Feel like a kid again — and burn serious calories — with these easy tips
By Danielle Kosecki, Prevention
The Monkey Bar Gymnasium, a Madison, WI, health club specializing in playground style routines that incorporate running, jumping, crawling, and climbing, proves you don't need cardio machines to slim down. Of its members, 85% work out 3 times a week — triple the national average — and they drop an average of 17 pounds of fat in 2 months. Try these grownup versions of favorites from your youth.
1. IF YOU LOVED: HULA HOOPING
Try: HOOP DANCING
Slightly oversized fitness hoops are easier to keep aloft than a kid's version as you twirl your way to a sculpted midsection.
Burn: 306 calories/hour*
2. IF YOU LOVED: CLIMBING TREES
Try: ROCK CLIMBING
Indoor walls challenge balance, strength, and coordination to keep your brain and body in top shape.
Burn: 528 calories/hour*
3. IF YOU LOVED: JUMPING ON A TRAMPOLINE
Try: REBOUNDING
Bouncing on a minitrampoline blasts fat without putting stress on joints.
Burn: 567 calories/hour*
4. IF YOU LOVED: SCAVENGER HUNTS
Try: ORIENTEERING
Participants use a compass and map as they race to find a series of checkpoints scattered throughout the woods.
Burn: 612 calories/hour*
*Calorie burns based on a 150-pound person.