Kettlebells provide a holistic approach to health and fitness. These cast-iron cannonballs with a handle attached come in different weight sizes. The design allows the user to perform ballistic movements with seamless transitions. You can do these movements in your own home, no gym membership needed. With no shortage of movements, your interest will be continuously peaked.
According to a study performed by the American Council on Exercise, study participants doing a 20-minute kettlebell snatch workout burned 13.6 calories per minute aerobically and 6.6 calories per minute anaerobically. A quick calculation shows jogging a 10-minute mile at 150 pounds will afford you 11 calories per minute, or at 180 pounds 14 calories per minute. Weightlifting at 155 pounds will burn 3.7 calories per minute, or at 185 pounds 4.4 calories per minute.
Bodyweight exercises are boot camp staples for a reason. They can be aerobic when done as a circuit, and a 20-minute workout can blast all the muscle groups, improve coordination—and all that before one hits the shower in the morning.
Otherwise known as calisthenics, it says something that bodyweight exercises originated in Ancient Greece and are still an integral part of most routines for military, law enforcement, or even elite athletes. Not only can you skip the gym, you don’t even need to buy equipment or store anything around the house. Just get online for some know-how, and hit your living room floor.
Beyond muscle, one of the best things you can do is to take a hike. Your body is supremely designed for this one and may even require it. Our ancestors radiated nomadically throughout the globe by just walking around, and this one’s a cinch with all the trails and water bottles we have nowadays.
Could be forest, oceanside, urban, or even your own neighborhood, whatever scenery you prefer, just 30 minutes or more a day resulting in a mild sweat and you’re golden. Oh, and the view is definitely better than the gym surrounding the treadmill.
By Kaitlin Gomez and Rob Goffins
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