Playground fitness activities are the BEST way to get in shape

Forget treadmills, cross-trainers and endless sit-ups - if you want to get in shape, go back to the playground, according to new research. Old school works-out like star jumps, hopscotch and skipping actually burn more calories and use more muscles than traditional exercises. Experts claim those wanting to drop dress-sizes would be better off skipping for 15 minutes to lose 215 calories, rather than running for the same amount of time, which uses just 150 calories. Similarly, those who enjoy a brisk walk would only lose an average of 50 calories in quarter of an hour, but could expect to shed 135 calories by doing star-jumps for the same period.

And a few minutes of hopscotch will burn 88 calories, while an enjoyable game of tag would wave goodbye to 115 calories, according to research by Fitness First.