Washington at No. 18 USC football: Who has the edge?

• October 2, 2026

Washington (3-1 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) at No. 14 USC (4-1, 1-1)

When: Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

Where: Coliseum

TV/Radio: NBC (Ch. 4)/710 AM

Line: USC by 9 1/2 points

NOTABLE INJURIES

USC: OUT: WR Corey Simms (undisclosed), C Kilian O’Connor (knee), S Kendarius Reddick (undisclosed); QUESTIONABLE: DT Jahkeem Stewart (foot), WR Trent Mosley (knee), S Alex Graham (undisclosed), TE Mark Bowman (undisclosed), LB Taylor “Taybo” Johnson (undisclosed), OL Hayden Treter (undisclosed), DT Alex VanSumeren (lower body)

Washington: OUT: RB Jordan Washington (neck), WR Christian Moss (quad), RB Jayden Limar (elbow), RB Quaid Carr (hand), S CJ Christian (Achilles); QUESTIONABLE: C Landen Hatchett (wrist); PROBABLE: CB Emmanuel Karnley (soft tissue)

What’s at stake? Both of these teams are coming off of their first loss of the season — USC fell to Oregon last week and Washington lost to Minnesota. Both head coaches are on a hot seat, but at very different temperatures.

Lincoln Riley’s job is highly insecure after failing to capture a signature win against the Ducks and struggling to establish a defense, even with the help of defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. The Trojans have given up 26 points or more in every game this season except for a shutout of Fresno State in Week 1. Jedd Fisch is facing early pressure due to an offense that hasn’t scored more than 24 points in a game aside from its 48-16 win over Eastern Washington, an FCS team.

Who’s better? USC far and away has the superior offense in this matchup, but its defense could be a liability. The Trojans have struggled both in coverage and against the run, making the Huskies’ dual-threat quarterback, Demond Williams, a potential challenge.

Matchup to watch: Demond Williams vs. USC’s pass rush. This is a quarterback who can do a lot, and the Trojans defense will have to communicate effectively and play as one if they want to contain him. USC has given up 47 passing plays over 10 yards this season, and Williams is averaging 8.2 yards per pass.

USC wins if: The Trojans’ defense needs a breakthrough, and fast. Washington’s offensive line has allowed 10 sacks this season, so the game could be under control early if USC can get to the quarterback.

Prediction: USC 28, Washington 21. The Trojans get the bounce-back win, but not without a few scares.

​ Orange County Register 

Jury acquits fired Florida sheriff’s deputy in killing of Black US Airforce Airman Roger Fortson

• October 2, 2026

By COREY WILLIAMS

A former Florida sheriff’s deputy has been found not guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in the killing of a Black U.S. Air Force airman fatally shot at his apartment during a domestic disturbance call.

An Okaloosa County jury acquitted Eddie Duran, 38, on Thursday. Duran had faced up to 30 years in prison.

Duran, who is Hispanic, worked for the Okaloosa County sheriff’s department in May 2024 when he responded to Roger Fortson’s Fort Walton Beach apartment near Hurlburt Field, where the airman was stationed.

The sheriff’s office had said the deputy “reacted in self-defense after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun.” The shooting was captured on the deputy’s body camera.

The video shows the deputy banging on the door and stepping aside, seemingly out of view of the door. Twice he shouted: “Sheriff’s office! Open the door!”

Fortson opened the door and could be seen holding what appeared to be a handgun pointed down toward the floor. The deputy shouted, “Step back!” and fired off shots. He then shouted, “Drop the gun! Drop the gun!”

“It’s over there,” Fortson said.

“Drop the gun!” the deputy yelled back.

“I don’t have it,” Fortson said, lying on the ground.

The deputy then called paramedics on his radio.

Fortson later died at a hospital. The domestic disturbance report that led Duran to Fortson’s apartment turned out to be false.

After the shooting, authorities said Fortson was alone in the apartment and on the phone with his girlfriend.

