7 Fun Party Activities That Are Great Exercises Too!

Across the world, people like to make New year's Eve memorable. They like to get together, indulge in good food and party hard. Calories are the last thing you want to think about this time of the year. Now, let's make this fun for you. What if we told you that while you have a good time, you can also continue to keep those calories in check through exercise and games you play?

All you need is some meticulous planning to line up the right activities that can also double as fun exercise ideas at the next party you throw. 

Here are 7 fun party activities that can also double as exercise and help keep your health in check!

Get on the floor!

Dancing is one of the mainstay activities planned for every party. Good music and lively people bring about a very positive and energetic vibe to the party! Dancing is not only fun but also proves beneficial for the body! An hour of dancing can burn up to 500 calories depending on the intensity.

Apart from that, dancing helps improve cardiovascular health, balance, and coordination in people. In addition to these physical benefits, dance can also boost one's mood and help in relieving stress and anxiety!

Having a great time is always possible with a dance party, so shake it off! For those who don't like intense dancing, you can bring in a few chairs, and organise a game of musical chairs. Musical chairs are a fun physical activity for all ages.

The dog and the bone game

Dog and the bone is a competitive, fun, and physically challenging game we've all played as kids. Including this fun party activity would not only improve bonding but could also be a fun team building activity among your guests! This game requires some open space and involves two teams fighting over a 'bone'.

A bottle or a cup can be used as the 'bone'. Each team will send one representative to steal the 'bone'. Once the host shouts 'go', individuals compete to steal the bottle/cup. The first person to snatch it wins the round. The team that secured the 'bone' the most number of times is the winner. To make the game more interesting, you can have some sort of a gift for the winning team, and have some sort of penalty for losers.

Let's hoop!

No, we are not talking about basketball! We're talking about hula hooping as a party activity which can be a great combination of exercise and games you play! Let's face it. Hula hooping is a fun holiday party game that doubles as an energy-busting indoor game too! 30 mins of hula hooping can burn ~165 calories in women and ~200 calories in men. Hula hooping generally involves swirling the hoop around your waist. However, not all people can do this! Here are some variations that you can introduce to keep things exciting:

• Hula hoop skipping: Take a large hula hoop, hold it in front of your waist and start skipping. You can have a competition between two people and the one with the most number of skips wins!
• Hula hoop Team link: Divide the people into two teams and have them standing side by side in a straight line. The goal is to pass the hoop along the line by hopping in and out of it without breaking the link. The two teams can race each other and the fastest one wins!
• Hula hoop hopscotch relay: Lay down a series of 5-6 hula hoops with a cup at the end. The player must hop on one leg from one hoop to the other, touch the glass and return in the same way. The next person can only go when the previous one tags him/her. Divide the group into two teams and have them race each other.

Scavenger hunt

A time-limit-based laser tag or scavenger hunt can be a great inclusion to your list of fun party activities Such activities will not only have a physical benefit but will also force participants to put on their thinking caps. With the clock ticking and tough riddles to solve, this game will not only act as a workout for their bodies, but will also give people's brains a good workout!

Jump your heart out!

Well, not literally. But jump your heart on a trampoline or use a jump rope. Renting a trampoline or booking a trampoline park for a party venue is a fun exercise ideas to get in some physical activity and feel like a child once again.

Apart from the fun, trampoline exercises are a convenient and enjoyable way to boost your cardiovascular health, strengthen your bones and muscles and overall reduce stress. You can jump to some funky beats on a trampoline or a skipping rope for weight loss and a fun way to include it in the exercise and games you play.

Tic tac toe with a twist

We've all ran or seen a relay race once in our lives. This game is a combination of a relay race and tic tac toe and here's how you play it!

• Divide the group into two teams
• Lay down the tic tac toe board (hashtag). You can use tape to mark the lines
• Each team is given 3 cups
• A single player from each team sprints to the hashtag and places the marker in the square of his/her choice
• After placing he/she sprints back and tags the next person to do the same
• The goal is to win the tic tac toe game

This is a fun game to get everyone involved and boost their competitive spirit. Also, with all the sprinting and running, it doubles as very good aerobic exercise.

Twister

Twister is a fun game for children but can be used for adults as well. This game just requires a bit of space and can be easily bought off any general store or online. The game involves up to 3 players. You can form teams in case there are a lot of people. The game comes with a mat and a spinner. Here's a gist of how you play the game!

• The mat spots series of circles of different colors
• The referee spins the spinner and calls out a body part. For eg Right hand to red
• The player must place his/her right hand on the red circle
• The game goes on till the player falls on the mat

This is one fun game that works as a great fun party activity and is a great exercise too! Improved coordination, balance, and core strength are some health benefits associated with twister!

Click here to know more about exercising and active lifestyle.