Running requires little equipment, running can be done nearly anywhere and running burns more calories than any other exercise. Other types of exercise can burn a lot of calories, too. It is important to choose exercise activities that you enjoy so that you will be inclined to work out regularly.
Significance
Exercise, because it can burn many calories, is recommended as part of a comprehensive weight loss program. When you require your body to maintain movement, it must work to meet the increased demand of energy that your tissues need. To lose fat, you must burn more calories than you take in from food and drink over a period of time. A deficit of 3,500 calories, created by increasing the calories you burn and decreasing the calories you consume, equates to about a pound of fat loss.
Running
Running is the most effective exercise activity for burning calories, according to MayoClinic.com. However, the number of calories you will burn running depends on the speed and duration of your run and on your body weight. The more you weigh, the more energy your body must exert to keep moving and the more calories you will burn. MayoClinic.com states that in a 60-minute period a 160-lb. person will burn about 584 calories jogging at 5 miles per hour and about 986 calories running at 8 miles per hour. A 200-lb. person will burn even more calories in 60 minutes, burning 728 when jogging at 5 miles per hour and 1,229 running at 8 miles per hour
Other Exercise
While running is the most efficient activity for burning many calories in a relatively short amount of time, there are other effective cardiovascular exercises. A 160-lb. person will burn about 913 and 730 calories in 60 minutes of rollerblading and jumping rope, respectively. Other quality calorie-burning activities include swimming, dancing, playing basketball and working out on a stationary cardiovascular machine like the elliptical.
Daily Goals
A healthy and yet aggressive goal might be the burning of 500 calories a day through exercising. That would result in the burning of 3,500 calories in a week, which could lead to the loss of about a pound of body fat, assuming that you don't increase your caloric intake. The American Council on Exercise recommends working out 30 to 60 minutes on most days to burn enough calories for weight loss. If you're unable to complete a full 30-to-60 minute session of exercise, you can split your total workout time into multiple bouts throughout the day. Also, increase the calories you burn by incorporating short bursts of walking throughout the day. Getting up and walking briskly for five to 10 minutes will increase the number of calories you burn and will increase your metabolic rate, affecting the number of calories you burn afterward while at rest.
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