Power your pool play
• Slow down! Doing a slow crawl, you can still burn as many calories as you do if you swim faster. To burn calories, as long as you swim the same distance, it doesn't matter how fast you go.
• Swim faster to pump up your heart. Do the same number of lengths in a shorter time, or vary the intensity: swim hard one lap and recover the next.
• Jog in the deep end. Buoyancy belts keep you upright and let you jog in deep water. You'll get a better overall workout than you would swimming and a much kinder workout than jogging on pavement.
• Do poolside pushups; try 10 of them after every two lengths you jog in the water.
• Run in waist-high water without a belt. Create resistance by going in circles.
• Play hopscotch without throwing a stone. Go backwards instead of turning around at the end.
• Stand in one spot in a crowded pool and, with your side to the pool wall, hang on to the edge and do leg lifts (10 on each side). Or, with your back to the side of the pool and the weight on your arms, lift your legs and scissor kick.
• Play with pool toys. Put a beach ball between your legs and pull your knees to your chest -- great for the abs.
• Do arm extensions and biceps curls with foam pool weights. Control the movements to avoid injury.
Steam ahead on skates
• Stop coasting. If you want a workout, stride, don't glide.
• Alternate hard and slow intervals every minute for 10 minutes, gradually increasing the lengths of time.
• In order to lose weight and build endurance, skate at a steady pace for a longer time.
Boom on your bicycle
• Park your car and cycle everywhere.
• Increase miles not minutes for an efficient workout. After half an hour, intensify your cycling for a minute. Ease off for a couple of minutes and repeat the hard intervals.
• Ride with a group and challenge each other. You'll cycle harder.
• Go faster! A 125-pound woman can burn about 120 more calories in an hour by increasing her speed from eight kilometres per hour to 14.5 kilometres per hour.
• Sit, don't stand on your bike when you're going up hills. Sitting is good for the heart and works different leg muscles.
• Don't lower your gears when you're going up hills. You'll work your muscles harder.
• Find a trail. Rough terrain increases the intensity and makes for a more interesting ride.
• Sign up for a charity bike ride. You'll get a fat-burning cycle for a good cause.
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