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20 Active Date Ideas: SparkPeople SlideShow

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20 Active Date Ideas

By Jennipher Walters, Certified Personal Trainer

When most of us think of date night, we usually imagine dinner and a movie. While that can be relaxing, it's not exactly the healthiest way to spend time with someone you love (or the best way to get to know someone you recently met). Not to mention that dinner at a restaurant can make eating healthy just a little more challenging.

Instead of your usual dinner and a movie, switch things up! Check out these fun and active date ideas that are perfect for spending quality time together.

Calories burned estimates based on a 150-pound woman. Men and people who weight more will burn more calories.

Volunteer

Why not spend your date night giving back to your community? Whether it's working in a local soup kitchen, helping a senior who needs extra help cleaning his yard, or building a house for Habitat for Humanity, you can turn your date into an active time that does some good.

Calories burned: Depending on the volunteer experience, you'll torch between 200 and 400 calories in an hour.

Go Dancing

It doesn't matter if you turn up the tunes at home or hit a local dance club to get your groove on. Dancing is a great way to let loose and have fun with your date!

Calories burned: Depending on what type of dancing you're doing, you can burn about 200 to 300 calories an hour. If you're really busting a move, you can burn even more!

Play a Sport

Hone in on your competitive side and challenge your date to a round of golf (even the miniature kind counts), or hit the volleyball or basketball court. Any sport will do and is sure to be a good time.

Calories burned: This, of course, depends on the sport and how hard you're playing, but if you keep your body moving the whole time, you can expect to burn upwards of 300 calories an hour.

Learn How to Rock Climb

Some of the best dates are ones where you learn something new together. Call up a rock-climbing facility in your town and set up a time for you to come in with your date and learn the ropes--quite literally!

Calories burned: Depending on how fast you're climbing, you can easily burn 300 to 600 calories while indoor rock climbing!

Go Bowling

If you skip the beer and fried foods, the bowling alley can be a healthy place to have a date! Rent some shoes, grab a ball and challenge your honey to a fun game.

Calories burned: You can expect to burn about 150 to 225 calories in an hour of bowling.

Be Tourists

Be a tourist in your own city! Take your date to the zoo or to an amusement park. While you're riding rides or seeing the wild animals, you'll be having too much fun to notice how much walking you're doing!

Calories burned: As long as you're not standing still for too long, you can expect to burn about 150 to 250 calories per hour on this active date!

Have An Active Game Night

Board games like Scrabble and Monopoly are fun, but sedentary. Swap out inactive games for more active ones like those on the Nintendo Wii or Twister. You'll be having so much fun that you'll forget that you're being active, too!

Calories burned: Depending on the game, you can burn about 150 to 300 calories per hour just playing games!

Visit an Orchard

Picking apples, pears or pumpkins is a fun way to get outside and get active with your date. If you don't have an orchard near you or no fruit is in season, take your date to the farmers market for a similar type of experience. Besides being active, the best part of this date is that you get healthy and delicious produce as a souvenir!

Calories burned: Walking around the orchard or farmers market and picking produce will burn about 200 calories in an hour.

Play Laser Tag

Whether you play on opposing teams or partner up on the same side, laser tag is an activity that gets the heart pumping. Run, jump and dodge your way to competitive fun!

Calories burned: If you really run around, you can easily burn 300 to 500 calories during an hour of laser tag.

Cook a Healthy Meal

Instead of ordering food out or sitting down at a restaurant, make a meal at home. Choose a healthy recipe to make together and go pick up ingredients from the grocery store. Spend the evening chatting while you mince and dice your way to a healthy meal!

Calories burned: You can expect to burn about 150 calories an hour while cooking a meal--much more than just sitting there waiting for the server to bring it to you!

Run or Walk a 5K

What better way to spend time with your special someone than on the race course? Whether you're runners or walkers (or do a little of both!), sign up for a local 5K and spend the 3.1 miles being active together.

Calories burned: You can expect to burn about 300 calories running or walking a 5K.

Take a Workout Class

Why not move your date to a health club and take a group exercise class? Try yoga, cycling, or even boot camp and get your workout and your date all in one!

Calories burned: Depending on the class, you can easily burn 300 to 600 calories in an hour of group exercise.

Plant Trees

If you and your date are nature lovers, set out to plant a tree or two on your date. Whether it's at a park, at your house or somewhere else, it's a unique date idea!

Calories burned: With all that digging and lifting, you can expect to burn about 300 calories per hour.

Walk the Dog

Go for a long walk with your date--and your dog! If you both love dogs, walking with a pooch can be a great conversation starter. If you don't own a dog, visit an animal shelter in your area. Most shelters are always looking for people to play with the pets who aren't adopted yet!

Calories burned: Walking at a leisurely pace of 2.5 miles per hour on flat terrain will give you a calorie burn of about 200 calories per hour.

