HEALTH

Do You Hate Cardio? – 8 Fun Alternatives to Burn Calories

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A student of Immunology at University of Leeds, inspired by all things living. She has a fascination for Genetics, Cell Biology, and Immunology. Three things she lives for are: a meaningful existence, good company, and a lifetime supply of pani puri. In her free time she bakes, writes or takes long walks, or shops in search of things that aren’t bound by the laws of science. She believes there’s more to life than you see, and every inspiration takes her one step closer towards finding her answer to this mesmerizing, curious universe.

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Time: 3:01 minutes. Speed: 5.0 km/h. Distance: 0.2km. Lady Gaga playing on your iPod.
Time: 3:25 minutes. Ra ra ramama.. Ugh. I hate Cardio. This is the worst.

We all know treadmills and elliptical machines can be deadly boring, but it’s not the only way you can fit cardio into your workout routine. Here are some quirky and fun ways to help burn some serious calories without keeping a straight face:

1) Zumba

  • Zumba: There isn’t a person around who hasn’t heard of this Latin-inspired, easy-to-follow workout. It takes steps from merengue, salsa, cumbia, latin pop, bacchata and samba, merged with a killer fitness formula, to burn calories. Walk into classes with taglines like “Party yourself into Shape!”, and walk out of them with a lot more energy, lower levels of stress, a smile and Moves like Jagger!

[Find a class closest to you: http://www.zumba.com/en-US/party?search=jumeirah%2C+Dubai%2C+AE]

2) Trekking

  • Trekking: Trekking and Hiking have both become popular activities for those with a love for the great outdoors. It has a low barrier to entry, and anyone with two feet can participate. Taking off for the hills, for a few hours every weekend, with a handful of your closest friends can be a real thrill! Unlimited photo-ops just happen to be an added bonus.

[Here’s what TimeOut Abu Dhabi has to say about the best trekking trails around UAE: http://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/sportandoutdoor/features/44906-trekking-in-the-uae]

 

  • Swimming: There’s a reason swimmers look hunky and like human torpedoes! Swimming is great for the heart, and the workout involves less pain and strain on your body. Besides, who wouldn’t want to splash around in cold water in the blistering heat of U.A.E?

3) Pole Dancin

  • Pole Dancing: Controversial, indeed. Yet, every woman has thought of trying it sometime, and every man would be happy to watch it done right. Spin, twirl, swing and climb towards a better posture and greater strength. Pole dancing is slowly seeing its way out of clubs, and into the working woman’s weekend schedule.

[Here’s something to get you started: http://www.polefitdubai.com/]

4) Aerial Yoga

  • Yoga: Yoga has moved away from its traditional form and is now specially designed for calorie-burn with unique variants like Power Yoga, YOGAqua and Aerial Yoga. They pack the best moves into a quick, intense session -great for a busy bee. In YOGAqua, all the asanas are performed on a paddle board in open sea/flowing water. It’s also a good way to avoid injury: If you lose balance, you splash like an ice-cube into the gentle water around you! Aerial Yoga, invented by a gymnast, is a creative and fun workout, where you hang from mid-air suspended from fabric hammocks. This is one for you if you, like me, fantasized about joining Cirque du Soleil!

[Here’s more about Aerial Yoga classes held by Fitness First: http://www.timeoutdubai.com/bodyandmind/features/33908-swing-yoga-in-dubai]

6) Doga

  • Doga– This is a weird [albeit cute] one. There’s a whole world of workouts to do with your dogs! You get additional bonding time and you can teach your pet a few new tricks.
  • Strip Aerobics– Just the name had your mind racing, didn’t it? Try this racier sister of traditional aerobics if you want more floor workouts, sexy moves, and lots of sweatin’ fun [Let’s not get too imaginative, men!]. Most classes are women-only, conducted by gyms where you start with many layers, as opposed to stripping down to your basics. With hints of a striptease, your take-homes from these classes will add spontaneity and a lot more fun to your sex life.
  • The Sex Workout– Saving the best for last- I don’t know about you, but I’m already convinced! You’d be happy to know that kissing for 10 minutes a day can burn over a 100 calories! Having sex thrice a week burns about 1500 calories a month for men and about 1000 calories for women.

Tell us your favourite way to keep fit that strays from the norm!