Lose 500 Calories - Physical Activity

So it's time to switch gears and talk about the physical activities that you can do to burn those 500 calories. Pair these together with some good food choices, and you'll be WAY ahead of the game with a 1,000 calorie a day deficit.  This could push you closer to a 2 pound a week loss which is still a safe rate of weight loss.

Truly, the options here are limitless because ANYTHING that gets you moving burns calories.  But to be fair, you cannot tally up your regular every day activities to burn *excess* calories, because they are including in your BMR.  Here is a long list of creative ways that you can burn extra calories.  Burning 500 in one shot will be time consuming and some folks will say that they don't have the time, so I have listed a combination of shorter and longer options.  Also, keep in mind that calorie burning is not an exact science, your current weight, your heart rate, and how much you push yourself in these activities will directly impact your calorie burn.

Brisk walking - 10 to 15 minutes - 100 calories
Jogging (10 minute mile) - 50 minutes - 500 calories

Housework - 20 - 30 minutes - 100 calories
Gardening - 30 minutes - 100 calories
Mowing - push - 30 minutes - 168
Vacuuming - 30 minutes - 119

Leisurely bicycling - 30 minutes - 150 calories

Dancing - 20 minutes - 100 calories

Standing - 50 minutes - 100 calories
10,000 steps a day - 300 - 400 calories

Eliptical trainer - 30 minutes - 439 calories
Lifting weights (general)  - 30 minutes - 89 calories
Ashtanga yoga - 30 minutes - 199 calories
Jumping rope at a moderate pace - 10 minutes - 100 calories

Jumping jacks - moderate - 20 minutes - 115 calories

"Boot camp" lunges, running in place, push ups and crunches in rapid succession - 10 minutes - 100 calories

Stairs - running as quickly and safely as you can up and down the stairs - 10 minutes - 178 calories

My personal record per hour was using a program called Turbo Fire, which burned 700 calories in one hour.

As you can see, the higher the intensity, the higher the calorie burn and the less time necessary to complete it.  It is for this reason that I am not a big fan of walking for an hour (though you can increase calories burning in a walking workout by carrying hand weights).  I am really concerned with getting the most bang for my buck so you'll find me push mowing the lawn, or doing a cardio program.

What is YOUR favorite way to burn calories?