it work.”

Ms Devine says once you’ve decided you can’t do without that trainer/class/membership, it’s time to do the sums to make sure the cost is within your limits.

“At the end of the day, I’m not going to argue with someone who wants to spend $65-per-week on a gym membership,” she says.

“You just need to show me where else you might have to cut back and that, overall, what you’re spending is less than what you’re earning.”