Hiring a personal trainer to help whip you into shape might not be in your budget for 2009. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), fitness trends for 2009 are all about getting your body tight and keeping your budget even tighter.

Instead of a one-on-one trainer, which can cost as much as $150 dollars per hour-long session, try a group-training program. Bootcamp workouts were hot in 2008 and they are predicted to be just as popular in 2009. During one hour-long session, a person can burn as many as 600 calories as they lunge, squat, jump and push to the sound of a drill sergeant’s whistle. The cost of a group class can run anywhere from $12-$20 a session. Use the Internet to find a kickboxing, spinning, or dancing class in your area and save yourself some money while keeping yourself accountable.

Maybe a gym membership is not financially possible right now. There is no reason to panic, fear the worst or give up on exercising all together.  According to a recent survey, 2009 is already showing fewer people signing up for gym memberships and more people going to Barnes and Noble to buy fitness books with sound plans and advice. Not interested in a book? Workout in the comfort of your own home with a fitness DVD of your choice. Just like with fitness books, there is an array of choices when it comes to exercise DVDs, and there is one for every fitness type and level. One word of advice though, look for fitness plans (either books or DVDs) that don’t require more than a set of free weights and/or a resistance band.

On top of the hundreds of health and fitness books and DVDs out there, there is also the Internet to help you come up with a workout plan for 2009. Right here on LIME.com, you'll find dozens of articles to get your heart pumping, and our sister site yogamates.com offers classes for every level of yogi.

When it comes to getting fit or staying fit in 2009 there are plenty of low cost and free options out there. While many of them don’t require a lot of money, each plan does require dedication and perseverance and as well as practice and effort to get results.