Five surprisingly healthy activities

Too often when we think of the words fitness, we picture ourselves slogging away at repetetive motions at the gym or going out into the cold am hours before work for a run. Now those activities can be beneficial to overall fitness, but they don't exactly inspire grins and giggles. Instead, let's look at five activities that are great for the body and actually lots of fun to participate in.

Snow shoeing
We're pretty lucky to have the North Shore mountains in such close proximity to our downtown core. Often we just think of them being the playground for skiers and snowboarders, but snow shoeing is increasing in popularity in Vancouver for a few good reasons. First of all, it is budget friendly. With a trip skiing coming to nearly $100 these days with rentals, $15 for snow shoe rentals or $120 for purchase is a pretty good value. Pack a sandwich, grab a couple of friends and head on up to Seymour Provincial park for a little anti-city therapy. You can snow shoe in the ski resort for a small fee or head up the steep hill into the BC Parks Backcountry Access area for free. Despite the chilly temperatures, you can work up a good sweat fast, so remember to wear wicking layers of cloths and bring lots of water. Conditions can change rapidly on the mountain so be sure to have some safety equipment with you such as a flashlight, extra food and cloths and be sure to let friends know exactly where you are going to be in case you don't end up back at home when you said you would be.
Onto the caloric expenditure - this can vary wildly as it depends upon the speed, inclination, body mass and condition of the participant as well as snow conditions and other variables, but tends to range from 350-1000 calories per hour according to the American Hiking society. That's a pretty good burn for a calming walk along serene snowy trails. In addition the activity is low impact and builds both strength and endurance. So remember, chances are that if it's raining around Vancouver, it's a beautiful day up on the hills. Estimated burn: 600 cal/hr x 2.0 hrs = 1200 calories!

Lunchtime walk
This one should be a no-brainer but it is so easy to let it slip by. Most of us get at least a half hour for lunch - it doesn't really take that long to eat a sandwich or some day old pizza does it? Why not eat lunch quickly and slip outside for a 20 minute jaunt, or longer if you have it. It will help you feel energized for after lunch, burn a few calories, and maybe even help you avoid some annoying workplace gossip. Hey Peter - did you hear who Sam hooked up with this weekend? Nope, I was out having my lunchtime walk. See, it couldn't be easier to stay fit and avoid workplace nonsense. Estimated burn: 172 cal/hr x 0.5 hrs = 86 calories

Rollerblade the Sea Wall
Another benefit of living in Vancouver is access to all of the paved pathways for walking, running, cycling and my favourite - inline skating. Now this might lead you to think of tourists clumsily falling down, scraping their knees and requiring taxi rides back to the rental place. Once one becomes more comfortable on the eight wheels of death, there are considerable fitness benefits to be realized. Inline skates help you develop muscles along the entire length of the leg as well as the lower back and because of the smooth rhythmic stride, there is very little joint impact.
Caloric expenditure can range significantly depending upon speed, inclination as well as the efficiency of the skater but a moderate rate should burn about 570 calories per hour and high speed interval skating burns about 900 calories per hour. Just please mind the tourists.
Estimated burn: 900 cal/hr x 1.5 hrs = 1350 calories!

Night out dancing
This is one of the activities that is rarely considered to be a fitness oriented event, however, if you stick to water rather that beer or cocktails it can produce a reasonable burn. Dancing caloric usage also varies wildly based upon the type of dancing and the intensity, but it seems to average about 150 cal/hr for relatively high intensity forms. Let's say that you go out with your friends at 10pm and dance for most of the four hours until closing with a few 20 minute breaks (for water only!) we can see some great benefits.
Estimated burn: 150 cal/hr x 3.0 hrs = 450 calories!

Nookie
And I thought the estimates of caloric burn varied wildly with the other activities.... let's just say that this was the most fun to research. The variability is due to multiple factors - there is minimal hard research showing precise burn - most values are based upon estimates from other sport activities. Additionally, body weight, duration, intensity and style all contribute to the variation in numbers. But really, if you are going to be just sleeping otherwise, any late night expenditure is better than just resting, and unless you are the type that craves a sandwich afterwards, you are likely to enjoy cumulative benefits if you and your partner participate regularily. Columbia University produces some values based upon a 175 lb person engaging in the carnal sport for 30-45 minutes. Their values are higher than those quoted in "The Handbook for the Carnally Curious" of just 100 calories per session, but you can see the difficulty involved in making precise measurements.
Estimated burn: 400 cal/hr x 0.5 hrs = 200 extra fun calories!