via https://pixabay.com/en/paddleboarding-sport-paddle-board-1973035/

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Look – I get it. Not everyone likes to workout. To some, exercise feels like a chore…and a bore. However, getting in daily physical activity is vital for one’s mental, physical, and emotional health. So how do we find a way around this dilemma? Exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise! Summer time is the perfect opportunity to get up, get moving, and break a sweat…without stepping foot in the gym. The following physical activities will have you saying, “Wait…I’m Exercising Right Now?”

1. Gardening

So my roommate and I have a 5 by 25 foot vegetable garden this year. Last weekend, we had to weed and hoe the weeds that had overtaken the plot of land. We spent about an hour digging in the dirt. Squatting down, using gardening hoes, the works. By the end of the hour, I was sweaty, sore, and pretty tired! Turns out, gardening is a great form of physical activity. And it gets you outside in the warm summer sunshine!

Calories Burned: 200 – 400 calories per hour 

via https://pixabay.com/en/gardening-garden-weed-pluck-3296781/

2. Stand Up Paddle-Boarding (aka SUP)

If you’re lucky enough to live by a body a water, then you definitely need to give stand up paddle boarding a shot. It’s similar to surfing, except a little more tame! Stand up paddle-boarding is a full body workout! It takes core strength, leg strength, and arm strength! The first time I went “SUP”-ing, I was sore for days!

Calories Burned: 305 – 430 per hour (leisurely paddling)

3. Just Keep Swimming

What’s summer without dipping your feet in the pool or the ocean? Cool-off from the summer heat by jumping in the water! Play a game of Marco Polo,  swim laps, or body surf. You’ll be out of breath in no time!

Calories Burned: 400 – 600 per hour 

via https://pixabay.com/en/pool-swimming-pool-swim-blue-3105769/

4. Bike Riding

Bike riding: your newest form of summer transportation. Go for a leisurely peddle around your town with some friends! The time will fly by and you’ll be breaking a sweat. Just don’t forget your helmet!

Calories Burned: 200 per hour 

via https://pixabay.com/en/bike-ride-bike-beach-bike-riding-1419144/

 

 

Written by GUADS staff member with contributions from webmd.com , supworldmag.com, active.com, and health.com