Fall is around the corner, and as the cold weather creeps in it often means we spend less time outside, and less time active. It’s easy to fall into the chilly-season hibernation zone, but the benefits of exercise shouldn’t be underestimated, nor pushed off for Ottawa’s 8+ months of chill. Exercising doesn’t have to mean a few grueling hours a day spent in a gym though––there are plenty of engaging and fun sports that burn calories without feeling like a chore.
These are the 5 best sports for working up a sweat this fall.
- Kickboxing
Boxing or kickboxing is a full body workout, engaging the upper body through jabs and punches and the lower body through kicks and footwork. It’s no surprise that this cardiovascular workout burns nearly 650 calories per hour on average––and trust us, it’s more fun than that hour spent on the treadmill.
- Rock Climbing
An out-of-the-box option for those who like a challenge. Rock climbing requires you to use your upper body strength to pull your weight up the wall, this combines both strength and endurance training with improved cardiovascular health––and it can burn over 720 calories per hour.
- Cycling
This one likely comes as no surprise, but cycling is a great calorie-burner, as well as a great opportunity to explore the local fall scenery. Spend an hour biking through some of the beautiful Ottawa trails or along the canal and burn up to 700 calories on your sightseeing adventure.
- Swimming
This is without a doubt the activity with the highest calorie-burning potential on this list. Swimming is a full body workout that engages the muscles and cardiovascular system without causing unnecessary strain on the body. You can burn up to 900 calories an hour by keeping up a quick-paced swim. If you’re looking for a real challenge, try the butterfly stroke sprint––which can burn 100 calories in 3 minutes.
- Basketball
Grab a few friends and take advantage of the fall breeze to keep you cool while you shoot some hoops. Not only is basketball a great opportunity to work on your hand-eye coordination, but it also burns up to 630 calories an hour––one of the benefits of a competitive and fast-paced game.
