When you're trying to burn extra calories, the activities you choose can affect how quickly you get results. In general, the more vigorous the activity, the more calories you'll burn. However, if exercises that are more moderate suit you better, you can burn the same amount of calories by doing them longer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that performing one minute of vigorous exercise equals about two minutes of moderate activity.
Most Vigorous Activities
Topping the list of highest-calorie-burning activities is running. According to the Mayo Clinic, a person weighing approximately 160 pounds burns about 986 calories per hour when running at 8 miles per hour. Rollerblading burns 913 calories per hour, and jumping rope burns 730.
Vigorous Activities
If you're not quite up to running or rollerblading, try jogging to burn calories. At a rate of 5 miles per hour, you'll burn about 584 calories in an hour. Another good alternative to running is walking on a stair treadmill, where you can burn about 657 calories per hour without having to worry about braving the elements when the weather is bad. Backpacking, ice skating, and cross-country skiing each burn 511 calories per hour, and hiking burns 438. Participation in certain competitive sports can also be a good way to burn calories quickly. Playing basketball, football, or racquetball vigorously burns about 584 calories per hour.
Other Activities
The rate at which you burn calories during any activity varies according to your individual level of intensity. An activity might be extremely vigorous for one person and only moderately vigorous for another. For example, the American Council on Exercise lists the number of calories burned per hour when swimming at a moderate pace as 618, when cycling at 10 miles per hour as 438, and for aerobic dancing as 588. Your moderate pace when swimming might burn more or less calories, and you might do aerobic dancing more or less vigorously than the average person. Use the figures as guidelines to help you determine which activities burn the most calories for you.
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