Fortson was assigned as a missions operator to the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field. He was a member of the squadron’s AC-130J Ghostrider aircrew, which loads the gunship’s 30 mm and 105 mm cannons during missions.

The State Attorney’s office prosecuted Duran and said in a news release that it accepts the jury’s verdict, which means the state “did not prove the criminal charge beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of every juror.”

“We understand that this verdict will cause pain, anger, or disappointment for many people, particularly some members of the community who view Senior Airman Fortson’s death within a context of encounters nationally involving law enforcement,” the State Attorney’s office said. “Those reactions should not be dismissed.”

Duran was fired after an internal sheriff’s office investigation later determined his life was not in danger when he shot Fortson.

Duran’s attorney, Rod Smith, said the shooting was a police officer safety issue and that Duran went to Fortson’s apartment “to find out what was going on based on a complaint from a neighbor.”

“None of this needed to happen,” Smith told The Associated Press on Friday. “(Fortson) absolutely knew a police officer was at the door. Deputy Duran, himself, was also a victim of a terrible tragedy. He had followed his training. The guy answered the door with a semiautomatic pistol in his hand.”

It is highly unusual for Florida law enforcement officers to be charged for an on-duty killing — it has only happened four times in the last 35 years before Fortson’s killing. Even then, only one of those officers was convicted.

“Deputies perform essential and often dangerous work every day, and are entitled to the same presumption of innocence and fair process as everyone else accused of a crime,” the State Attorney’s office said. “At the same time, the authority to use deadly force must remain subject to independent review. Presenting disputed evidence to a jury is part of that accountability and is essential to public trust.”

Fortson’s killing renewed looks at controversial “Stand Your Ground” laws in Florida and some other states where gun owners can claim self-defense after carrying out shootings. Critics have denounced them as “shoot first” laws that have created a climate of vigilantism in which gun owners operate with impunity in largely killing Black people.

Fortson carried his legally owned handgun to the door of his apartment after hearing banging noises that ended up being a sheriff’s deputy. It was the deputy who opened fire, not Fortson.

A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed last year by Fortson’s family against Duran, Sheriff Eric Aden and others, according to Ben Crump, a prominent attorney who represents the family in the lawsuit.

“This is a painful moment for everyone who loved Roger Fortson, and his family is heartbroken,” Crump said in a statement. “His family has lived with that loss every day for more than two years, and this verdict is incredibly hard for them.”

Williams reported from Detroit.

​ Orange County Register 

‘Cockroach’ protesters demand India’s election chief resign over voter list changes

• October 2, 2026

By SHEIKH SAALIQ

NEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of supporters of India’s “Cockroach” youth movement held new protests in the country’s financial hub of Mumbai on Friday to demand the resignation of the chief election commissioner over the revision of voter lists.

The movement, which began as an online campaign and now calls itself the Cockroach Janata Party, organized street protests that forced India’s education minister to resign in July. The Mumbai rally is meant to kick off a new period of demonstrations nationwide.

Separately, police prevented student and civil society groups from gathering Friday at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in New Delhi, to also demand the commissioner’s resignation. Police detained dozens of protesters and some opposition leaders heading to the site, which had been barricaded off.

The protests add to mounting pressure on India’s Election Commission, which oversees polls across the country. Critics and opposition parties accuse it of altering voter registrations to give an advantage to the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both the commission and the government deny any wrongdoing.

India’s election commission faces internal dissent

The Indian Express newspaper last month reported that two of the three election commissioners had formally objected to several decisions involving voter list revisions, registration procedures and the commission’s digital systems.

According to the report, the two commissioners questioned the legality of some of the decisions, but Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar disregarded their objections. Indian law requires the three-member Election Commission to make decisions by majority vote.

The commission disputed the report, saying it was based on “differing views and deliberations” among the commissioners rather than formal written objections.

