Effective Fat-Burning Outdoor Exercises

There are pros and cons when it comes to both indoor and outdoor exercises. With pandemic concerns generally having subsided, it’s a good time to go out and exercise outdoors. Malaysian weather is generally suitable for outdoor exercise with only hot temperatures at certain hours and rain to contend with. Studies have shown outdoor exercises show greater improvement in mental wellbeing compared to indoor exercises. The sunshine also helps where not only does it have a positive effect on mood, but you can also get the benefits of vitamin D! Looking for outdoor exercises that focus on burning off fat so that you’ll look extra good? Here are 5 of them. 

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Running

Running forces your body to use energy from fat as opposed to carbs. It burns more calories than steady cardio for the same amount of time. Running increases metabolism that lasts for hours after the exercise, further increasing fat burning. There will also be a spike in two key hormones, epinephrine and norepinephrine, which are important for fat breakdown.

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Cycling

Cardio workouts such as cycling are the best way to lose belly fat because it helps burn more calories during your workout. The average person will burn between 450 to 750 calories per hour cycling. Cycling helps build muscle through the resistance of the pedals. Muscle building helps increase the rate of calories burned.

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Swimming

It’s another cardio exercise that helps to lose weight. Breaststroke for an hour burns between 600 and 888 calories. If you’re already overweight, swimming is a great option as it takes the load off joints and bones. It also helps to tone muscles at the same time and is a full body exercise. Moving through water creates extra resistance and forces you to use your muscles more.

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Hiking

Calories burned depend on many factors such as your weight, steepness of the terrain, duration of the excursion, and your weight. In general, hiking burns more calories than walking because it utilises steeper paths which help to build muscles in your legs, strengthen your core muscles, and enhance balance. The steeper the path, the harder your heart will work. Hiking usually lasts longer than other exercises due to the length of the trail, enjoying the scenic views, or the company you bring to hike. This further burns calories. However, it’s not easy to find time to hike every day. Popular hiking spots include Broga Hill, Penang Hill, and Bako National Park.

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Football

The most popular sport in the world is considered a fun way to lose weight by many Malaysians. A 60 kilos person can burn 434 calories in one hour by playing football. The game encourages a constant switching between aerobic (endurance) and anaerobic workout (short, high intensity), which burns more calories. Football works fast-twitch muscle fibres that use explosive power. Fast-twitch fibres require stored glucose for energy, so using them releases fat-burning hormones that continue burning fat during and after your workout. This causes you to burn more fat than you would be working your slow-twitch fibres by doing steady-paced aerobic exercise.

The best weight loss plan is the one that sticks. For your weight loss goals, it’s important to not only pick an exercise that’s fat burning, but also one that you enjoy. It’s also important that you practise good diet habits at the same time. In general, if your calorie intake is still greater than your calorie burned, you will still end up gaining weight. Check out our 6 Superfood that can aid your weight loss. Reducing fat may reduce our risk of critical illnesses but it cannot fully prevent them. That’s where GoXtra Care can financially protect you in the costly event of critical illness diagnosis. It financially protects against up to 150 critical illness conditions. Also, receive up to 350% coverage amount upon diagnosis of critical illness from 5 different critical illness groups. Check it out here.