Playing in the pool can burn a surprising number of calories, plus some of the classic pool games you played as a kid can be a fun way to enjoy the water with your own family. If you’re looking for some fun and creative ways to stay active this summer, consider these calorie-burning games that definitely aren’t just for kids.
Chicken Fights
Chicken fighting is a type of team water wrestling, which involves a fair amount of work for the fighter on top and the supportive player on the bottom in the water. While the bottom player must maneuver around and carry a teammate on his or her shoulders, the player on top must try to knock another player into the water. Each player probably burns about 75-80 calories per match, depending on the intensity of the fight.
Sharks and Minnows
Sharks and Minnows is a type of water tag in which swimmers (minnows) try to reach one end of the pool without getting tagged by the shark in the middle. Because swimmers are trying to get from one end to the other quickly, they can burn some serious calories in these short spurts. After about 30 minutes of play, you might burn between 100 and 200 calories.
Diving for Treasure
Diving for Treasure has a simple objective: Dive to the bottom to pick up objects that have been thrown into the pool. Use any object that will sink and race down to get it. In about 15 minutes of diving and swimming, you can burn up to 150 calories.
No matter how you choose to get active this summer, remember that you can burn calories while having fun!