Voter list revisions could remove millions of names

India’s voter list revisions began last year in the eastern state of Bihar ahead of state elections, and have since expanded to most of the country’s states and federally administered territories.

Known as Special Intensive Revision, the revisions have drawn criticism over the documents required to establish voters’ eligibility. Critics say the requirements have been confusing and difficult for many voters to meet, potentially leaving millions off the registration lists and unable to vote.

Election Commission data shows voter lists in some regions could shrink by as much as 30%.

The commission says the objective is to remove duplicate and ineligible entries while ensuring eligible voters remain on the lists. Opposition parties and activists say it risks excluding legitimate voters. They also accuse the chief commissioner, Kumar, of political bias and allege the revisions benefit Modi’s party.

The Election Commission and Modi’s party have rejected the allegations.

The ‘Cockroach’ movement is expanding its political focus

The youth movement, which emerged earlier this year out of anger over high unemployment among young people and leaked examination papers, has grown into a political force.

Led by Abhijeet Dipke, it rose to national prominence after organizing mass protests over examination paper leaks. The demonstrations culminated in the resignation of the education minister, a significant political setback for Modi’s government.

The movement has since sought to take up other issues beyond education, including government accountability and democratic institutions.

​ Orange County Register 

Amazon to invest $1B into data center communities amid backlash against data center rollouts

• October 2, 2026

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is investing more than $1 billion over the next five years into communities where it operates data centers for education, job training, water and energy preservation projects and other local priorities as it reacts to a growing backlash from politicians and consumers to the tech industry’s rollout of the massive buildings.

According to a blog post on Friday by Matt Garman, Amazon’s CEO of its cloud computing arm, Amazon has already spent more than $1 billion in communities with a large data center presence over the past three years.

Garman also said that Amazon is no longer using nondisclosure agreements with government agencies it works with on its projects, and it said it hosts open houses in communities where it operates to share information about what it’s doing. He also warned against the spread of what he believes is misinformation about data centers’ impact on the environment and energy rates — and he cited the dangers of over 100 moratoriums against these centers being considered across the country.

“If these measures are enacted, the U.S. could be writing its own losing ticket to this race, and the consequences would last generations,” he wrote. “As a country, we can’t afford to find ourselves in that position. There is urgency to this data center build out because we aren’t the only country that sees the benefits of AI for the economy and national security.”

Garman’s pledge comes as data centers, which power artificial intelligence and cloud computing, have become a hot political issue heading into the midterms as tech giants race to invest more money in expanding these infrastructures.

Small, under-the-radar data centers have been around for decades. But the explosion of artificial intelligence chatbots has resulted in data centers that are bigger than anything just about any town has ever seen. Some of them dwarf football stadiums and factories and consume more energy than small cities.

By 2030, data centers will account for nearly 3% of the world’s projected electricity use, with 935 trillion watt-hours, according to a United Nations University report released in June on these buildings’ environmental footprint.

Amazon said in July that it now expects to spend $220 billion in capital expenditures in 2026, including on data centers and other technology investments. That’s up from its prior estimate of $200 billion.

President Donald Trump has embraced the building of more data centers, but there is growing wariness from voters. About 6 in 10 Americans support limiting the number of new data centers that can be built, including most Democrats and Republicans.

And a majority of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the impact of data centers on electricity prices or the water supply in the communities where they are built.

​ Orange County Register 

Indonesian villagers on Borneo struggle for water as El Niño intensifies peatland fires

• October 2, 2026

By EDNA TARIGAN and VICTORIA MILKO

PENYELADI, Indonesia (AP) — After three months with no rain, Sriwati, a shopkeeper and mother of three children living in Penyeladi village on the tropical island of Borneo, can no longer depend on the river for her needs.

Experts say communities like Sriwati’s are facing a severe water crisis as this year’s super El Niño, combined with decades of degradation of the island’s ecologically vital peatlands — ancient wetlands that are critical for carbon storage, water regulation and pollution control — has created the perfect storm exacerbating human-caused climate change.

