When it comes to burning calories, running is often the first exercise that many people think of. Running is indeed a great workout and scientific research shows that doing it regularly can add years to your life. But if you find running boring or simply not fun, you may find yourself lacing up your sneakers with dread.If running isn’t for you, don’t sweat it. There are plenty of outdoor activities that burn more calories than running. Now that the weather is warming up, it’s the perfect time to try a high-calorie burn workout that one personal trainer says many people overlook. Keep reading to find out what it is and to see more outdoor activities that burn more calories than running.?SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week?
Certified personal trainer and registered dietitian Tina Marinaccio, MS, RD, CPT, says that one outdoor activity that can burn more calories than running is stand-up paddleboarding (SUP). “Gentler forms of SUP, such as SUP yoga or [doing it on] calm water, will burn about 300 to 500 calories per hour, but more rigorous forms can exceed calories burned while running,” she says, adding that this calorie burn can reach between 600 and 900 calories per hour. If you do SUP racing—where participants race against each other—she says the calorie burn can be over 1,000 per hour. That’s intense! “The rougher the water condition, the higher the calories burn,” Marinaccio explains. This is because staying upright against choppy water requires more strength and power. Especially if you have joint pain, which running can aggravate, Marinaccio says that SUP is a great low-impact way to burn calories. Besides that, it’s fun! Related: If You're Struggling to Hit Your Fitness Goals, It's Time to Try 'Cozy Cardio'
In addition to being a high-calorie-burning workout, Marinaccio says that SUP helps improve balance and tones the abs. Again, the choppier the water, the more you will experience these benefits.
“Besides the physical benefits, research has shown many mental health benefits from being out on the water and in nature, including lasting feelings of calmness, positivity, healing and freedom,” Marinaccio says. If you start doing this outdoor activity regularly, you may find your overall mental health improving.
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If you’ve never tried SUP before, Marinaccio recommends taking group classes before doing it on your own and wearing a life jacket. First, start on your knees and once you have mastered that, you can move on to standing on your board. She adds that it’s also important to know how to swim if you want to try this form of exercise.
Other High-Calorie Burning Activities You Can Do Outside
Maybe SUP isn’t for you or you can’t do it because you don’t live near water. Again, there are plenty of other outdoor activities that are both fun and burn a lot of calories. “Outdoor activities that can potentially burn as many calories as running could be swimming, cycling, hiking and even yard work,” saysRachel Evans, CPT, a certified personal trainer at The Edge.
Evans says that swimming, cycling, hiking and yard work can burn anywhere from 300 to 900 calories per hour. The exact number of calories burned depends on a few factors. Evans says that a person’s height, weight, biological sex, age and level of exertion all play a role. “The more intense the activity, the more calories burned,” she adds.
How can you figure out how intense your outdoor activity is? According to Evans, this can be done by checking your heart rate on a fitness tracker or using the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale. “If you can talk, sing or whistle [while doing an outdoor activity], it’s low intensity. If you can’t talk, but you can sing, that’s moderate intensity. If you can barely talk or can’t talk at all, it’s high intensity,” she says.
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Finding a form of movement that gets your heart rate up—and is one you truly enjoy—is key. That way, you’ll be more likely to do it regularly. “A few health benefits of [regular exercise] are a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, pulmonary conditions, cancer, injuries and falling, diabetes, metabolic disease, depression and more,” Evans says, adding that regular exercise can also improve sleep quality, cognition and memory. She points out that when you exercise outside, you get the added benefit of getting vitamin D, which is important for bone health and immune function.
Now that the weather is nicer, it’s the perfect time to experiment with different forms of outdoor activities that can benefit your health. Whether it’s SUP, hiking, swimming or something else completely, you’ll get the added benefit of being in nature while supporting your physical health.
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Sources
Tina Marinaccio, MS, RD, CPT, certified personal trainer and registered dietitian Rachel Evans, CPT, certified personal trainer at The Edge Read More Details
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