Spring into Fitness:
Which Outdoor Activities Give You the Biggest Calorie Burn

Ah, Spring, we’re so glad you’re here. After all the short Winter days, I know I’m excited to spend some extra time in the sun. And I know many of you are thinking more time in the sun equals more skin you’re going to bare (and will be seen by others). Got fitness on the brain? There are so many ways to get movin’ now that the weather’s cooperating (minus the rainy days so common this time of year). Wanna know which Spring activities give you the most calorie burn for your time? Read on!

*All calorie expenditures below are based on a 130-pound female. So factor in slightly higher calories if you weigh more or are male.

Spring Cleaning Activities
(per 30 minutes)

Doing laundry.............................68 calories
Dusting.......................................80 calories
Gardening..................................179 calories
Ironing..........................................72 calories
Mopping the floor....................148 calories
Mowing the lawn (push).........143 calories
Raking the lawn........................130 calories
Rearranging furniture................220 calories
Washing dishes...........................72 calories
Washing the car........................148 calories
Washing windows.....................100 calories
Weeding the yard.....................145 calories

Outdoor Recreation

Basketball (1 hour)..................355 calories
Tennis (1 hour – singles)........414 calories
Bike ride (30 minutes)............177 calories
Running (30 minutes)..............236 calories
Frisbee golf (1 hour)...............177 calories
Lawn bowling (1 hour)............177 calories
Hiking (30 minutes).................177 calories
Roller skating (30 minutes)....207 calories
Softball (30 minutes)..............186 calories

My ode to frozen yogurt...

It’s no secret this Trainer Girl’s favorite vice is fro yo. My absolute favorite way to get it is homemade, of course, but since I’m not always home (and not always willing to wait at least 8 hours for set-up time), I’ve got some go-to spots of my own. With all the yogurt places setting up shop in the valley these days, I haven’t been to all of them but I’m working on it! Here’s what to order when you find yourself at one (and what you’ll likely see me ordering if you find me there as well). No go forth - active cultures await!

*You can order the below at shops like TCBY, Blue Cow, and U-Swirl, and now that many of these places base their prices on weight you have even more control over portion sizes than before (just because it’s in a big container doesn’t mean you have to fill it!). If you have any local favorites please tell me about them!

• Low-fat vanilla with strawberries (4 oz small size) = 128.3 calories, 2.2 g fat (1 g saturated), 65.8 mg sodium, 25.2 g carbohydrate, 3.3 g fiber, 4.2 g protein

Want to splurge a little? Throw in a spoonful of M&Ms for another 88.1 calories, 3.8 g fat (2.3 g saturated), 10.9 mg sodium, 12.7 g carbohydrate, 0.4 g fiber, 0.5 g protein (M&Ms have slightly less fat than milk chocolate chips)

• Non-fat chocolate (27.5 calories per fluid oz – you do the math) with slivered almonds for an extra 11 calories, 5.8 g fat (0.6 g saturated), 22.5 mg sodium, 2.2 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2.2 g protein

• Non-fat tart (22.5 calories per fluid oz) with blackberries for an extra 9 calories, 0.8 mg sodium, 2.2 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 0.3 g protein

Ordering Tips

• Whenever possible, choose non-fat or low-fat soft-serve varieties. There are lots of options out there now from Irish mint to butter brickle.

• When it comes to toppings, choose fruit or nuts. Nuts will add some fat to the stats, but it’s predominantly the healthy kind so you can splurge just a little.

• Skip the cone, it’s just wasted calories. How much do you actually enjoy that cone anyway? It’s what’s inside the cone that lured you to the yogurt shop in the first place!

• Go with the small size. When people order too big at these places it’s usually followed by “I’m miserable.” Pick the “normal” size – you’ll be surprised at how satisfied you are.

• Try to choose non-fat frozen yogurt over sorbet. Sure sorbet doesn’t have any fat, but it also lacks calcium and the active cultures found in yogurt. It also tends to be slightly higher in sugar (read: carbs). You get more nutritional bang for your cup with yogurt.

• Splurge with thought: My favorite combo is non-fat vanilla with strawberries and M&Ms because I feel like I’m indulging with that spoonful of mini chocolate morsels. Feel free to splurge just a tiny bit if the rest of your cup is full of A+ nutrition. But if you’re layering hot fudge over Reese’s Peanut Butter yogurt, you’ve done more than splurge – you’ve just added two hours of intense treadmill time to your schedule!

• Do your research beforehand: Sure you don’t always plan your yogurt pit stops. But when possible, go online to find nutritional stats so you can order with confidence in what you’re going to be digesting. TCBY has a great nutrition tool on their web site and U-Swirl lists calorie content of their yogurt and also mentions whether it’s gluten free. And for you Ben & Jerry’s fans who plan on heading downtown for this novelty shop, they list their nutritional information online as well (and have some yummy fro yo options).

Meet the
Trainer

Crystal is a certified personal trainer through
the National Sports and Conditioning Association (NSCA). She has a passion for helping others live a healthy lifestyle and coaching them to push their limits beyond what they think they are
capable of.