The Kapuas, Indonesia’s longest river that over 3 million people rely on, has extremely receded in the area near her home. All that’s left is a shallow stream of muddy water that’s not safe to drink or wash the rice she cooks to feed her children. She now has to buy water, adding to her monthly expenses.

“The water shortage affects us, especially when it comes to drinking water,” Sriwati, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, told The Associated Press from her small, concrete home.

El Niño and peatland degradation create crisis

El Niño is part of a natural climate cycle of warming ocean temperatures, but this year’s is expected to reach new extremes of drought, heat waves, flooding and other climate-related disruptions across the globe.

Meteorologists forecast it could exceed a record El Niño that began in 1997 and helped trigger billions of dollars in damage from heat waves, floods, droughts, tornadoes and wildfires.

In Borneo, experts say that because vast peatlands have been destroyed by land conversion, the effects of El Niño are already being more acutely felt.

“In Kalimantan, something like 60% of the peatland areas have been drained to make way for palm oil plantations and for pulp and paper concessions,” said Amanda Hurowitz, a senior director at international environmental organization Mighty Earth, using the name for the Indonesia-controlled part of Borneo.

“That means the water is not where it should be. There are all these canals, and because the canals are blocked, the water table goes low,” she continued. “Because it’s so dry, the water has just disappeared.”

In a written statement to the AP, Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry acknowledged the negative impact of drained peatlands, while insisting that specific causes and liabilities must be determined by evidence rather than attributed automatically to El Niño or the presence of businesses.

They added that the government aims to prevent future peatland degradation through ecosystem restoration and strict enforcement of concession holders’ obligations.

“The government’s long-term agenda focuses on preserving and restoring peatland hydrological functions, improving landscape and water management, strengthening fire prevention, and ensuring that all parties managing land fulfill their responsibilities,” they said.

Fires continue to burn across Borneo as water supplies dwindle

Experts say the hot, dry conditions caused by El Niño coupled with peatland degradation have contributed to the enormous fires spreading across Borneo.

Dried peat is highly flammable, allowing fires to easily spread in drained areas. Because the fires often spread underground, they’re difficult to extinguish and can easily reoccur, according to the Borneo Nature Foundation.

The dwindling water supply in the area has slowed down firefighting efforts, while Japan has deployed firefighting assistance to the island.

Toxic thick haze blankets the sky. The smoke has drifted as far as the Philippines, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away, and breached Malaysia’s emergency-level threshold for air pollution, forcing authorities to declare an emergency last week in a town in Sarawak state on Borneo.

In a written statement to the AP, Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry said the government is shifting its forest and land fire policy toward prevention by strengthening cross-sectoral coordination, enforcing laws against burning-based land clearing, expanding patrols and early detection systems, promoting risk-based monitoring and peatland restoration, and requiring permit holders and communities to take responsibility for fire control.

“Ultimately, controlling forest and land fires is not the task of a single ministry or institution,” they said. “Prevention requires collaborative effort.”

Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry recorded more than 202,000 hectares (499,000 acres) of burned land between January and July, almost three times the size of Singapore.

Communities continue to bear the burden

As the fires continue to burn and water remains scarce, communities continue to suffer.

In Sungai Malaya village in West Kalimantan, fires have burned for over a month, with residents remaining tense around the clock, as fires have sometimes suddenly worsened at night.

Fires have decimated the vacant lots where Rumsiyeh, a 45-year-old mother of five children, and her husband picked ferns to sell at the market.

“Everything’s gone. We can’t make a living anymore,” she said.

Boaters, fishers and others who rely on the river have had their livelihoods impacted, as extremely low water levels mean it’s impossible to fish or travel on the Kapuas. In the areas where there’s enough water for boats to operate, the thick haze hampers visibility, making it dangerous to operate, fisherman Abiansah, 39, said.

