8 Fun Outdoor Workouts to Burn Calories

8 Fun Outdoor Workouts to Burn Calories

There are 1,440 minutes in a day, so try to spend 30 of them to improve your health and burn some calories. Going to a gym can sometimes get boring; here are 8 fun outdoor workouts to burn calories and be more active outside when the weather is nice.

Weather is Cooling Down, Time to Warm Up:

Go for a Walk

Grab a friend or a group of friends (or your dog!) and take a walk around the neighborhood. Walking is a great way to tone your muscles while hanging with your friends!

Go Surfing

Never tried surfing? Winter is the perfect time of year to take a lesson here in Florida; just start with small waves. Surfing can burn up to 200 calories an hour while building your core strength. This activity will help you achieve good balance while on the water and develop a strong back and abs.

Run a Nature Trail

Skip the treadmill and enjoy the outdoors. Start slowly with one-mile, adding longer distances as you get more comfortable. Be sure to eat well before you head out for your run by eating an apple or banana. Try doing this once or twice a week, increasing your distance each time.

Join a Community League

Whether it's a group of your co-workers playing soccer, or some people from your neighborhood playing basketball, or getting some friends together for beach volleyball, team sports allow you the chance to socialize and exercise! Team sports also help keep you accountable, when you know people are counting on you to show up.

Take a Bike Ride

Find a park nearby or a safe neighborhood with a bike lane, or a firm nature trail. Also, if you're feeling adventurous, this is a great way to go explore new neighborhoods or areas you've never been, while getting the bonus of burning calories at the same time!

Yoga at the Beach

Let the sounds of the waves ground you deeper in your practice on the beach. While you engage your spirit, you exercise your physical body in the natural world. A few tips while on the beach: Stay away from too many downward dog poses and vinyasa flow, as the uneven surface of the sand make your wrists vulnerable to injury. Instead, opt to start with salutations to warm up and during your practice simply step back into mountain pose. Yoga in the sand will definitely allow for strengthening your foot and ankle muscles as you practice balancing poses like eagle, tree, or half moon. Also, you may find your yoga mat will bunch or fold while on the sand, so swap it for a beach towel.

Paddle Around

A great activity to tone your arms include canoeing or kayaking. Combine surfing and kayaking and you get paddle boarding. Common beginner mistakes include focusing on your arms, like you would if kayaking; however, paddle boarding is a lot like skiing, you should stand with your legs slightly bent and gaze ahead at the horizon, not straight down. Also, with paddle boarding you want to make sure to focus on engaging your core to help maintain your balance.

Go for a Swim

The rate at which your body burns calories will always vary by the activity, your age, gender, and weight. Tom Holland, an exercise physiologist and triathlete says, A 150-pound person will burn roughly 400 calories during an hour-long swim at a moderate pace, and 700 at a vigorous one. Swimming is not only a fun, summertime activity, it is good for your heart, building muscle tone, and losing weight. As with all forms of exercise, balancing it with healthy food choices is crucial for success.