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Health & Wellbeing
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Fun Outdoor Exercise Options
By Lynn Bode, CFT
Temperatures outside are rising. Shorts and
bathing suits are coming out of winter storage.
That can mean only one thing - summer has
finally arrived!
Summer brings with it many wonderful things:
long hours of daylight, warm temperatures,
and the opportunity to finally spend time
enjoying the outdoors. But it also can include
busy schedules and limitations on your fitness
routines.
If you are someone who regularly works out
at a fitness club or exercises in your home,
you may find it more difficult to keep up
your activity level during the summer months.
And who can blame you? Exercising indoors
can be less than motivating when you prefer
to spend time outside.
To help avoid completely abandoning your
fitness routine, try adding some outdoor activities
that you enjoy while also enjoying the calorie
burning benefits and overall fitness benefits.
Following is a list of some fun activities
you can try out as a beginner or improve your
skills on if you are already familiar with
them.
Swimming
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Advantages: You get to stay cool while
being active. Even beginners who can't
"officially" swim strokes, can
perform water activities that keep them
fit.
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Calorie Burning Potential: A 150 pound
person can burn 360 calories in 30 minutes!
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Tips: If you don't know how to swim,
consider enrolling in an adult swim class
at one of your local pools or instead
try out some alternative water workouts
that don't require swimming skills. Visit:
www.workoutsforyou.com/water.htm
for some suggestions.
In-line Skating
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Advantages: Inexpensive to get started.
All you need is a smooth, safe path to skate
on. That means you can try out some new
scenery practically every time you put them
on, which will help keep things more fun
and motivating.
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Calorie Burning Potential: A 150 pound
person can burn 563 calories in 30 minutes!
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Tips: Be sure to get all the necessary
safety gear (e.g. wrist pads, knee pads,
etc.). You also might want to purchase
some sport specific socks to help avoid
blisters that can especially occur with
a new pair of blades. Consider borrowing
or renting a pair of in-line skates to
first get a feel for them, help determine
your right size and ensure you really
will enjoy this activity before you purchase
your own skates.
Ultimate Frisbee
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Advantages: Great no-contact sport. Burn
calories and stay fit while having fun
with others. It allows you to use some
of your competitive juices and also offers
the added benefit of meeting new people.
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Calorie Burning Potential: A 150 pound
person can burn 360 calories in 30 minutes!
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Tips: Ultimate Frisbee is a non-contact
team sport that mixes features of soccer,
basketball, and football. The rules are
simple for beginners to quickly learn it.
To find a team near you, try this link:
http://www.ultilinks.com/links.html
Cycling
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Advantages: All you need is a bike. You
can cycle most anywhere. It is an appropriate
activity for beginners and you can continually
advance with your workout. It's a low
impact workout.
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Calorie Burning Potential: A 150 pound
person can burn 380 calories in 30 minutes!
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Tips: For extra motivation to keep you
interested in sticking with the workouts,
try signing up for a friendly race. For
example, there are Century races that
provide a real challenge. Training for
them all summer long is a great way to
stay in shape.
Water Skiing
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Advantages: Enjoy lake fun while also
burning a lot of calories, and building
upper and lower body strength.
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Calorie Burning Potential: A 150 pound
person can burn 270 calories in 30 minutes!
Lynn Bode is a certified
personal trainer specializing in Internet-based
fitness programs. She founded Workouts For
You, which provides affordable online exercise
programs that are custom designed for each
individual. Visit: http://www.workoutsforyou.com
for a free sample workout. Fitness professionals
take your business online, visit: http://www.trainerforce.com
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