People struggle to get that 30-60 minutes of exercise in every day.  But what if you could take advantage of your commute, and use it to burn calories? You could be killing two birds with one stone. Of course you can walk, run, or bike to burn calories.  You can also take the stairs instead of the elevator and get some meaningful cardio in.  Aside from these simple hacks, active cities around the world have added ways to make a physical commute even easier.  Let’s take a look.

1. Water Bike: The San Francisco Bay Area is known for its outdoors approach to almost everything and commuting has been no stranger. Judah Schiller, CEO of design think take, AIKO founded the BayCycle Project. The design firm built an entirely new mode of transportation as seen above by perching a mountain bike over a pontoon.  Would you give it a go?

2. Running: Of course, running or walking to work has become the latest trend in healthier commutes. Running is simplified and doesn't require any equipment. As long as your office has a shower, or your gym is nearby where you can get clean up, you're good to go. 

3. Kayak: This is just plain cool and sounds so refreshing. Those who live by a river or bay are turning to a canoe or kayak to avoid rush hour and gridlock. Who can blame them? In the warmer climates and nicer seasons, this can be a refreshing, relaxing and stress-relieving way to start the day, while also burning a ton of calories. How do they pack up the kayak? One made by company Oru is foldable and makes it much more manageable.

4. Bicycle: Many people bike to work nowadays, especially in more urban-friendly areas. But now those in Norway are taking it up a notch, and solving the problem of biking up steep hills. The city of Trondheim has innovated the first and only bike lift titled CycloCable. Operators pick up a free key card from the bike repair shop, kick back their seat and a recessed cable lifts you 400+ feet to the top.

5. Zip Line: This one may shock you but in Los Pino, Colombia, many young people travel to school by zip line, crossing a ravine with a drop of more than 1,000 feet. Running on two cables, the course leads into town for the morning and then another runs alongside for heading back in the afternoon. Why? Because they live in a mountain village and it turns out to be more cost-effective and time-saving than traveling by car or bus. Small children have to be carried in harnesses, so they are safe when the zip line speeds up.