3 Fresh Summer Activities to Boost Your Fitness Level
How’s your summer exercise routine going? If you’re bored with the same old workouts—or just need an excuse to get outside and enjoy the scenery—I’ve got some suggestions that will burn calories, improve your overall fitness, and add some variety to your routine.
Rollerblading
It may seem a little retro (if you consider the ’90s retro), but rollerblading is a great low-impact aerobic activity that’s also lots of fun. When you rollerblade, you work your glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and abdominal muscles, as well as your upper arms and shoulders if you swing your arms, allowing you to burn around 570 calories per hour.
The faster you skate, the more intense your workout will be. The Inline Skating Resource Center found rollerblading to be a better aerobic exercise than cycling and more beneficial in terms of muscle strengthening and development than either running or cycling.
Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP)
Stand-Up paddleboarding is the fastest-growing water sport in the world. It has become wildly popular among celebrities, surfers, and professional athletes as a way to cross-train and stay in shape. It involves standing upright on what looks like a large surfboard and using a long paddle to propel yourself through the water. SUP can be done in nearly any body of water—lakes, canals, rivers, ocean surf, even whitewater—and it has numerous health and fitness benefits.
SUP offers a phenomenal full-body workout, targeting core muscles, legs, glutes, shoulders, and arms as you balance and paddle. You can burn about the same number of calories paddleboarding as you can running (between 500 and 1,000 calories per hour), but since it’s a low-impact activity, it’s much easier on your joints. SUP also helps lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol, and it’s said to be a great therapeutic technique because of the Zen-like experience it provides.
Beach Volleyball
Beach volleyball is another great summer activity that you can enjoy with friends while simultaneously boosting your fitness level. It requires quick, strong movements from major joints, enabled by surrounding muscle groups. The more involved you are in the game, the better your workout will be.
Passing the ball works your shoulders and quads. Jumping to hit or spike the ball engages your glutes and hamstring muscles. Even shuffling to adjust your position works your inner thigh muscles. Approximately 45 minutes of volleyball can burn up to 585 calories. It’s also been shown to strengthen the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. If you don’t live near a beach, have no fear; many parks and college campuses have outdoor sand volleyball courts available for public use.
Check out STACK Fitness for more fun workouts to stay in shape this summer.
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3 Fresh Summer Activities to Boost Your Fitness Level
How’s your summer exercise routine going? If you’re bored with the same old workouts—or just need an excuse to get outside and enjoy the scenery—I’ve got some suggestions that will burn calories, improve your overall fitness, and add some variety to your routine.
Rollerblading
It may seem a little retro (if you consider the ’90s retro), but rollerblading is a great low-impact aerobic activity that’s also lots of fun. When you rollerblade, you work your glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and abdominal muscles, as well as your upper arms and shoulders if you swing your arms, allowing you to burn around 570 calories per hour.
The faster you skate, the more intense your workout will be. The Inline Skating Resource Center found rollerblading to be a better aerobic exercise than cycling and more beneficial in terms of muscle strengthening and development than either running or cycling.
Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP)
Stand-Up paddleboarding is the fastest-growing water sport in the world. It has become wildly popular among celebrities, surfers, and professional athletes as a way to cross-train and stay in shape. It involves standing upright on what looks like a large surfboard and using a long paddle to propel yourself through the water. SUP can be done in nearly any body of water—lakes, canals, rivers, ocean surf, even whitewater—and it has numerous health and fitness benefits.
SUP offers a phenomenal full-body workout, targeting core muscles, legs, glutes, shoulders, and arms as you balance and paddle. You can burn about the same number of calories paddleboarding as you can running (between 500 and 1,000 calories per hour), but since it’s a low-impact activity, it’s much easier on your joints. SUP also helps lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol, and it’s said to be a great therapeutic technique because of the Zen-like experience it provides.
Beach Volleyball
Beach volleyball is another great summer activity that you can enjoy with friends while simultaneously boosting your fitness level. It requires quick, strong movements from major joints, enabled by surrounding muscle groups. The more involved you are in the game, the better your workout will be.
Passing the ball works your shoulders and quads. Jumping to hit or spike the ball engages your glutes and hamstring muscles. Even shuffling to adjust your position works your inner thigh muscles. Approximately 45 minutes of volleyball can burn up to 585 calories. It’s also been shown to strengthen the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. If you don’t live near a beach, have no fear; many parks and college campuses have outdoor sand volleyball courts available for public use.
Check out STACK Fitness for more fun workouts to stay in shape this summer.