5 Alternative Fat-Burners

The gym floor doesn’t have a monopoly on calorie-culling, of course. There are other ways to stoke your burn – with benefits that extend far beyond that.

DRUMMING

Time taken to burn 500: 90 minutes. Unless you’re really good. Bonus gains:

A 38% reduction in symptoms of depression, studies show.

PADDLEBOARDING

Time taken to burn 500: 75 minutes of steady cruising.

Bonus gains: Shoulders like boulders and oar-some (sorry) core stability.

WILD SWIMMING

Time taken to burn 500: an hour’s work, but less if it’s nippy. Bonus gains: Linked to better immune system function by Czech scientists.

BOULDERING

Time taken to burn 500: 45 minutes (without snack breaks). Bonus gains: Proven to reduce anxiety and get your mood off the rocks.

JIU-JITSU

Time taken to burn 500: 40 minutes of some serious sparring. Bonus gains: A chiselled upper body and an outlet for workday frustrations.