And the national economic impact remains unmeasured: Large metal barges that usually carry oil palm tree kernels for processing downriver currently lie aground on the sand, as children swing from their untied mooring lines.

Some relief has come from private and government water donations, but residents still fear what the future holds.

“I’m worried about this prolonged dry spell. It’s reached the point where just going about our daily activities — going anywhere at all — has become difficult. We’re facing water shortages, too,” said Sriwati. “I’m at a loss for words to describe it.”

Milko reported from Islamabad.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

​ Orange County Register 

Trump tried to make an ally out of fishermen. Some have started to turn on him

• October 2, 2026

By PATRICK WHITTLE

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — John Evich, a commercial fisherman in Washington and Alaska, has voted for President Donald Trump three times, viewing him as someone who would fight for his industry.

But these days, Evich is weary of the high cost of doing business at sea, with fuel prices rising and trade hostilities with Canada jeopardizing markets for the crabs that he pulls off the ocean floor.

“If somebody came along that was going to do a better job, I would vote for them in a heartbeat,” he said.

Evich’s sentiment, echoed throughout the U.S. seafood industry, is another piece of a political puzzle that is working against Trump in the midterm elections. Dissatisfaction among commercial fishermen could cause collateral damage for Republicans in competitive races in Washington, Alaska and Maine.

“Having those costs be so much higher this year has really undermined the viability of some of our fisheries,” Alaska fisherman Linda Behnken said.

Trump sought to make an ally out of fishermen during his first term with expanded fishing territory, aggressive trade moves and cutting down regulations on the water. He did so again after his second election.

But one of Trump’s government cutback efforts, cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which regulates fisheries, has left the agency slower to respond to the industry’s needs, fishermen said. Staff cutbacks also resulted in the agency reducing weather balloons used to gather data fishermen rely on.

Fuel costs have also crept up during the war with Iran, pushing diesel fuel into the $6-per-gallon range when it was less than $4 per gallon a year ago — a major burden for a diesel-dependent industry. And the trade war with Canada has complicated the American seafood industry’s relationship with a country it has long been interconnected with, fishermen said.

The Trump administration has continued trying to win the hearts of fishermen with industry-friendly moves, including an early September promise to reduce more regulatory burdens in response to a 2025 executive order. And some of the industry’s key states, such as Alaska, Washington and Maine, are important to Trump politically this year because of competitive House and Senate races. But support on the water could be waning.

“I’m for whatever has to happen for the greater good in the long run for my family and my country,” Evich said.

Trump has cozied up to the fishing industry for years

Trump has positioned himself as a pro-fishing president since his first term, when one of his major moves to impact the fishing industry was the rollback of Obama-era fishing restrictions for Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument off the New England coast. Biden later restored the protections, and then Trump removed them again.

The fishing industry is potentially a natural ally for Trump. A 2026 NOAA survey of commercial fishing crews found that 70% thought fishing rules were too restrictive, and Trump has fashioned himself as an enemy of bureaucracy and red tape.

But in recent months, Trump has brought disruption to the fishing industry in a time when it can ill afford it, said John Sackton, founder of SeafoodNews.com and a longtime industry analyst. He said he sees an industry that is eager to “turn the page” on the Trump administration.

“Now what’s happened is that there has been this unbelievable wave of disruption from everything – targeting NOAA and fisheries, science and even weather reporting that people rely on,” said Sackton, who also cited tariffs and the rising cost of doing business as problems Trump brought to the industry.

Fuel costs and tariffs are huge concerns for fishermen

The high price of fuel is “one of the most immediate pressures on us as commercial fishermen,” said Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association in New York.

Nearly all of the U.S.’s commercial fishing fleet uses marine diesel fuel, which makes soaring fuel costs a burden they can’t avoid. Sometimes fuel prices are so high right now that fishermen can’t afford to leave the dock at all, she said.

“Actual dockside marine-fuel prices vary, but the magnitude of the increase is undeniable. It determines whether a trip is economically viable, what the crew earns and whether necessary vessel maintenance can be performed,” Brady said.

