In honor of July 4, we're offering independence from the basic fitness routine.

Hulton Archive

Thirtieth president Calvin Coolidge chopped wood.

Why run when you can chop wood? Why take spin class when you can caulk a log cabin?

Feel closer to the nation's forefathers by trying a few of these exercises.

Unless otherwise noted, the calorie burns are for a 180-pound person doing the activity for an hour. We found them at CaloriesPerHour.com.

1. Caulking a log cabin: 402 calories. You think Abe stayed slim by hiring out?

2. Writing while standing: 188 calories. Granted, not tons of calories burned. But think how much cooler John Adams looked holding a feather pen and standing than he would have sitting at a computer.

3. Horseback riding. Think Teddy Roosevelt. With 220 pounds on his 5-foot-10 frame, he'd burn 399 calories. If he put his pony to a gallop, he could've burned 798.

4. Piano playing. Harry S. Truman (5-foot-8, 165 pounds) would've burned 187 calories playing the piano for an hour.

5. Chopping wood. Calvin Coolidge chopped a lot, at least when visiting his dad in Vermont. Hey, for these calories burned, I'd visit his dad in Vermont. Wielding an ax: 490.