Losing weight does not have to be all salad and no cookie – in fact, best weight loss effects are achieved when a healthy diet is combined with a fat-burning workout. Outdoor activities can trim your figure in a matter of weeks, but the benefits of fun and sweat al fresco do not stop there. Training outdoors promotes immune function, regulates circadian rhythms, boosts metabolic rate, and reduces risk of chronic diseases, depression, and energy lows. Regular training is even more important if you seldom get to put all major muscle groups to use and instead spend hours staring at the screen behind an office desk or standing at the counter every day. To help get your fat loss on the right track, choose one of the following outdoor activities that will lose you weight quickly and add a dose of Oomph to your energy levels.
Hike your way to weight loss
Conquering off-road trails is an excellent activity for nature lovers and daring explorers looking to work up a sweat and drop a few pounds.
A combination of cardio, endurance, and strength-building exercise, hiking requires minimal equipment, and you can adjust the workout pace based on trail difficulty, fitness level, and personal preference. Hiking targets glutes, abs, and leg muscles, and it also allows you to relax in the lap of Mother Nature and flush hazardous work stress from your system. For maximum effects, choose a hilly terrain and keep up a brisk pace.
Calories burnt per hour: 220-520
Pedal off extra pounds
Pedal off ab flab and sculpt sexy glutes and leg muscles by a single blow!
Cycling is a workout suitable for folks of all ages and fitness levels which builds lung capacity and endurance while strengthening the core and lower body muscles. Depending on skill and fitness level, you can bike in the park or out in the street, or even try conquering rocky slopes. Your two-wheeled steed can also double as an eco-friendly money-saving means of transportation – pedals run on fat, not petrol.
Calories burnt per hour: 240-710
Winner laps for losing weight
Don’t sweat it – swim it!
An endurance and strength-building workout targeting all muscle groups, swimming can help reduce blood pressure, lose weight, alleviate joint pains, improve cardiovascular health, and grow sexy muscles all over your physique. For best results, mix up your backstroke laps with intense water-borne sprints, melt that belly fat, and tighten your post-weight loss pouch in a matter of weeks.
Calories burnt per hour: 270-780
Break a sweat by breaking waves
If you like wave-shredding bravados, surfing is proven to be an ideal workout to help you shed weight quickly.
On top of building endurance and increasing muscle strength, surfing also promotes weight loss and cardiovascular and heart health. If you want to engage your muscles even more try using a stand up paddleboard. During this activity all muscle groups are engaged, from neck, arms and back down to stomach and leg muscles.
Calories burnt per hour: 130-260
One-way kayak to fat burn
Grab a paddle and kayak your way to calorie burn.
Another fat-busting water sport, kayaking makes a demanding cardio exercise that will help you grow strong core and upper body muscles far more efficiently than most other activities out there. Coupled with an adequate dietary regime, kayaking can boost your metabolic rate and accelerate fat loss far more efficiently than some other ground-based workouts. Open-water kayaking allows you to move your workout to a relaxing natural setting and spend more time in the sun – and a bronze tan and increased Vitamin D stock is a nice boon to supplement bulky pectorals, chest, and arm muscles.
Calories burnt per hour: 250-450
Weight loss full speed forehand
Full-force backhands, forehands, and volleys look impressive, do they not?
Tennis is a fast-paced sport which boosts cardiovascular function, burns fat, targets all muscle groups, and builds strength and endurance. In addition to that, the pace of a tennis match changes often, so if even if you are not a HIIT fan, you will still get a decent fast-paced workout once you pick up the racket.
Calories burnt per hour: 288-524
Don’t cut servings – up your serves
If you prefer ground-borne fun and games to water sports, try volleyball for a quick and exciting weight loss workout.
An action-packed full-body exercise, volleyball is extremely dynamic and it will tone your legs, abs, shoulders, and arms fast. If you opt for beach volleyball, you will get the added bonus of higher calorie burn as moving across sand entails greater energy expenditure than running across a flat surface. But even if you can’t move your serves to sand, you can still hope to burn hundreds of calories and have fun while doing it!
Calories burnt per hour: 260-700
Extra weight isn’t just an aesthetic problem: it’s a bundle of health complications in the making, which is all the more reason to take active steps and prevent serious damage before it’s too late. Losing weight is mission possible, granted you know which sport to take up to accelerate fat burning, metabolic rate, and muscle toning. Ready to turn fat into lean muscles? Then it’s time to grab your gear, put on your favorite trainers, and head out for a quick thrill-packed workout!