The Citizen (Gauteng)

Fun ways to burn calories

GAMES: UNCONVENTI­ONAL WORKOUTS Some alternativ­e exercises to do in your personal space.

- FITNESS @ LARGE Letshego Zulu Zulu is a qualified biokinetic­ist and cofounder of PopUpGym. Follow her on Instagram: @letshego.zulu; Twitter: @ letshegom; Facebook: Letshego Zulu

Some people don’t find exercises such as pushups, lunges and squats fun at all. If you are that person, this article is for you.

There are plenty of activities that we can do (for fun) and they are also considered as a form of exercise. One or two may be regarded as “unconventi­onal”. but they do work even if they are not standard exercise routines.

Trampolini­ng

This has been around for decades. Whether it’s the big trampoline in your backyard or a small one used indoors for exercise. Now, trampolini­ng has been expanded into a fun family activity.

Places like Bounce Inc and Rush have absolutely transforme­d the trampoline with their gigantic indoor ones. Spending a good hour or two at these places, supposedly playing with the kids, will definitely have you burning calories without you realising it.

You might feel a body ache or two the next day as a reminder.

Gardening

One thing that some people are unaware of is that gardening is an actual workout if done correctly.

The repetitive bending over to plant seeds or pull out weeds can be an intense squatting session for your thighs.

If you crouch in a squat position throughout your gardening session, your quads and glutes will thank you later. As you move around the garden, try doing lunges or bunny hops from one spot to the next to tone your legs.

Traditiona­l games

By traditiona­l games, I’m referring to hopscotch, skipping, tag, hide-andseek and the likes.

Children nowadays don’t gravitate to them hence obesity among them is so rife. If you have kids or nieces and nephews, why not teach them these games.

Play with a ball

Balls are one of those items that can keep one busy for hours. Whether you are kicking a ball around the yard, throwing a rugby ball at each other, bouncing it around, playing tennis against a wall or even playing volleyball.

Daily Activities

Plenty of exercise can be achieved in the house, even while performing other household tasks. For example, instead of walking from room to room, consider doing lunges around the house.

While you brush your teeth, instead of standing still, brush and squat. The same can be said about showering. If the shower floor is not too soapy, squat in place while you shower.

If your house has stairs, try jump squatting up the stairs, running up or simply walking up the stairs by marching and swinging

your arms vigorously. You can also squat and do lunges while you wash the dishes.

Lastly, if you watch TV shows with ad breaks, squat throughout the ad breaks and sit down when the show returns on screen.

These are only a handful of fun, alternativ­e ways to exercise. I hope you can attempt one or two in your personal spaces with your loved ones.

 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ?? Pictures: iStock ??
Pictures: iStock

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from South Africa