For many people, exercise is one of the most boring, non-appealing things you can possibly do. Some people just drive by the gym, and they build up a sweat. For other people, the gym is an addiction, a place of solace. The gym helps them focus and unwind. But what if you are one of the people who just can’t sit on a treadmill for long periods if time? What if the same old routine day in and day out just doesn’t get you excited? I would recommend you focus more on outdoor recreation. Here are some of the most powerful outdoor recreation activities you can do to lose weight.
Canyoneering
Canyoneering is a little- known activity that involves, hiking, rappelling, climbing and sometimes swimming. It uses a ton of muscles and can take anywhere from a of couple hours to a couple of days to complete one canyon. It isn’t a boring activity and it doesn’t ever feel like you are doing the same thing over and over. Just how much weight can you lose? Andy Johnson told me he lost 5 pounds in one canyon that took 20 hours to do. Many people said it was only water weight, but 6 months later he hadn’t gained it back.
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Backpacking
This activity works to take off weight in several different ways. First, when you backpack you are limited on what foods you can bring. Foods, with a lot of unnecessary calories ,are left behind and limited space eliminates the possibility of over eating. Second, you are carrying extra weight on your back for long periods of time, increasing the amount of calories you will burn every hour. Last, when you limit your calorie intake, increase the weight you will carry and then spend 6-8 hours a day doing light, cardio activity, the weight comes off fast.
Mountain Biking
Mountain biking is a slight twist on actual biking. Normally, when people think of biking to lose weight ,they think of spin- class or middle- age guys in ultra -tight spandex. Mountain biking is a lot more fun than either of those. A good mountain biking trail may take several hours. You don’t always have to go fast but to complete a whole trail can give you quite the work-out. Plus the scenery actually changes a so its a little more exciting than getting honked at by cars.
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Snowshoeing
It has been well -known for decades that cross- country skiing is a calorie killer. However, cross -country skiing requires something many people don’t have, coordination. Snowshoeing is basically hiking on top of the snow. The combination between the cold, and the extra weight on your feet make snowshoeing another winter calorie killer. Its much cheaper than cross- country skiing and makes a perfect addition during winter times for people who do one of the above activities.
Now that you have four great alternatives to the gym, get out and get in touch with an old friend…the body you always wanted to have.
David Johnson had his first adventure at the age of 7 on a raft on the Green River. For the next 20 years he was an on again off again backpacker. Finally in 2005 he started working for an outdoor recreation store that immersed him in the outdoor lifestyle. His enthusiasm, and proficiency, earned him a position to write outdoor columns for a local newspaper with a distribution of 300K. Now he is a frequent guest writer for numerous outdoor websites, and currently spends his free time, creature crafting, canyoneering or backpacking.