In Rhode Island, fisherman Chris Brown, who targets species such as fluke and squid out of Point Judith, puts it more bluntly.

“It’s huge. It’s crazy. Thank you, Donald Trump,” he said sarcastically.

Trump’s trade war with Canada is a more complicated matter because Canada exempted U.S. fish and seafood products from its counter-tariffs that followed the U.S. placing tariffs on Canadian goods. Prior to the exemption, Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, said U.S. lobstermen risked becoming “collateral damage in a broader trade dispute.”

But unease among fishermen remains, in part because Canada is the U.S.’s largest seafood trading partner. The U.S. also relies on Canada for seafood processing and manufacturing of fishing gear. For some species, such as lobster and salmon, American and Canadian fishermen fish very close to each other or even in the same waters.

A trade war with such a key partner could have negative consequences for the fishing industry, said Steve Train, a lobster fisherman from Long Island, Maine, who described himself as a “right-leaning centrist” who has voted Republican more than Democrat.

“I get the standing up to a bully concept, but too many people will be caught in the middle of this,” Train said. “Both sides need to reconsider these tariffs, and they need to reconsider soon.”

Cuts to NOAA are troubling to fishermen

NOAA Fisheries, the arm of NOAA tasked with overseeing commercial fishing, is facing a budget cut of more than 40% in the fiscal 2027 budget proposal. That would result in cuts to science programs, fisheries management and data collection.

Those cutbacks trickle down to the fishermen and result in a lack of fishing opportunities, Sackton said. Some in the fishery also have the impression NOAA is too understaffed to regulate fisheries in a timely fashion, he said.

In Sitka, Alaska, Behnken said the Trump administration’s cutbacks at NOAA have made it more difficult for her and others who rely on the agency. She said she has a lot of empathy for the workers left at the agency, who she said are “doing the work of three people, particularly at the weather service,” but it is still frustrating for fishermen.

“It’s hard to retain good people when their future at the organization is that uncertain,” said Behnken, who is executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association.

The Associated Press receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

​ Orange County Register 

Kennedy Center Honors to be held at Capital One Arena amid fight over adding Trump’s name

• October 2, 2026

By MIKE CATALINI

This year’s Kennedy Center Honors will be held at Washington’s Capital One Arena, not the riverfront building that’s been at the center of a legal fight over adding President Donald Trump’s name to the building.

The 49th annual awards are set to take place at Washington’s downtown arena, a Kennedy Center spokesperson said Friday. Few other details were immediately available, and an explanation for the change wasn’t given.

The center’s board voted last month to close the iconic performing arts venue along the Potomac River waterfront after a federal judge blocked the institution from returning Trump’s name to the building.

Trump has said in social media posts that the center needed to close for safety repairs. But he said the repairs would only happen if the board was allowed to move forward with plans to add his name to the building.

A federal judge has twice said that can’t happen without the approval of Congress, which has allocated $257 million for repairs.

The president hosted the 2025 awards, whose honorees included Sylvester Stallone and George Strait. He said at the time that he would rename the facility the “Trump Kennedy Center,” and not long after workers began adding his name to the building.

The board of trustees, named by Trump, voted unanimously for the change, which has been challenged in court since.

Congress named the performing arts center as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy in 1964, the year after he was assassinated.

The law explicitly prohibits the board of trustees from making the center into a memorial to anyone else, and from putting another person’s name on the building’s exterior.

The Kennedy Center Honors, which recognize people for lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts, was established in 1978. The 2026 honorees are set to be named at a later day, the center’s spokesperson said. The event will take place on December 7.

​ Orange County Register 

Wellness on a budget: How to stay fit for less

• October 2, 2026

By Kimberly Palmer, NerdWallet

As someone who loves to follow fitness trends, my social media feeds are constantly filled with new wellness products. Vibration plates, kettlebells, protein powders — they all promise incredible results.

