Family-Approved Adventure Sports That Totally Count as Workouts

September 22, 2017

These adventures are legit workouts that both break a sweat and encourage family bonding.

The exhilaration you get from an action-packed outing is pretty great. (Here's how to plan an epic adventure vacation.) Sharing that natural high with your kid just feeds the thrill. Here are some amazing ways to set off beyond the swing set.

Conquer a climb.

If your kids live to scale trees, make a date with a rock wall (indoorclimbing.com lists nearby gyms) or the real thing (locate climbs by state at rockclimbing.com). For you, it's a serious total-body workout (that burns 374 calories per hour) wrapped in a fun adventure quest. "Some facilities even offer toddler classes where the parent holds their child's waist as they climb," says Devin Pardias, the director of rock climbing at Chelsea Piers Field House in New York City. When kids are ready to climb with a harness and rope, they'll need a climbing-specific helmet like the children's Petzl Picchu ($60; backcountry.com). Indoors or outdoors, you can either hire an instructor (find one through rei.com) to take turns belaying each of you or work the ropes yourself: Clubs with climbing walls, like Chelsea Piers, offer belaying certification classes. For another way to feel the climbing high, go to a local rope-course park. "They're elevated outdoor rope trails where you're harnessed at all times," Pardias says.