Exercise does not burn as many calories as people might think. A 180-lb person will burn 143 calories doing light calisthenics or 163 calories doing hatha yoga for 30 minutes. Even exercises that seem more intense will not burn as many calories. Playing basketball will burn a mere 245 calories in half an hour, while walking at a moderate pace of 3.0 mph will barely burn 135.
Step 1
Add intensity to the activity with weights. Step aerobics burns 347 calories in 30 minutes but add ankle weights to make things more difficult and you'll be burning close to 500. Running with weights can be dangerous, but activities like rowing, stepping and aerobics can all be safely intensified through the use of ankle or wrist weights.
Step 2
Pump up the intensity. Activities that already burn lots of calories, such as rock climbing, can be intensified to burn even more. For example, choose routes that are a step above your level. This challenges your muscles and makes you work harder. Rock climbing burns about 400 calories every 30 minutes, but choosing a more difficult route will increase the calories burned. Pick a path that requires a lot of hanging and the use of your arms, since this engages the muscles and burns more calories as well.
Step 3
Step outdoors. The uneven terrain, wind resistance and other environmental elements can increase the intensity of an activity, resulting in more calories burned. Cross-country skiing uphill can burn 674 calories in just 30 minutes. Rollerblading can burn almost 600 calories in half an hour.
Step 4
Try activities that require quick bursts of energy. You can burn 455 calories doing Tae kwon do for 30 minutes, the same amount burned while jumping rope. According to Bodybuilding.com, 20 minutes of sprinting on a treadmill can easily burn 600 calories.
Step 5
Use the machines at the gym rather than working out at home. Many of the machines burn a high number of calories per minute. Running on a treadmill at 8 mph can burn over 600 calories every 30 minutes and the stair treadmill, best known by its brand name, Stair Master, can easily burn over 400 calories.
Tips and Warnings
- Keep in mind that you'll burn more or less calories depending on your weight. For example, the average 155-lb. person burns just 176 calories in 30 minutes of low-impact aerobics. A 180-lb. person will burn 204 calories doing the same activity, and a 205-lb. person will burn 232.
- You must be very fit in the first place to maintain the level of intensity necessary to burn this many calories in 30 minutes. Consult with your doctor before starting such an intense exercise program.
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