I’m often left wondering how to navigate this booming wellness marketplace without wasting money.

I asked two accredited financial counselors for their advice. How can we embrace the wellness trends that work without blowing through our budgets?

They told me to lean on free workouts, trial periods and workplace benefits.

“I’ve been on my own health and wellness journey for the last 10 years and I’ve tried it all,” says Laura Adams, accredited financial counselor and financial coach in Wilmington, North Carolina.

She discovered that for her, the best way to stay fit doesn’t cost much. For her, it’s important to be active every day, even when she’s tired. Movement could be as simple as going for a walk or a bike ride.

Take trial periods for a spin

For apps and other membership programs that have subscription fees, Adams suggests giving yourself a temporary trial period before committing. Sometimes programs offer free or reduced-price trials, but you have to remember to cancel the subscription when the trial ends.

“Find a gym that will let you come for a month without completing the contract, or sign up for one month for a fitness app rather than paying for the entire year,” she says.

I took this approach when considering whether or not to buy a Peloton bike. I tried out cycle classes with free YouTube videos using an old bike before committing to any new equipment or subscriptions.

Adams adds that you might think you’d enjoy Pilates but then realize you hate it after trying free video classes online for a month.

“Make sure you can really commit before investing financially,” she says.

Get more out of your existing subscriptions

If you already subscribe to an entertainment streaming service or pay for cable, it may offer fitness classes for free.

“There are so many at-home workouts you can do with a YouTube subscription,” says Jasmine Johnson, an accredited financial counselor and certified financial therapist based in Chicago.

That’s what she does, which means she’s paying around $16 a month for YouTube Premium, which comes with access to many online workouts. (You can also watch many workouts on YouTube with just a free account.)

Lean on (but don’t necessarily copy) friends

Who needs to pay for a fitness coach when you have a support team available through social media or a phone call?

Johnson suggests asking a friend to meet you at the gym or go for a walk together. She also likes to share on social media when she’s walking.

“People will engage with me while I’m walking, and that keeps me consistent,” she says.

At the same time, Johnson adds, try to avoid feeling like you need to buy what you see friends or fitness influencers touting online.

“Just because someone else is suggesting it doesn’t mean that’s what you need. Staying frugal comes down to doing something that you enjoy,” she says. For her, that means a lot of walking and hiking, two activities that are generally free.

Apply available discounts

Adams points out that sometimes workplace benefits might include a discount on a gym membership or certain health-related discounts through insurance coverage. It’s worth checking out those potential discounts before making a purchase.

If you’re going to sign up for a gym membership, Johnson says, try to do so during a promotion period when extra discounts are available. Promotions are typically offered during the end of the year, beginning of the year and early summer.

Similarly, if you’re in the market for substantial gear like home gym equipment, you can save by making your purchase during annual or semi-annual sales. Black Friday, three-day weekends such as Memorial Day and Labor Day, and the beginning of the calendar year tend to bring discounts on home gym equipment.

Certain credit cards also come with fitness-related rewards. When I eventually decided to purchase a Peloton bike, I was able to offset some of my monthly membership costs through the rewards on my Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Other credit cards come with wellness benefits such as rewards on drugstore purchases, fitness club expenses and purchases at sporting goods stores.

Factor in the long-term benefits

Some wellness investments can pay off over time and might be worth an initial investment, Adams says. She puts mental-health therapy treatments — such as chiropractic care or acupuncture — and healthy food into this category.

“All of these things might seem like splurges, but they are ways to invest in yourself that will pay off long-term. Your dividends will be a longer life, less health expenses and less lost income due to illness,” she says.

I’m feeling better about my Peloton bike investment already.

Kimberly Palmer writes for NerdWallet. Email: kpalmer@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kimberlypalmer.

The article Wellness on a Budget: How to Stay Fit for Less originally appeared on NerdWallet.

​ Orange County Register