Don’t let obesity or unhealthy habits take over your life. Many people have gym members, but never go. Others are just not a fan of the whole gym scene period. None of this is an excuse to not take care of yourself. You body is your temple and if you don’t take care of it then no one will.

Here are some great workouts that are fun, simple and can be done outside of the gym.

Walking

This one is a no brainer. Walking is a great workout and you will see results sooner than you think. You can burn a tremendous amount of calories just from walking to the places you have to go to and leaving the car at me. A recent Harvard study shows that walking at a moderate pace (3 mph) for up to 3 hours a week — or 30 minutes a day — can cut the risk of heart disease in women by as much as 40%. This is the same benefit you would get from aerobics, jogging, or other vigorous exercise. Other benefits include:

• improved circulation
• helps breathing
• combats depression
• bolsters the immune system
• helps prevent osteoporosis
• helps prevent and control diabetes

The weather is getting nice so take advantage of it and enjoy a nice, relaxing walk.

Gardening

For those of you who love to dig in the dirt and plant beautiful flowers and bushes, this is also a great workout. The constant digging and arm movement burns calories and helps to tone those biceps and triceps. According to MSN Health, other health benefits of gardening are:

• It lowers your osteoporosis risk
• In a study of 3,310 older women, researchers from the University of Arkansas found that women involved in yard work and other types of gardening exercises had lower rates of osteoporosis than joggers, swimmers, and women who did aerobics.
• That likely has to do with the fact that gardening is sort of like weight training, the study authors note; you have to pull weeds, dig holes, carry heavy loads of soil and compost, and do other forms of weight-bearing activities that ward off osteoporosis.
• It lowers your diabetes risk.
• Active gardeners easily get more than the recommended 150 minutes per week of exercise, and those who garden just for fun get just slightly less than that, according to research from Kansas State University.
• Better sleep.

The mental health benefits of gardening are so strong that a field of medicine called horticultural therapy has been developed to help people who have psychiatric disorders deal with their conditions. Studies of people with dementia and anxiety have found that gardening helps calm their agitation, leading to better sleep patterns and improved quality of their rest.

Dancing

This is something you can do in the privacy of your own home, by your friend’s house or at the club. Dancing can burn up to 2000 calories. The best part about it is that you are having so much fun that you don’t even realize you are doing a high powered cardio workout at the same time. Studies show that dancing can help you lose weight, stay flexible and reduce stress, according to everydayhealth.com. It has also been proven to help boost your memory, prevent cardiovascular disease and increase your energy.

Bike riding

It’s fun, cheap and a can really get your heart pumping. It also works wonders on your thighs and legs. Discovery.com cites that bike riding is a great way to boost your metabolism and trim your waistline. It can increase your life span, improve your coordination and make your immune system stronger. Try bike riding for the majority of the summer and you will have killer, Tina Turner type legs in no time.