Weight gain is caused by an energy imbalance in the body. Your body needs a specific amount of calories daily for life functions. If you eat more than the body needs, the excess is converted to fat. Losing fat requires burning more calories than your body needs, resulting in fat loss. Jumping jacks burn calories and help you meet your weight-loss goals.
Calorie Burning
Set a weight-loss goal to accomplish fat loss through jumping jacks. You need to burn 500 calories more than you consume a day to burn 1 pound of fat weekly. You can double your weight loss by burning 1,000 calories a day. If meeting these weight-loss goals is difficult, use jumping jacks in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet. For a 2-pound weekly weight loss, decrease calorie consumption by 700 calories and burn 300 daily calories through jumping jacks.
Weight Loss
The amount of calories burned with jumping jacks varies, based on your current weight and how long you work out. A person who weighs 160 pounds working out for 30 minutes burns 294 calories, according to "Fitness" magazine. However, a person weighing 200 pounds burns 367 calories in the same amount of time. Calorie burning increases again for a person weighing 240 pounds to 477 calories in a 30-minute session.
Exercise Recommendations
Losing fat with jumping jacks requires regular workout sessions. Since jumping jacks are a vigorous aerobic activity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 75 minutes weekly. This breaks down to about 30 minutes, two to three days a week. During jumping jacks, your heart rate is elevated and you aren't able to say more than a few words without stopping to catch your breath.
Circuit Training
Increase your calorie-burning potential by using jumping jacks with circuit training. You combine strength movements with intense cardio bursts, like jumping jacks. Start out with a strength-training movement, such as leg squats, for a couple of minutes. Then, switch to your intense cardio activity, such as jumping jacks, for a few minutes. Continue this pattern for at least 30 minutes.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need?; February 2011
- "Fitness" magazine; Circuit Training Workout: Burn 30 Percent More Calories; Liz Neporent
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Statistics Related to Overweight and Obesity; February 2010
- Mayo Clinic; Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour; December 2009
- MedlinePlus; Tips for Losing Weight; October 2009
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