August 20, 2019
Finding time to work out with a busy schedule is hard enough, but summer fun can add an extra hurdle in the quest to hit the gym. Between barbecues, vacations, and fun in the sun, a healthy and consistent exercise routine can be put on the backburner. While you may not get your heart pumping as often as you’d like, finding activities that burn the most calories in the least amount of time can help combat that summer training sadness. Here are five calorie-torching exercises you can squeeze in between seasonal festivities.
Though any amount of calorie burn depends on your weight and intensity level, cycling is a sure bet to hit calorie goals quickly and efficiently. If you’re someone who loves being outside and can’t stand the thought of being cooped up in a gym, grab your helmet and hop on your bike for an hour. Even at a moderate speed, a 155-pound person can burn up to 600 calories in just 60 minutes. For a heightened calorie burn, try picking up the pace—a faster rate of 16 miles per hour can help someone of the same weight burn almost 750 calories in the same time frame.
It’s common knowledge that opting for the stairs instead of the elevator can help kick up your daily calorie burn. But dedicated, intense stair climbing can be more than just a healthy choice on the way to the office. In fact, stair climbing has officially been classed as a “vigorous exercise” that burns more calories per minute than jogging. It’s so effective that skiers often climb stairs to train and models use stair climbing to tone their legs for the catwalk. Plus, stair climbing is incredibly accessible. Just about any of us can find a set of stairs to climb, from open stadiums, to parks, to museum steps.
A staple for childhood recess games, the jump rope has long been a source of fun and easy exercise. But a lot has changed since double-dutch competitions on the playground. Athletes and trainers use the jump rope to achieve difficult fitness goals, as it’s a great method of high intensity interval training —resulting in greater calorie burn and fat loss than longer, lower intensity cardio sessions. Just 30 minutes of jumping rope can burn approximately 400 calories depending on your weight. Jump ropes are also extremely portable, making a quick calorie-burning session available anywhere you want it.
Burning calories is a win in itself—but learning to punch and kick while you’re at it is the best of both worlds. Kickboxing engages almost every muscle in the body, from the legs and glutes up to the arms and shoulders. This makes it an exceptional calorie-torching workout, ranging anywhere from 750 to 900 calories per hour. Many people find kickboxing to be one of the best workouts for relieving stress, but experts suggest joining a local class or finding a good instructor to show you the ropes. This way you can avoid injuries, burn calories, and learn how to fight like a pro.
Rowing is one of the most effective calorie-burning workouts available, using over 80 percent of the body’s muscles. Depending on intensity, rowing can burn more calories than both cycling and running. In an hour of vigorous rowing, a 150-pound person can burn over 550 calories. Though rowing is especially popular at CrossFit gyms, almost every gym has rowing machines at their facilities. To reap the most benefits of the exercise, be sure to push against your feet, and drive your hips back, following through with your upper body.
No matter where you are in your fitness journey, burning calories and building muscle is the core of every exercise routine. Finding efficient and safe ways to workout can help improve almost every aspect of your life, and understanding what’s right for your body and your schedule is key to staying healthy. Just be sure to talk with your doctor before starting a new fitness routine to determine a workout plan that’s best for your lifestyle.
