Who needs a sweaty gym when you can increase your stamina, tone up your wobbly bits and have a great time with these fun ways to get fit – and there’s not a treadmill in sight!


Swimming
Indoor pools are great for swimming all year round, but now the weather’s heating up  it’s the perfect time to grab your towel – and sunscreen – and make a splash outdoors. 

What it works: Swimming calls to action all the major muscle groups: shoulders, back, tummy, legs, hips and bottom. It helps build strength and it’s a cardiovascular workout.

Kilojoule burn: Just half an hour in the pool doing laps of breaststroke burns about 1285kJ.

Gardening
Who said all forms of exercise had to involve lycra tights and laced-up sneakers? Pulling on your gardening gloves, grabbing your shovel, heading into the sun and working up a sweat with all that bending and stretching – not to mention carrying bags of soil – will have been so rewarding you won’t have even realised you’ve just done a workout.

What it works: You’ll get an all-over workout in the garden, toning all the major muscle groups as you exercise your legs, bottom, arms, shoulders, neck, back and abdomen. You’ll be improving your strength, burning kilojoules and sorting out the garden.

Kilojoule burn: About 30 minutes of general gardening will burn roughly 428kJ.

Golf
Getting together with your friends for a round on the greens is not only a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, but while you’re working on your swing you’ll also be improving your health and wellbeing.

What it works: The walking alone manages your weight, boosts your mood, reduces your risk of chronic illness and improves your strength and cardio fitness. 

Kilojoule burn: A half-hour round of golf will burn 504kJ.