The Fastest Way To Burn 500 Calories

Although the number of calories you burn during aerobic activity depends on the intensity of the exercise, cardiovascular workouts have the greatest immediate impact on calorie expenditure. Moderate-intensity activities burn up to seven calories per minute, whereas vigorous-intensity exercise burns seven or more calories per minute. Although some exercises require more exertion than others, several factors impact how many calories you burn, including your weight, age and current fitness level.

Vigorous Intensity Exercise

Performing vigorous aerobic exercise is the fastest way to burn 500 calories. Activities such as jogging, swimming, aerobics and bicycling can burn 500 calories or more per hour, depending on your weight and your speed. Even brisk walking at a speed of 4.5 mph can burn 460 calories in an hour. However, jumping into high-intensity exercise when you're not physically ready for it can lead to injury and interfere with your calorie-burning goals.

Options

If you're new to exercise, adjust to moderate-intensity activities before moving on to more intense exercises. You should also start with a shorter duration of 20 to 30 minutes and gradually extend the length of your exercise sessions. You can burn 280 calories a day, for example, by walking at a pace of 3.5 mph for 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening. As your fitness improves, you can increase your speed to a brisk walk or jog and increase your total calorie expenditure for the morning and evening sessions to 460 calories.

Judging Intensity

Any aerobic activity that causes you to break a sweat and raises your heart rate will boost your calorie burn. If you can talk but not sing during exercise, you're working at moderate intensity. Examples include water aerobics and bicycling at less than 10 mph. With vigorous exercise, your breathing will speed up and you'll find it difficult to finish a sentence without several pauses for breaths.

Your weight may impact the intensity of your exercises. Individuals who are overweight or obese may get a vigorous-intensity workout from otherwise moderate-intensity activities. As your fitness improves, you'll see a difference in your cardiovascular response to aerobic exercise. (Ref 3)

Considerations

By combining calorie restriction with exercise, you can create a deficit of 500 calories even if you're just starting a fitness program. If you trim 250 calories from your eating plan and incorporate a 30-minute morning and afternoon walk, you'll achieve your goal of cutting your calorie balance by 500. Consult with your doctor before starting an aggressive exercise program if you've been inactive for a long time or if you have a history of health problems.