See you later, cabin fever! The cold and dark winter days are long gone, as longer, sun-filled days are upon us as the official beginning of summer is days away. Whether you hibernated a little too much over the past several months or didn’t get moving as much as you wanted, now is the perfect time to get outside and have fun while burning calories and building strength with these summer activities.
As you either head for the water or head to the hills for a day of outdoor fun, get a good gauge on how many calories you may be burning each hour.
Have fun and work out at the same time with these surprisingly effective summer activities. Stepping up your fitness game while having fun this summer is the goal! Get out, have fun, torch calories without knowing it, and get stronger this summer!
A refreshing way to torch calories and stay cool this summer, swimming works your entire body from head to toe. The gentle resistance the water provides is easy on your joints but tough on caloric expenditure. Even just splashing around can burn 225 or more calories per hour while the butterfly stroke, can push up to 900 calories per hour depending on your current weight, age, and gender. Turn your time in the pool into a workout by swimming laps, performing the butterfly stroke, or freestyle swimming for as long as you can before breaking. You can even add a little HIIT into the mix with swimming intervals. While swimming can be a solo sport, The Red Cross advises you to go with a buddy as there is safety in numbers.
Although surfing to the “newbie” might seem intimidating, it’s a fantastic way to burn a ton of calories while using muscles you haven’t worked in a while; all while learning a new sport. You probably won’t be performing any sweet tricks on the first day, you’ll more than likely be falling off the board a few times or more. But this is good — it burns more calories as you use your entire body to get back on the board, while your core stabilizes you to stay on it. Surfing, for all levels of experience, exercises your endurance, works your upper and lower body while tapping into your core strength.
Paddleboarding is a fun way to get together with friends and make summer memories while getting a solid workout at the same time. A core challenger, SUP will test your balance skills and coordination. Although you can paddleboard by sitting down, standing up burns more calories and works more muscle groups. To help maximize your workout, and even lessen your chances of falling off the board, REI’s Stand-Up Paddleboarding Basics provide great tips to make your paddle boarding experience a great one!
Heights aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, understandably, but, if you’re up for a challenge, rock climbing is a sure-fire way to torch calories and build strength. While you’re climbing in the great outdoors, this sport works many muscle groups such as the muscles of the back, hands, forearms, fingers, and legs. As you climb your body is working on its coordination and muscular endurance skills. Christian Helger, a certified rock-climbing instructor at Acadia Mountain Guide Climbing School recommends wearing comfortable athletic wear and removing any rings from your fingers. (And to have fun!)
You can take this summertime activity as leisurely as you want, or you can ramp it up and make it a full-blown workout. The sightseeing alone is a reason to get out and kayak. If you do choose to take it slow and check out your summer surroundings, kayaking, at just two miles per hour will burn more than 200 calories while you’re out on the water. The rotation of paddling forward is a great way to target your back, upper body, and core.
