Do you find yourself dreading going to the gym but longing to get in better shape? Not to worry, there are alternative ways to help you get in better shape without expensive gym membership fees and smelly locker rooms. Its time to start thinking outside the box and time to start having fun and feeling good about your workouts. Activities such as bike riding, rollerblading, hiking, walking, flag football, Red Rover and tennis are all alternatives to going to the gym.
Each season has its benefits, the fall for example is arguably the prettiest month of the year, with the leaves falling and changing colors and cooler mornings and evenings. Its a perfect time to get outside, enjoy the weather and break a sweat all while enjoying yourself. With gas prices soaring, you can kill two birds with one stone by riding your bike save on gas money and burn extra calories in the process. Bike trails are usually fairly easy to find whether you live in the city or the suburbs. An easy five mile ride will burn nearly 500 calories, only taking up about 15 minutes of your valuable time. Whether youre riding solo or with friends, biking is an easy way to enjoy the weather and see new places.
Its the heart of football season and if youre like me, you want to get out on the gridiron and shake, shimmy and blitz past your opponent; just as your favorite players do every Sunday. You can sign up for flag football leagues and for eight weeks be able to release your inner dream of being the star, hang out with friends and get a nice workout in at the same time. An hour long game can burn as much as 1,000 calories depending how much you are running and cutting. It may take nearly twice as long to burn the same amount of calories in the gym! So not only are you having fun while getting into shape, youre also burning more calories not bad!
We all enjoyed a game of Red Rover on the playground in elementary school, who says you cant play it as an adult? Rounding up a group of friends, heading to the park and playing a game of Red Rover can burn as much as 300 calories in a 45 minute game.
As with biking, walking trails are easy to find. If they arent, a street will do just fine or even the mall. You can walk virtually anywhere and in the process enjoy the scenery and free your mind of the hustle and bustle of your everyday life. Who wants to walk on a treadmill when you can burn more calories outside the confines of the gym? Walking outside gives you more variety in your step, walking up and down hills, turning and varying your pace. A treadmill can limit you in many ways, so go ahead and go outside for a walk!
These are just several alternatives activities to your local health club or gym. The benefits to these alternative activities include saving money on a gym membership, saving money on gas, enjoying the weather and scenery, spending time with friends and having fun.