Calorie Burning Activities

Losing weight is a matter of burning more calories than you consume. Your body burns calories to keep your heart beating, your blood pumping and your brain functioning. To burn calories beyond the basal metabolic rate, you must engage in activity. Focus on activities that burn calories efficiently in a short amount of time, and choose ones you enjoy so you are more likely to stick to a routine.

Running

Running requires most of the body to work hard, and thus performing it burns a lot of calories. Whether you choose to run on trails, the treadmill or on a track, running is accessible to most people. A 160-pound person jogging at 5 mph burns about 500 calories in one hour. Increasing the speed or the incline of the terrain creates more calorie burn. If you are a beginner, or suffer from joint injuries, walking provides a good calorie-burning alternative. A one-hour walk at about 3-1/2 mph burns 277 for that same 160-pound person. To increase the calorie burn, add in hills or work up to a faster power walk.

Kickboxing

Kickboxing is usually offered as a fitness classes in health clubs and rec centers. It combines boxing, martial arts and classic aerobics in a workout that is relatively simple. Kickboxing challenges both the body and the mind, helping to reduce stress and improve agility, endurance and cardiovascular capacity. According to the American Council on Exercise, a 135-pound person will burn 350 to 450 calories in one class lasting about 50 minutes. Your ultimate calorie burn depends on the intensity of the class and your skill level.

Interval Training

The training strategy of alternating high intensity bouts of exercise with more moderate active rest periods known as interval training burns calories effectively. The journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism published a study in 2008 out of the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph in Canada showing that interval training helps facilitate greater fat and energy expenditure. In untrained, "recreationally active" subjects who participated in six weeks of interval training combining moderate-intensity training with all out sprint-intervals on a cycle, fat oxidation and carbohydrate burn increased significantly. To perform intervals on your own, try alternating a minute of hard running with one of light jogging or walking for a total of 20 to 30 minutes.

Jumping Rope

Jumping rope is a portable activity that requires little skill. In 10 minutes of rope jumping, a 160-pound person burns about 120 calories. Sustaining more than 10 straight minutes of jumping rope might not be realistic, but using the move in between strength training exercises proves an effective way to increase the calorie burn in a resistance workout. You might also use jump rope in small bursts throughout the day to achieve a 30- or 40-minute daily total of calorie burning cardio. The American College of Sports Medicine advocates breaking aerobic activity up over the course of the day as a way to still reap benefits. Jump rope continuously for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening to burn extra calories.

Circuit Training

Burning calories through a circuit training program is a way to avoid the gym and the running track. Choose 10 or so cardio and strength exercises and perform them each for a minute total without rest inbetween. Repeat the circuit three times for a full 30-minute strength and cardio workout. In just 30 minutes, depending on the exercises you choose and the intensity with which you approach them, a 140-pound person burns 250 to 300 calories. Liz Neporent of Fitness Magazine reports that a circuit combining only strength moves burns about 30 percent more calories than a traditional resistance workout in which rest periods are taken between sets. Ideas for circuit moves include squats, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, squat thrusts, high knees, push ups, football runs, walking lunges, dips and crunches.