6 Green Outdoor Activities to Get You in Shape, Even on Vacation

Traveling this summer? Bringing your workout with you? For most, the answer is likely no. Admittedly, even I sometimes travel minus my sneakers. But you don't have to "exercise" in the traditional sense to get a workout when on the road. In fact, the greenest exercises are often disguised as "outdoor adventures" that are thought of as merely fun activities, but really burn a boat load of calories. How do you know if your activity is green? One immediate tell is that it is man powered without electricity (so power boating would not be considered a green activity for instance).

Burn Calories Just Getting To Your Activity

The surprising fact is that you start racking up calories burned even before you arrive to your destination. Yup, the hour it takes to pack (or unpack) your bags burns up about 118 calories. Then just the act of traveling (lugging your bags through a busy airport, negotiating the signs in a foreign train station) can burn an average of 117 calories per hour. That's according to Discovery's Calorie Counter.

Once you arrive to your desired destination, there are tons of green exercise options perfect for any trip that not only allow you to burn off that extra scoop of after-dinner gelato, but also give you a sense of place, let you meet the locals, stay healthy (which will hopefully keep you away from the doctor, and therefore off pharmaceuticals, which are very un-green, and return home with a more colored experience (minus the extra pounds).

Travel = Time to Try New Things

The great thing about travel is we often do it with an open mind. The average person is more likely to try new things, sample more exotic foods, and yes, experience different forms of exercise when on vacation. And while you can't bring home the exotic foods, you can bring home the renewed enthusiasm for exercise. Take advantage of the opportunity to take up a new outdoor sport or simply stroll through the unfamiliar town. As long as you're moving your body, calories are being burned, and that's considered exercise!

So this summer, use your trip to start your exercise program instead of stop it, with these green outdoor activities.

Take it Outside

1. Bike on Your Vacation

Taking off on foot to tour a city is sometimes too slow for those who like to see lots of sights in little time. But you don't want to tool around in a car either since its speed only allows you to skim the surface of the details, often missing individual city's idiosyncrasies that truly define a place. Instead of passively letting the scenery pass you by (and enlarging your carbon footprint while you're at it), become one with your surroundings and bicycle around town. More than being an emissions-free form of transportation, biking is a great way to get to know another side of your vacation destination while burning calories. In fact, according to Discovery's Calorie Counter, the average 130-pound woman can burn off 472 calories an hour during a moderate ride.

2. Hike on Your Vacation

If you're one of those antsy individuals who want to see your destination on foot with the freedom to explore unchartered (by you) territory, take a hike! Now, when I say "hike" I mean the loose definition of a "hike," one that allows you to "hike" through a village, up to an abandoned railroad track, or along The Great Wall. A hike includes some sort of an incline as you find yourself negotiating varying heights and uneven ground. The great thing about a hike is that you have the opportunity to really appreciate the details, stop and smell the wildflowers, or step off your path for a glass of locally produced organic wine. If you happen to ingest a few too many calories while enjoying the local offerings, not to worry, according to Discovery's Calorie Counter, an average 130 lb woman can burn 354 calories per hour hiking.

3. Backpack on Your Vacation

You don't have to take off on a European backpacking expedition in order to experience a place by backpack. Instead, incorporate it into your plan. Save electricity and cash and forgo a hotel for a few days to instead stay in a tent on an island or along a riverbed. You'll find that you get to know more locals while really immersing yourself in the culture and lifestyle of your destination if you do it by backpack instead of secluding yourself in a hotel the whole time. And here's an extra perk, according to Discovery's Calorie Counter, an average 130 lb woman can burn 412 calories per hour backpacking.

4. Body Surf on Your Vacation

Not only is "laying out" a hazard to your skin, but it's really not a great way to spend a vacation in an exotic destination. Sure, a little relaxation is absolutely in order, but there's certainly more you can do than simply sleep under the baking sun? like body surfing! The sport truly takes no skill other than a bit of guts and the ability to hold onto a board. Most beach spots let you rent boards for the afternoon, allowing you to test out the water while burning an average of 177 calories per hour according to Discovery's Calorie Counter.

5. Horseback Ride on Your Vacation

Like to sit back while simultaneously seeing the scenery? Then take the reins and hop on a horse. From beach trotting to jungle walking, you can get a heightened perspective on the back of a horse and surprisingly burn about 237 calories per hour.

6. Kayak on Your Vacation

Taking an afternoon kayak trip along the river, across the lake, or in the ocean allows you to see the place from a very different point of view. If you're staying on an island, kayaking unveils its scale. Sometimes you can even stop on outlying islands and see an untouched, version of your destination town. Kayaking down a river allows you the opportunity to take pit stops, pulling ashore on the banks of hard to reach villages and giving you a true peak into local lifestyles. Depending on how vigorously you paddle, the average 130 lb woman can burn about 295 calories according to Discovery's Calorie Counter.

Whether your sense of adventure is extreme or serene, land or sea, it's easy to find an outdoor adventure sport to satisfy your activity level and interests, while burning a few calories as you go. Whatever you do, try something new. I guarantee it will add to your overall experience.