Go Skating

Strap on skates for a fun, active date! Be it at the roller rink or at the ice skating rink, you're sure to have a rolling good time.

Calories burned: Skating is great cardio, and a fantastic way to work the legs. An average person will burn about 300 to 500 calories for an hour in the rink! (And if you're not a good skater, have no fear. You'll burn extra calories laughing when you take a tumble!)

Go Window Shopping

Going on dates doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, a really fun and highly affordable date is to go window shopping, which also allows you to learn a lot about your date's tastes and preferences. If you have time, you can even go into a toy store and play around with all the cool toys!

Calories burned: If you keep moving the whole time, you can burn about 200 to 250 calories in just an hour of window shopping!

Go Fishing

This is another date for the outdoor folks! Grab your fishing poles and bait and visit a local lake for a quiet date of fishing. Instead of just sitting there waiting for a fish to bite your bobber, try fly fishing, which gets you on your feet and involves casting your line into the water repeatedly.

Calories burned: Getting fishy will burn about 200 calories an hour. Not to mention, you might even snag some healthy protein to take home for dinner at the end of the date!

Play Bar Games

Be it darts, billiards or shuffle board, go to a local sports bar for your next date. These games are fun without being too intimidating or competitive. Just be sure to avoid the high-calorie drinks and eats!

Calories burned: An hour of bar games will give you a calorie burn of about 150 to 200 calories.

Take a Hike

Go hiking in the beautiful outdoors for your next date. It's a peaceful, active way to spend an afternoon, no matter if you're hiking up a mountain or just through paved trails at a park in your city.

Calories burned: If you're carrying a backpack and going uphill, you can easily burn 500 calories or more hiking. If you're walking on relatively flat ground without a pack, your calorie burn will be closer to 200 or 300 per hour.

Ride a Bike

Is there anything cuter than a tandem bike ride? Rent a special two-person bike for your next date and burn calories while you pedal around town! Not into two-person biking? riding your own bikes can be a fun, active way to get out, see the town and have a good time.

Calories burned: Even a leisurely bike ride will burn about 200 to 300 calories in an hour.

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Member comments on this slideshow

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BUBBAJEAN7

8/12/2012 4:05:27 PM

Awesome ideas for dates or girlfriend nights out! thanks for the ideas!

RIBKNIT

8/11/2012 2:22:02 PM

I second what Berthar said: if only we could get them off the couch...

PUDINTANE68

8/9/2012 6:38:50 AM

These are great ideas! The "dinner and a movie" seems like the only "date" my spouse and I know and the movie is usually renting one! I am definately going to suggest these. Wish me luck...

1STICKBLUES

5/4/2012 12:50:47 PM

Great ideas. Not only for dates, but to change it up with friends too. Thanks for the ideas!

CHEF_BARB

4/25/2012 1:52:23 PM

You need someone to have a "date" with but I use playing board games to get out with other people to meet others and find out their interests. I figure getting up and going somewhere is better than setting at home reminding yourself that you are alone. Much of what I do doesn't really have calculated calories, but I figure if I'm doing something other than sitting (even if its laughing and interacting with others) is better than parking on the couch.

LIBBYFITZ

4/15/2012 12:05:36 AM

Love going on hikes together:-)

LIBBYFITZ

4/15/2012 12:05:17 AM

Love going on hikes together:-)

BERTHAR

4/11/2012 2:01:42 PM

If only we could move our husbands off the couch!!

GET2MYPASSION

4/11/2012 12:55:34 PM

I will definitely use some of these date ideas. My husband and I need to shake things up a bit in this department.

DBCLARINET

4/11/2012 6:45:52 AM

Some of these ideas are really good, but some of these I think are stretching the idea of "date." My husband and I think taking a gym class together is fun, but we hardly call that a date!

On the other hand, we really enjoy teaming up once in a while and making a nice dinner together, we enjoy hiking, we've tried snowboarding together, stuff like that.

DOUG210

4/10/2012 11:33:51 PM

Taking the dog for a walk together is fun

ROCKINROBIN523

4/10/2012 11:15:04 PM

My hubby and I always thought GeoCaching would make for a great first date!

ONETWOFIVE1

4/10/2012 10:46:11 PM

I enjoy meeting someone new but not being stuck inside a coffee shop.
I walk is so much nicer!
Now that spring is here I think it's fun to pack a small cooler with fruit, low fat cheese, whole grain crackers & cold water!
After walking or hiking both people deserve a snack!
Take turns carrying the cooler - it's okay to look strong!

CHELLE124

4/10/2012 10:29:32 PM

Wonderful ideas. Outdoor ideas are great

VXWALL1942

4/10/2012 8:58:45 PM

A date? What pray tell is that?

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