Everyone should aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous activity three days a week, but some exercises result in quicker weight loss than others. If you want to shift pounds and lose calories swiftly, make these high-impact exercises part of your daily routine.
Aerobic Activity
Any kind of activity that speeds up your heart rate is burning calories. Cycling, boxing, fast walking, dancing, elliptical trainers, running, aerobics, cardio combat–they’re all excellent exercises for losing weight. To reach your optimum calorie-burning zone, you should aim to work at a high intensity, between 80 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate, for at least 20 minutes. The aerobic effect on your breathing causes you to use more oxygen, which burns calories. Jumping rope is one of the simplest and most effective calorie-burning exercises, or try rowing to give your upper body a rigorous workout.
Interval Training
Walking fast, jogging and sprinting combined in one workout brings swift results. Known as interval training, you walk fast for one minute, jog for two and sprint for three, then work your way back down, and jog for two, then walk for one and jog, then sprint again. For a more intense workout, include some natural inclines in your route, or skip the jogging stage. This type of training boosts your metabolism, helping you burn calories at a quicker rate. Indoor group cycling classes work in the same way; you maneuver flat ground with upward and downward hills to high-intensity music and burn hundreds of calories by doing so.
Lifting Weights
The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn; remember that 1 lb. of fat burns around five calories a day, whereas 1 lb. of muscle burns 35 to 50. Combine aerobic exercise with weight lifting; aim to do three sets of 12 reps with weights that cause you to be breathless but not in pain. Body composition is very important for losing calories. Having a high muscle/fat ratio causes your resting basal metabolic rate to increase, so you’ll burn more calories just lying down.
Triathlons and Team Sports
Having a specific event to train for, a goal at the end of your hard work, always produces results. Taking part in a triathlon requires you to train at swimming, running and cycling, so you’ll get an all-round workout and burn calories faster, while building muscle. Team sports such as volleyball or football use hundreds of calories, and they’re great incentives for getting off the sofa and onto your feet to join your teammates.
Extreme Sports
At the extreme end of the exercise scale, sports like snowboarding, skiing, rock climbing and canoeing are great for fast results. These sports require you to utilize every muscle, engaging your upper and lower body. They’re also usually done for a longer period every time, meaning they have optimum calorie-burning potential.
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