As the mercury rises burning calories gets a lot more fun. No longer limited to exercising in doors, the options get a lot more plentiful and varied. Working out doesn’t have to feel like working out. The gym is great. But lets face it, while you may enjoy going to the gym, you wouldn’t exactly call it fun. Taking your workout outside and trying some warm-weather activities, allows you to burn calories, whilst having a good time.
Research suggests that exercising outdoors is linked with good things such as greater vitality, enthusiasm, pleasure, self-esteem, and lower levels of stress hormone cortisol and less bad things such as tension, depression, and fatigue. Importantly, it seems that if you exercise outside, you’re also more likely to exercise longer. And it makes sense. If you’re outdoors, breathing fresh air, enjoying natural sunlight, you’re not going to be in a rush to finish and get back inside. And if that wasn’t enough good news, taking your workout outdoors can increase your calorie burn, due to factors such as uneven terrain, wind and fluctuating outdoor temperature.
Mixing up your routine has another upside; catching some rays means you’re topping up on vital Vitamin D, which has a bevy a health benefits, one of which is the role it plays in weight loss (in fact there’s an entire book on Vitamin D and weight loss called the The Vitamin D Diet).
Here’s a list of outdoor activities that boast a massive calorie-burn, tone and strengthen muscles, and will put your gym workout to shame. And remember, just because you’re having fun, doesn’t mean you’re not burning calories!
All activities are calculated for a 150-pound woman performing the activity for 30 minutes, though most of these activities are likely to be of longer duration.
Biking is a simple, fun and effective way to get a great workout.
Moving your workout from a spinning class to the great outdoors has its benefits; time passes much faster and in terms of effort tends feels easier, due to the pleasant distraction of scenery.
Cycling outdoors also works the glutes (butt muscles), hamstrings, quadriceps, shins and calves harder than indoor cycling.
A practical advantage of biking is that you can use it for more than just exploring new neighborhoods, parks, trails or bike paths, but can use it as a mode of transport to get from point A to B, such as commuting to work.
Calories burnt: Pedal off the pounds by burning about 240 calories, and even more mountain biking.
