Many people that want to lose weight are well aware that going to a gym and following a proper diet will assure they reach their goals. Still, they end up not doing anything for a variety of reasons – from laziness, work pressure or lack of motivation. Even people who are determined and get as far as joining a gym, often don’t go as often as they’d planned to due to tiredness, fatigue or distractions. So I thought I’d give such people an overview of alternate methods they can use to shed those extra kilos.
The reason routines get boring is because, well they’re routines! The moment you start to feel an obligation to do something, you usually don’t want to do it anymore. Same exercises, same music at the same time every day. When exercise becomes an obligation, it then turns into a punishment. If you’ve tried gym membership and it hasn’t worked for you, maybe it’s time to experiment with some fun alternatives. Here are my top 8 fun and exciting way to lose weight:
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Kickboxing
Most health centres or gyms also offer kickboxing classes. It’s a fun sport and a great way to blow off some steam after a hard day. As an added benefit you’ll sharpen your self-defence skills. If you get really into it, you’ll find yourself with a whole new bunch of friends and could even start competing!
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Trekking
This might sound too much like hard work to be fun, but it really isn’t. Gather a group of friends and take off for the hills every weekend for a few hours. Climb your way up, have a picnic, take in the breath taking views and play a few games. It’s not only a chance to exercise but to blow off the cobwebs by getting away from the hustle and bustle. Nowadays, there are many adventure groups who organize regular camping or trekking trips. Before you know it, you’ll be addicted. Be sure to check the best trekking poles here.
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Skydiving
This sounds an unlikely one for losing weight, but you’ll be surprised! You actually burn 144 calories per hour skydiving! And when it comes to the fun factor, it doesn’t come much better. Free falling from the clouds down to the ground below is just about as exhilarating as it gets. It can be an expensive hobby, but you can start with a charity skydive where you can usually have your jump funded to see if you like it and if you get the bug, you can get massive discounts by joining a club.
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Pole Dancing
Want to power up the passion in your life? Sign up for a pole dance workout. This strength-based training targets the whole body and involves spinning, swinging, twirling, climbing and more. It improves posture and increases upper body definition. Pregnant women and people with histories of heart disease, joint, back and knee problems should definitely steer clear.
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Cycle karaoke
If you love singing out loud to your favourite songs you’ll love this craze! Now you have the chance to sing and get fit while doing it. Say hello to cycle karaoke! The concept behind this is that your singing is an indicator of your heart rate. If you can sing a song with the perfect notes whilst working out on the cycle, you are not working hard enough but if you are out of breath during a rendition, you are closer to achieving your fitness goal. Another reason to sing at the top of your voice while cycling is that it boosts your energy, giving you more motivation and stamina than before. Making this a group activity will yield better results.
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Batuka
This dance form originated in Brazil. Batuka is an aerobic activity combined with martial art moves. It is meant to increase endurance levels and emphasize positive thinking. It’s an extremely fun and high intensity dance workout. Batuka offers choreographed routines to globally inspired music.
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Bokwa
Robbie Williams is now into Bokwa, which requires using your feet to draw letters or numbers while doing cardio to music. It combines elements of African dance, capoeira, kickboxing, light boxing, and fancy step footwork to strengthen the feet and ankles. You not only burn around 1,200 calories but also tone your lower body muscles. And apparently age is no bar!
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Hula Hoops
Would you believe that hula hooping can burn up to 600 calories an hour? Having said that it’s difficult to hula hoop for that long! It’s fun, physically intensive and you can do it in the privacy of your home. If you’re a beginner, try a weighted hoop because it’s easier to rotate but as you get better switch to a lighter hoop which requires more effort from you to rotate and hence, helps burn more calories.
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