Playground games such as hopscotch can burn more classes than gym sessions

July 19, 2016

Experts have said playground games are the most effective way to keep fit
Doing just 15 minutes of skipping can burn up to 215 calories
Femail reveals the best playground games for fitness and how you can incorporate them into your own exercise routine

Martha Cliff for MailOnline

Published:
04:12 EST, 19 July 2016

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Updated:
07:07 EST, 19 July 2016

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Remember running around as a child until you were red in the face and gasping for water?

We may have left the playground long behind us but fitness experts are suggesting that we embrace some of the school games of yesteryear as a way of helping us to keep fit and lose weight.

Gym boffins have revealed that games traditionally reserved for school playgrounds are often the most effective way to keep fit and maintain longer term health.

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Fitness experts have revealed that playground games are the most effective way to keep fit and maintain longer term health. Pictured: A game of hopscotch could burn 88 calories in 15 minutes

Games such as hula-hooping, hopscotch and skipping use more calories than jogging and work more muscles.

Experts at Fitness First have confirmed that a 45 minute session of skipping, star jumps and tag burns approximately 465 calories compared with the same time spent jogging, which uses 35 per cent less – just 300 calories.

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Despite jogging being ranked as one the nation’s favourite ways to work out and nearly two million Britons taking to the pavements as their main means of exercise, keeping fit may simply be a case of going back to school.

So good are the benefits of playground games that the world’s A-listers are giving them top marks. Kate Hudson and Justin Bieber are jump-rope junkies, while Beyoncé and Michelle Obama swear by hula-hooping and Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow bounce away their calories on a trampoline.

Beyoncé and Michelle Obama swear by hula-hooping and no wonder with a 15 minute session burning the equivalent of piece of bread

Kate Toland, Head of Marketing at Fitness First says, ‘The question is, are you as fit as a six-year-old? While it might sound like child’s play, this kind of exercise is not for the faint hearted.

‘Functional training challenges your body in a new way every time, promising significant calorie burn…and it’s great fun!’

Fitness First Manager Andy McTaggart adds: ‘As adults we tend to stick to either cardio, or weight training…but we’re missing out! With jogging for example, there’s very little Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), which means you don’t burn as many calories afterwards.

High energy star jumps can burn the equivalent of a ready salted bag of crisps in just 15 minutes

Skipping is the most calorie burning activity with 215 calories burned in a quarter of an hour while a simple game of catch can help you burn 30

‘One of the biggest lessons we can take from the way that kids play is that they move in bursts. They accelerate quickly in one direction, change direction, slow down, stop and then speed up again.

‘This is what we call interval training, and it means your body and metabolism function at a higher rate of burned calories for hours and hours afterwards.

‘Equally, kids use more muscle groups on the playground because they move in all directions and naturally incorporate body weight exercises in their movement – they use their full range of motion rather than just practicing that forward linear movement that you get with jogging or similar.’

CHILD’S PLAY: HOW MANY CALORIES COULD YOU BURN IN 15 MINUTES

To illustrate the effectiveness of playground games, Fitness First have compiled a list of traditional child’s play and their lunch box equivalent in calories burned per 15 minutes.

Playground game

Skipping

Hopscotch

Tag

Catch

Riding a bike

Star Jumps

Hula hooping

Trampolining

Calories burnt

215

115

190

135

100

Food equivalent

Tuna pasta salad 200g

Medium apple

Half a muffin

Half a fruit bar

Flapjack

Ready salted crisps

Slice of brown bread

25g of Cheddar cheese

TRY IT YOURSELF! THE PLAYGROUND WORKOUT DESIGNED FOR ADULTS

To illustrate the effectiveness of playground games, Fitness First have compiled a list of traditional child’s play and their lunch box equivalent in calories burned:

To help new and existing members incorporate functional training into their lives, Fitness First Andy McTaggart has designed a short #PlaygroundWorkout, which will maximize the number of muscle groups you use and burn more calories:

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds and then rest for 30 seconds. Complete this four times for each move before moving onto the next one. This is 20 minutes of challenging and fun exercise.

1. Crawls: Start on all fours, ensuring your knees don’t touch the floor and maneuverer over a set distance as fast possible. This can be done moving forwards, backwards or even sideways. Great exercise that utilises your whole body and can be done anywhere.

If you have a training partner you can ramp up the competition by turning this exercise into a race!

2. Med ball throws: Squat with a weighted medicine ball and then straighten up, throwing the ball to a target on a wall or a person. This requires explosive power and incorporates the whole body.

Skipping is the most calorie burning activity with 215 calories burned in a quarter of an hour while a simple game of catch can help you burn 30

3. Inverted mountain climbers: Put your hands on a box or step so you are in an elevated push up position. Drive the knees up to your chest one at a time as fast as you can.

4. Sprints: Set out an area which is long enough to allow for you to build up speed and sprint from end to end. This exercise incorporates speed, agility, power and coordination. The track that’s available at various Fitness First clubs is perfect for this.

5. Bosu bounds: Set out BOSU boxes as stepping stones, either in straight line or spaced out randomly. The aim is to jump from BOSU to BOSU as quickly as possible without falling off. This targets the lower body and improves your balance, agility and coordination.

Fitness First is encouraging people to share how they incorporate playground games into their workouts by tweeting @FitnessFirstUK with #PlaygroundWorkout.