20 physical activities to make you sweat that are not the gym

If you find going to the gym intimidating and expensive, don’t let that stop you from working out. Here are 20 ways you can exercise and sweat away the pounds that don’t involve heading to the gym.

Running is an excellent form of exercise for burning calories and losing weight without hitting the gym or spending a fortune—all you need is a proper pair of shoes. You can expect to burn about 100 calories per mile, depending on your body weight. The more you weigh, the more you burn per mile because “it takes more energy (calories) to move a larger body the equivalent distance at a given pace,” according to Dr. Daniel V. Vigil, Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Cycling is a great workout option if you’re short on time but live within a reasonable distance from work. You can burn 370 to 460 calories commuting, and save money on gas. Just keep a change of clothes at the office as you’re going to work up a sweat! In the winter, pop your bike on an indoor trainer at home. There are also plenty of apps available to help you stay motivated and take your fitness routine to the next level.

Bikram yoga (aka hot yoga) is famous for making you sweat. The idea is simple: you do regular postures, but in a studio that’s heated to 40 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit) with 40 per cent humidity. It’s a challenging physical activity that can burn up to 330 calories for women and 460 calories for men per 90-minute session. Just be sure to drink a lot of water!

Racquetball is an exhilarating sport for those who enjoy fast-paced competition and camaraderie rather than solo sports. It’ll make you sweat buckets and burn a whopping 740 to 920 calories per hour!

Hiking is a wonderful way to get out of the city, explore the great outdoors, and sweat away the pounds while you’re at it. According to the Mayo Clinic, hiking typically burns 438 calories an hour. Wear a heavy backpack to up the sweat factor!

Swimming might not make you sweat because you’re already wet, but it’s a full-body workout that burns 580 to 730 calories an hour. You can swim outdoors in a lake or the ocean, or indoors at a pool. It’s an excellent form of low-impact exercise with a low risk of injury.

Brisk walking is a relatively safe, low-impact activity that almost anyone can do—even if you’re overweight or out of shape. If you pick up the pace, you can sweat away 370 to 460 calories an hour without driving to the gym or buying any fancy gear. Add some hills or swing your arms and you’ll work up more of a sweat.

Rowing is a fun, low-impact sport that’s guaranteed to make you sweat! In the summer, join your local rowing club and enjoy burning calories while being part of a team. In the winter, use an indoor rowing machine at home to stay in shape. Depending on your weight and intensity level, you can expect to burn 438 to 546 calories an hour.

Aquarobics is perfect for getting your heart rate going without stressing your joints because the water absorbs the impact. Many people think aquarobics is just for seniors, but anyone with joint problems, weight issues, or who is pregnant can burn 402 calories an hour with this aerobic exercise.

Whether you take hip hop lessons or cut a rug in your kitchen while cranking your favourite tunes, you can work up a serious sweat without setting foot in a gym. Grab a partner or get down like nobody’s watching and dance the pounds away!

If finding time to fit in an exercise regime is an issue, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) might be the answer. In a 10- to 30-minute session, you can burn 25 per cent to 30 per cent more calories than other forms of exercise. Activities may include sprinting, biking, or jumping rope for 30-second vigorous bursts to elevate your heart rate, followed by a few minutes of slower activity, repeated four to six times during a workout.

Whether you’re a walker or a runner, adding hills to your workout will increase your stamina and leg strength—and up the sweat factor! Depending on where you live, you might enjoy the added challenge of trail running, which involves much more up and down than running on city streets, plus more fresh air and beautiful scenery than you’ll find on a treadmill at the gym.

If hills are hard to find where you live, you can still increase the challenge of your walk or run without using a StairMaster at the gym. Simply find a set of stairs on your route and go up and down them several times. Take the stairs at work instead of the elevator and burn off 65 calories in 15 minutes. Run up the stairs and you’ll burn 657 to 819 calories an hour.

Jumping rope is a portable, low-cost exercise that can easily be added to any workout to really make you sweat. Jump rope at the park when the weather’s nice or move the furniture and skip in your living room. No need to spend money on a gym pass—just invest in a quality rope and you can burn an impressive 861 to 1,074 calories an hour.

If you lack motivation to exercise on your own, then a fast-paced team sport like soccer is a great way to work up a sweat while having fun and being part of a team. You’re more likely to stick to your fitness routine when the entire team is counting on you. Plus you’ll be burning 752 to 937 calories an hour.

Basketball is another team sport that will have you dripping with sweat in no time. You can shoot hoops at your local park, play pick-up games, or join a local league. Basketball requires jumping and sprinting for short distances—which means you’ll be burning 584 to 728 calories an hour.

Rollerblading (or inline skating) may look like effortless gliding, but that’s not the case. It can be a sweaty cardio workout, especially if you get low and go fast. It’s also a good commuting option. Why not burn 548 to 683 calories an hour on your way home instead of trying to squeeze in a trip to the gym?

If you’ve ever watched professional tennis, you know the players sweat—a lot. But you don’t have to play at a professional level to reap the health benefits of this racket sport. You just need a racket, a few balls, a court, and a partner—or a wall—to start burning 584 to 728 calories an hour while enjoying the sunny outdoors and some friendly competition.

Crunches, push-ups, chin-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats, and burpees are all simple yet highly effective strength exercises you can add to any fitness routine that will have you gasping for air and sweating in no time. Calisthenics provide a similar fitness level to weight-based training exercises, but without requiring expensive equipment or a gym pass.

Cross-country skiing—as well as its warm-weather version, roller skiing—provides a serious sweat-inducing workout. Unlike cycling and running, cross-country skiing—especially skate skiing—works your lower body and your upper body in a big way, providing a full-body workout.