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Participating in fall activities helps burn extra calories

September 30, 2013

Fall is a favorite time of year for many people. The weather becomes chillier, and you can bundle up under cozy sweaters. You can sip and nibble all things pumpkin and apple flavored, leaves begin to change colors and you can officially cheer for your favorite football team.

Throughout the year, it’s crucial to stay committed to your fitness goals. It’s important to fit in those regular runs on the home treadmill, like a True PS100 Home Treadmill, or bike rides on a stationary bike, like the True ES700 Home Recumbent Bike.

As autumn settles in, you should continue to work out on your home gym equipment. Also keep in mind that there are fun fall activities that will help burn extra calories without feeling like a fitness session, and some even take you outdoors into the fresh air and sunlight.

Fall activities that burn calories
Raking leaves:
Watching the leaves turn from green to shades of orange, red and yellow is beautiful, but then …they fall and cover your driveway and lawn. Though it can be chore to clean up, you can think of it as an extra workout. Raking leaves involves the whole body and can get the heart pumping. This means you could get the same benefits as traditional cardio exercise. In addition, your upper body will get a great resistance workout moving those leaves around and bagging them. Just half an hour of raking can burn more than 100 calories.

Apple and pumpkin picking: Plan fun day trips with family or friends to pumpkin patches and apple orchards. Not only do you get to spend some quality time with loved ones, but you also get some physical activity while enjoying the crisp autumn air. You can burn around 200 calories an hour from reaching up to pluck apples off trees and walking around the orchard. While finding that perfect orange orb, you’ll lift and lower gourds – much like you would do with weights or performing squats, which are activities that torch extra calories. Once you find the right pumpkin, carrying it around will work those upper body muscles for some additional light weight training.

Visit a corn maze: Fall is the perfect time to visit a corn maze. Not only is it a ton of fun getting lost while trying to successfully make your way to the other side, all that walking around and laughing burns off at least 200 calories per hour.

Playing touch football: Watching your favorite football team on television can be thrilling. To get into the live action, assemble a group together for a spirited and friendly touch football game. Running around, passing the ball and trying to score touchdowns makes for an excellent cardio workout. An hour of this sport can burn almost 500 calories.

Hiking: That autumnal crispness in the air makes for an idyllic hike. Strap on a backpack full of tasty, healthy snacks and head out to your favorite local forest preserve. Wandering over unpaved paths and up and down hills is a perfect way to relieve some stress while shedding weight. Just an hour of hiking can burn around 400 calories.

Chopping wood: There’s nothing better on a chilly fall night than sitting around a toasty campfire making some tasty treats like smoked apples. Chopping the wood for that fire is a great way to torch some extra calories and get a total body workout. Just half an hour of cutting firewood can burn more than 200 calories and is sure to leave you with stronger muscles the next day.