20 Ways to Get Healthier for Free

Dip into our smart batch of strategies to stay happy and healthy (at no cost!).

Join the local library—for the workout DVDs. Most libraries have a big selection, the perfect antidote to a boring (and pricey) gym routine. And because the key to sticking with exercise is to keep it interesting, you can switch it up (cheaply) as often as you want.

If you're trying to stop smoking, there are many low-cost or free ways to get help. If you're a New York resident, you can call the New York State Smokers' Quitline at 800-784-8669 to get a free 2-week starter kit of nicotine patches or gum, plus coaching and support.

There are many other

resources and quitlines, such as 1-800-QUIT-NOW if you don't live in New York.

Quitting will not only save you money but also lower your risks for heart disease and cancer.

The Skin Cancer Foundation provides free full-body skin cancer screenings conducted by local dermatologists during its annual Road to Healthy Skin Tour. Check SkinCancer.org for availability in your area.

Get a free calendar from the National Women's Health Information Center. It lists recommended health tests, reveals surprising symptoms of serious health conditions, and offers important advice on how to read drug labels and get a second opinion.

FreakyFreddies.com and Freemania.net have free-by-mail samples and coupons for items like hand sanitizer, bandages, deodorant, tampons, and toothpaste. Ebates.com gives cash back for purchases at stores like Drugstore.com, Bath & BodyWorks, DERMAdoctor.com, GNC, Kiehl’s, Nutrisystem, and many more. CouponCraze.com has discounts for anti-allergy bedding, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers. And RetailMeNot.com features coupons for contact lenses and supplements.

Radon, an odorless natural gas present in many homes, is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers. Check the availability of free or low-cost test kits in your state.

Studies show that interactive online-weight-loss programs help people drop pounds and maintain weight loss, too. Visit CarbLovers.com—the official site of The CarbLover's Diet—for recipes, tools, and advice from experts. To get diet counseling, try SparkPeople.com. And to access calorie-counting tools, visit CalorieCount.about.com.

Try your Downward Dog for free—or pretty cheap—thanks to the Internet. Every week, Yoga Today streams a free, one-hour class. (Downloads cost $3.99.) Also, mark January on your calendar: That month there's usually a Yoga Day USA, when yoga centers around the country offer free classes. Why yoga? It hikes flexibility and strength, provides help for relieving stress and controlling weight, and lowers risks of heart disease and sleep problems.

Many health clubs and gyms are willing to cut you deals or give you free passes to try their facilities. Bally Total Fitness, Gold’s Gym, and 24 Hour Fitness offer free seven-day trials. Remember: Everything is negotiable. And once you’re a member, train with a buddy to cut trainer costs in half, or sign up for 30-minute training sessions instead of hour-long ones. Bonus: Besides being cheaper, the shorter workout may move faster and be more intense.

Some local fire departments offer smoke alarms (a potential lifesaver, considering up to 20% of the alarms installed in people's homes don't even work) for free or at discounted prices.

Start planning a healthier future today by asking relatives about their health conditions and those of your ancestors. Then visit FamilyHistory.hhs.gov to create a free Family Health Portrait that reveals your risks. Raising health awareness this way can help lower your risk of major diseases.

That's how much you can cut from your water bill each year by taking shorter, cooler showers, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Your budget and your skin will thank you. Hot water causes blood vessels to expand, causing you to lose more moisture, says Jeannette Graf, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. To keep your skin soft and supple, limit showers to around five minutes and think warm, not hot.

There are about 3,000 iTunes applications designed to boost your health and fitness, and many are free. MyNet Diary has 91,000 foods in its database to help you plan healthy meals, and its community forum is reviewed by a registered dietitian. Free Menstrual Calendar helps you predict your periods and fertile days. Fitness Keeper uses GPS tracking for runners who want to keep tabs on their distance, speed, and calories burned. And one of our personal favorites: Vibrating Massager literally turns your iPhone into a feel-good massager. (Yep, there’s an app for that!)

To help keep winter colds at bay, get free samples of Emergen-C powdered multivitamin packs at EmergenC.com. Each packet contains 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C—more than 10 times your daily requirement—plus other antioxidants and energy-boosting B vitamins.

Stop by Sephora stores across the country and ask for a free sample (you can try out hundreds of moisturizers), and you’ll get three more freebies—like Dylan’s Candy Bar Birthday Cake Batter Body Smoothie Lotion or Bliss All-Around Eye Cream—if you buy something at Sephora.com. And at Aveda.com, you’ll get a free Tourmaline Charged Exfoliating Cleanser sample when you buy any two Tourmaline Charged skin-care products.

People with gluten sensitivities miss out on a lot of good desserts, but you don't have to say no to this pudding! Use single-ingredient brands, like Libby's pumpkin filling and Argo cornstarch, because they won't have added gluten. And look on the list of ingredients for gluten in the form of wheat starch or flour in the pumpkin pie spice.

Ingredients: Canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, large eggs, 2% milk, dark brown sugar, cornstarch

Calories: 210

Try this recipe:Pumpkin-Pie Pudding

Follow your favorite stores on Twitter and get hot sales alerts and great advice. Twitter.com/targetdeals offers new discounts every day on items like vacuums, healthy cookware, and bedding. Twitter.com/walgreens brings you deals like 25% off eco-friendly makeup applicators, $10 off purchases of $40 or more on vitamins and supplements, and other discounts on products like diabetes tests. And Twitter.com/Clinique_US features all kinds of useful free tips like this one: To give parched skin a dewy look, mix foundation with a drop of moisturizer in your palm and smooth over your face.

You've always wanted to try cross-country skiing, right? As part of its annual January sale, WinterTrails.org will help you try cross-country skiing or snowshoeing for free at a location near you.

Loads of useful items from BabyGap, Science Diet, Tempur-Pedic, Love My Belly, and more great brands are available for free on the grassroots network Freecycle.org, a smart online location for secondhand giveaways. The site's goal is to keep good stuff in use instead of letting it get thrown away and end up harming the environment. Keep in mind: Available items change daily.

There's a free self-help group out there for what­ever is bothering you, whether it’s physical or mental. Check Mentalhelp.net/selfhelp, a searchable database of about 1,000 support groups for people dealing with acne, addictions, allergies, breast cancer, headaches, infertility, eating disorders, OCD, parenting, and many more issues.