Tired of Your Same Old Cardio Routine?

Try this hot new game that is fun, easy to set up and burns a ton of calories! What: Speedminton Calories Burned: About 400 per hour Body Benefits: Tank-worthy arms. This hot new game is a cross between racquetball, badminton, and tennis but with no nets or walls involved. Players bat a speeder--which looks like the birdie used in badminton--back and forth using lightweight racquets. ..............

"If you can swing a racquet, you can learn to play, and it's great cardio," says 30-year-old Christina Higgins of San Diego, mother to a newborn and a toddler. "The results are similar to those in tennis--sculpted arms and back, toned legs, and better hand-eye coordination."

Weekend Benefits: Time with friends. "Our neighbors introduced my husband and me to the game, so now we all play in our cul-de-sac," Higgins says. "The speeder glows, so we can even play well into the night."

Cost: You can purchase equipment for $30 to $50 at sporting goods stores or at Amazon.com.

How to Play:

Step 1

Set up your court. A speedminton court is made of two 18-inch squares that are 42 inches apart. These are the same dimensions as half a tennis court and can easily be played on one by extending the center line to the back of the court with tape, though no net is needed. You can also set up cones in these dimensions anywhere there's enough space for it to create a court. Some speedminton kits come with the necessary equipment to do both of these things.

Step 2

Choose who will serve first. This can be done by any means to begin the game with service changing every three serves. In subsequent games the person who lost the previous game serves first.

Step 3

Serve the speeder. When serving behind the front line of the square you must hit the speeder below your waist with the head of the racket below your hand. An overhead serve can be done from behind the back line of the square.

Step 4

Hit the speeder back and forth until someone scores a point. A point is scored on every serve and is counted when the speeder lands in the opponent's square (the line is considered in bounds), it lands out of bounds, it hits a person, or it's hit twice consecutively by the same person. A game is won by reaching 15 points first and must be won by two points. Players switch sides after each game. The player who wins three out of five games wins the match.

If you are in a bit of a rut with your workouts, try this fun new game and watch your weight start to drop again!

Weight Loss Online