Guest Post: 5 Fun Ways to Lose Weight This Summer

It’s true that we all make promises to ourselves to be skinny when the summer comes but we also know that these kinds of things rarely go according to plan. However, summer is a great time for losing weight for many reasons. First of all, you’ll probably have more time to devote to it. Besides, there are plenty of outdoor activities you can engage in, burn some calories, and have some fun along the way. So, if you’re not much of a gym lover, here are top five ways to lose weight this summer.

Next level yoga practice

There has been a lot of debate whether yoga can help you lose weight or not since weight loss is all about getting the caloric expenditure bigger than calorie intake and many yoga exercises don’t burn a lot of calories. However, stand up paddling (or SUP) yoga is a combination of hatha or vinyasa yoga asanas with surfing. How fun is that? It’s all about finding the balance on a paddle board in calm water by requiring your core muscles and vertebrae to work at all times. It also burns more calories than standard yoga sessions on the floor, so why not give it a shot?

Hitting the pavement

Have you ever noticed how all rollerblading aficionados have great legs? Well, it’s not a coincidence – putting on rollerblades and hitting the pavement daily is great for toning your legs, hips, and glutes. The good thing about in-line skating is that the more you weigh, the more calories you’ll burn. For example, an average person will burn 260 calories in 30 minutes. That’s more than you can lose with weight lifting or walking at 4.5 mph. In-line skating is even more fun when you have company, so get you and your significant other or a friend a pair of rollerblades and get ready to feel the breeze in your hair.

Adrenaline rides

It’s true that mountain biking isn’t for extremely obese people but it’s actually easy to ease yourself into it by starting light and then gradually increasing the length and the intensity of your mountain bike riding sessions. One hour of mountain biking can burn 649 calories on average, not to mention how exciting it is discovering new paths and always going a bit further. Getting a heart rate monitor can be of a great help, too, since they usually have a calorie counting feature and can help you get a proper estimate of your weight loss intensity. Getting yourself a proper mountain bike is a must, since your city bike is not suitable for this kind of training. Also, you’ll need good biking shoes, such as Shimano MTB shoes, to make sure your feet don’t slip. So, go get yourself proper equipment and have some fun!

Make use of the beach

If you happen to live near the beach – congratulations, you’re lucky enough to practice beach volleyball every day and thus lose some weight this summer. If not, many parks and some gyms offer sand courts for practice so make sure you ask around. We all know what great body beach volleyball players have and it’s all because of the dynamics of the sport itself. Besides, it’s harder to move in the sand so that’s why beach volleyball burns even more calories than indoor volleyball. It also requires more running and thus more intense exercise so one hour means 298 calories burned on average.

Paddling for the six-pack

If you want to tone your arm muscles and really work on your six pack, then kayaking is just the activity for you and one of the best extremes sports you can try. The best thing about it is that you can do it while you’re on the vacation as well – a sightseeing tour by kayak can be a breathtaking experience. An hour of paddling will burn 186 calories on average so it’s good for both toning and weight loss. You can do it yourself or with someone else – that’s completely up to you, as long as you keep twisting your torso properly to propel the boat forward.

Almost everything is more fun in the summer and so is exercising and losing weight. By engaging in some of the activities mentioned above you can lose weight without even noticing it so make sure you choose the one for you and go have some fun.