5 Ways to Burn an Extra 200 Calories

By James Penn

Besides strenuous exercise, what is the best way to burn calories? You will be amazed at the various options to get an effective workout without even realizing it.

Some of these ideas include simple tasks which are often done on a daily basis, while other activities provide fun and enjoyment. Read on to discover these calorie-burning gems.

1. Yoga

Yoga is a great form of exercise which not only burns calories but also helps increase your flexibility, builds strength, and even helps prevent heart and metabolic disease.

Yoga encourages the body to stop storing excess fat and calories. By making this a regular activity, you will experience emotional and physical benefits right away.

There are many different forms of yoga you can try. The amount of calories you will burn depends on what type of yoga you practice. The average amount of calories burned is about 200 calories for one hour.

By further intensifying your yoga workout and challenging your body, you will increase your calorie burn. Discover the different yoga practices:

• Hatha burns 175 calories per hour, equal to a slow walk.
• Ashtanga burns 300 calories per hour, equal to a brisk walk.
• Power Yoga burns 300 calories per hour, equal to a brisk walk.
• Vinyasa burns 445 calories per hour, equal to a one-hour bike ride.
• Bikram and Hot Yoga burn 630 calories per hour, equal to one hour of jogging.

2. Dancing

Dance is an effective form of exercise and can burn just as many calories as swimming, walking, or bike riding. The amount of calories you will burn depends on the intensity of the dance, the length of dance, how much effort you put in, and how much you weigh.

You can burn anywhere between 200 to 400 calories with just half an hour of continuous dancing. People who weigh more will lose more calories:

• 105 pounds = average 240 calories burned per hour
• 170 pounds = average 388 calories burned per hour
• 250 pounds = average 572 calories burned per hour

The most effective forms of calorie-burning dance styles include pole dancing, Zumba, and belly dancing. Dancing does not only provide calorie burning benefits, but it also helps improve muscle strength, bone density, balance, and co-ordination. Zumba is the most effective form of dancing for weight loss.

3. Housework

Housework is an excellent way to burn extra calories and it is something most people do on a regular basis. The amount of calories you burn depends on the amount of effort you put in. Different forms of cleaning have their own individual benefits.

The best chores to work out your arms include sweeping, mopping, dusting, and polishing. To tone your thighs and improve flexibility any stretching or bending chores will help such as making the bed, washing the windows, or doing the laundry.

You will burn more calories performing more difficult jobs such as spring cleaning and decorating. Do not forget the stairs—running up and down during your daily cleaning ritual can provide an effective workout.

4. Gardening

Gardening is a hidden treasure for burning calories because you have the added benefit of getting in touch with nature and breathing in fresh air. It can also be very relaxing and help clear your mind.

The continuous simple act of kneeling, standing, weeding, and watering can burn over 300 calories per hour. Calories breakdowns are as follows:

• Ride-on mower: 101 calories
• Push mower: 182 calories
• Manual shears: 182 calories
• Weeding: 182 calories for ½ hour

5. Swimming

Swimming is a great workout which exercises all major muscle groups in the body and therefore is a very effective way to burn calories. This is a perfect form of exercise since there is no stress on muscles and joints. The swim stroke you choose will determine how many calories you burn. Here is a breakdown:

Freestyle

This is the quickest swimming stroke. It tones your abdominals, glutes, shoulders, and strengthens your back.

• Calories burned: 100 every 10 minutes

Breaststroke

This stroke provides a good workout for chest muscles, inner thigh, shoulders, hamstrings, and triceps. It also tones up the heart and lungs.

• Calories burned: 60 every 10 minutes

Backstroke

This stroke tones the buttocks, stomach, shoulders, and arms.

• Calories burned: 80 every 10 minutes

Butterfly

This stroke improves upper body strength, increases flexibility, tones abdominals, chest, back muscles, arms, and triceps.

• Calories burned: 150 every 10 minutes