Not everybody likes going to the gym and working out, it can be a little bit boring for most. The thought of running mindlessly on a treadmill for 30 minutes may be likened to watching paint dry! 

Lots of people prefer something more exciting, like a fitness classes, or seek the help of hiring a personal trainer – to help push, and motivate them to get results. 

BUT then, there are people who simply want to play sport and do activities because they enjoy them. These sports/activities may not feel like a direct workout, but inadvertently, they do burn lots of calories, improve health, and make you feel good both mentally and physically. 

In this article we’re going to look at…

5 Sports & Activities That Are Fun And Help You Lose Weight…

#1 Golf 

Last summer, I thought to myself why not go for a round of golf – a couple of my friends were playing every Wednesday and Saturday and they would always talk about it in a positive way. They seemed to have lots of fun and one of my friends had lost 12 pounds in weight through no other lifestyle changes other than walking around a golf course 2 days per week. I decided to give it ago and I’m now a huge fan of golf…

You may think of golf as a lazy sport, and in some cases it is. If you’re going to ride around on a golf cart all day, and eat copious amounts of food, and drink alcohol at the bar after a round…then guess what? the weight is going to pile on. Don’t forget to check alliedlithium.com out for those much-needed golf cart batteries! It would be quite a disaster if your golf cart actually shut down in the middle of your game.

That said, if instead, you are walking from hole to hole, picking up golf balls, and then eating something relatively healthy at the golf club after a round, then golf is a great activity to help you burn some serious calories. 

Golf is both physical and technical and can be played by both men and women. If you’re a golfer and want some extra help with your swing, then I’d recommend checking out this article to help you get the most out of your performance.

Golf is also a great sport for socialising, and getting in the great outdoors, which will also help to improve your sleep, and mental well-being.

#2 Climbing 

Climbing is fun and also an extremely good workout. You use lots of muscle groups in order to scale walls, and pull yourself over obstacles. For example you work your biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, core, legs… pretty much every muscle group. 

Climbing will not only burn some serious calories, therefore encouraging weight loss, but it will also help you improve muscle definition, and distract you from daily stresses, because you’ll be so focused on taking your next step. It’s great for both physical and mental wellbeing.

If you want to improve your climbing then try these 3 exercises…

Forearm roller:

Reverse bicep curl:

Supination forearm curl:

I will typically do the above exercises at least once per week, doing 60s on each exercise, or 20-30 reps.

#3 Football 

Playing football 1-3x per week can do wonders for your cardiovascular health. It’s also very sociable, which is also an important aspect for mental wellbeing. 

Whether you play 11 aside, 7 aside, or 5 aside, just running around will help you to improve your fitness, and strengthen muscles in the legs.

Just make-sure that you warm up fully before going into a training sessions/match. The best way to do this is by starting off with some light aerobic activity i.e. jog around the football pitch, and then follow it up with some mobility work for 3-5 mins. Good mobility drills include touching your toes, and then reaching up to the sky, arm swings (forward and backwards), and straight leg kicks, to warm up the thighs and hips.

I would also recommend adding in these mobility drills:

Spiderman walks:

Hip flexor warm-up:

Before I play football I will do both of these exercises and do at least 10-20 reps (more when in the winter 30-50 reps per exercise).

#4 Swimming 

Swimming is especially good for people who suffer with joint pain. For example lots of people get knee pain whilst running, or may have extremely tight muscles, in which case it’s not advisable to do high impact training.

Swimming is a great low impact exercise that will strengthen the heart, and also improve muscle definition. For example, both breaststroke and front crawl target muscles in the arms, back, core and legs. Swimming 2-3x per week will do wonders for your body shape, fitness, weight loss, and give you a surge of endorphins to make you feel good about yourself

#5 Walking 

The power of walking is underrated. I’ve been a personal trainer for the last 10 years, and I can honestly say ‘walking’ is one of the best forms of exercise. Again, it’s low impact (a bit like swimming) and helps you to improve your general fitness. 

I try and get my personal training clients to walk 10,000 steps per day – which equates to around 1 hour of walking. What I notice is that the clients who do this, lose more weight, and are happier mentally. Walking is a great way to destress, process emotions, and get outside in some fresh air. 

There are lots of ways to walk more, you could walk alone, or join a walking group. Either way make-sure to walk as often as possible. This will be good for the waistline, and for your mental and physical wellbeing. Trust me. 

Thanks for reading,

Nick Screeton – founder of LEP Fitness