Losing weight, theoretically, is simple: you simply take in fewer calories than you expend. Well, sometimes it's difficult to know how many calories you're expending, and whether or not you've burned more calories than you've consumed. Learning to take advantage of every traditional and nontraditional opportunity to burn calories is a key component of long-term weight loss.
Hula Dancing
For the average 150 lb. woman, 30 minutes of hula dancing will expend 153 calories. That's 119 calories more than you would expend while sitting and watching TV, according to Discovery Health's activity calorie burn-rate calculator. Take up hula dancing three times a week for a year, and you'll lose over 6 lbs. without making any other changes.
Gardening
Spend 30 minutes digging around in your garden, and you'll expend 170 calories. Lose another 5 lbs. by spending just an hour gardening each week for a year.
Flag Football
Grab the family and head outdoors for a friendly game of flag football. Run, jump, and jive your way to weight loss while expending 272 calories for every 30 minutes of family fun. If you can keep going for a full hour, you'll have burned more than 500 calories. One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories, so simply burn off 3,500 more calories than you consume, and you'll lose weight. Sounds tough, but that extra 500 calories from flag football playing will go a long way towards your goal, as long as you don't guzzle those calories down in hot dogs and beer following the game.
Horseback riding
Take a trip to your local stables, and ride a horse for 20 minutes. You'll be amazed at how much your muscles have to be engaged to stay balanced and upright on a moving animal. Just 20 minutes of trotting for a 150 lb. individual will burn 147 calories, and you'll be having so much fun, you won't even realize all the work you're doing.
Kickball
Join a local community kickball team for fun, socialization, and weight loss. Just 30 minutes of playing will burn 238 calories. The running, kicking, throwing, and laughing will make weight loss a breeze.
Ping Pong
Ping pong helps improve hand-eye coordination and reaction time, and it also enables you to expend calories while standing and playing the "court." For every 20 minutes you play ping pong, you expend 90 calories. Play for an hour, and you'll almost burn 300.
Surfing
Next time you're at the beach, sign up for surfing lessons. You'll have a great time learning a new skill, and you'll also engage your arms, core and legs practicing standing and maneuvering on the board. An hour of surfing will burn 204 calories.
Leisure Swimming
You don't have to swim laps at the pool to burn calories. Swim for fun, paddling, jumping, pushing through the water, and for the effort, you'll burn 408 calories in an hour. Take the whole family for a calorie-torching day of excitement at your local community pool.
References
- Discovery Health Activity Calorie Burn Rate Calculator
- "Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance"; William D. McArdle, Victor L. Katch, Frank I. Katch; 2009
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