Three non-traditional exercises that are fun and satisfying!

1. Rollerblading/roller skating

We all loved roller skates as kids, but with the high-tech, newfangled roller blades and roller skates available today, you can still enjoy all the fun, while taking advantage of the workout benefits! Did you know that you can burn anywhere from 900 to 1,400 calories per hour when you’re rollerblading or roller skating? These activities also increase your heart rate and blood circulation, and help build hip, thigh and leg muscles. The smooth, gliding motion is also easier on your joints, as there’s less impact than walking or jogging.

You can find a pair of roller blades at a local sporting goods store for anywhere between $40 and $100 (depending on how high-tech you want to go). For further benefits, you can skate on an incline, which will burn more calories. You can also wear wrist weights, which will give your arms and shoulders a good workout as well. Be sure to stay safe, and wear appropriate protective equipment – a helmet, knee and elbow pads, and gloves.

2. Hula hoop

Here’s another fun memory from childhood! You probably didn’t think about improving your muscle tone when you frolicked in your parents’ backyard, but working out with a hula hoop provides the same benefits as step aerobics or brisk walking. Using a hula hoop can also help tone your abdominal muscles and your arms and legs, as well as improve balance and flexibility. You can buy an exercise hula hoop for as little as $20; these days, manufacturers embed weights in the hoop, so they can weigh as much as two or three pounds. This extra weight is what makes the workout more valuable – the work of keeping the hoop around your waist, and not clattering to the floor – will help burn more calories. To get the maximum benefit when hula hooping, don’t take the “round-the-world” approach that you probably used as a child (swaying your hips in a circular motion). Rather, put your dominant foot forward, and then shift your weight back and forth to keep the hoop moving. And remember, even if the hula hoop drops, you’re essentially doing a squat exercise each time you bend down to pick it up!

3. Shopping

Yes, you read correctly! Making strategic choices at the shopping mall can provide you with an excellent aerobic workout. While some people find the number of corridors and jumble of stores at a shopping mall overwhelming, use them to your advantage. To get the best workout benefit, try the following:

• park at the furthest edge of the parking lot when you go to a mall, and walk briskly to the mall entrance
• once inside, cruise the entire perimeter of the mall, walking up and down every corridor
• instead of using the elevator or escalator, take the stairs from one floor to another

If these activities take you between a half-hour and an hour to perform, you’ll have burned between 300 and 500 calories. Try one of the exercises that are fun and as an extra reward you can make a purchase from your favourite shop!