I'm still pumping...just not at the gym!

IN A RECENT column (Stop Wasting Your Time in the Gym) some people thought I committed gym-bunny blasphemy when I suggested ditching your gym membership. I wrote that the simple act of going to a gym - slipping on your fashionable gym gear, jumping in your ride, grabbing a cuppa java and maybe dropping off the kids at a sitter - is taking a big bite out of your bottom line.

Those indirect expenses can really ratchet up the true cost of a gym membership. That's if you aren't one of the estimated 80 percent of people who purchase gym memberships but rarely go.

The alternative that I recommend is simple: Hack your workout. Fatten your wallet and whittle down your waistline with these suggestions:

Stair climbing (using real steps, not a fancy machine) is one of the best ways to strengthen your legs, butt and heart. Climbing stairs is low-impact, and it torches more calories than either walking or jogging.

Hitting the steps for as little as 15 minutes five or six days a week will rock your workout and get you into glutelicious shape. You'll also relieve stress.

A 150-pound person will burn approximately 150 calories during a 15-minute session of stair climbing. Burning an extra 150 calories daily would equal a 15-pound weight loss over the course of a year.

And, by the way, it's free!

Just head over to the office stairwell, your apartment or condo stairs, or stadium steps. And don't worry about trying to run up those stairs. You'll feel the burn long before you reach the ninth floor!

With stair climbing, you are literally working your entire body against gravity as you carry yourself through space.

I think it's great that Philadelphia is building more bicycle lanes and paths. Bicycling saves on fuel consumption, decreases pollution and is great exercise and recreation.

Don't bike? Try a simple walk.

We are so lucky to live in an area that is filled with beautiful parks, many with built-in fitness equipment, too. Walkers, bikers and joggers have plenty of options:

Martin Luther King Drive (find fitness equipment on this path); Kelly Drive; Forbidden Drive, in Wissahickon Valley Park; the Schuylkill River Trail (take it all the way to Phoenixville from Philly); the Cynwyd Heritage Trail (the Manayunk Bridge section is scheduled to open Oct. 30); and the Pennypack Trail.

Though inexpensive, the versatile jump rope is another powerful must-have in your workout arsenal. Jumping rope benefits your cardiovascular system, tones every major muscle group, improves balance, coordination, agility and timing - and, best of all, burns more fat than any other exercise (including running, jogging and the elliptical trainer).

Jumping rope for six minutes at a high intensity (around 140 RPM) is equivalent to 30 minutes of jogging.

Aside from using your body weight for resistance (with calisthenic exercises), you can also invest in simple strength-training equipment, like dumbbells, kettle-bells, medicine balls and resistance bands. You can find all these items for under $100. Every home, apartment and studio has room to sneak in a little fitness corner.

Kimberly Garrison is a wellness coach and owner of One on One Ultimate Fitness in Philadelphia. Her column appears Wednesdays.