Do you have a limited amount of time to exercise? Do you want to make the most of that little time and burn the most calories? Follow along and you’ll learn which activities burn the most and the least calories in a 30-minute workout.
First of all, don’t be fooled by those late-night infomercials telling you that your super dumb new cardio machine will allow you to burn over 1000 calories an hour. I guess that’s true if you work on their machine at the highest level at a faster rate than most people might expect. But realistically, an unqualified person, who they’re targeting as an audience, would be lucky to keep pace at that level for more than a minute. The number of calories burned, oh about 8.
Especially if you’re out of shape and just starting an exercise routine, always check with your doctor first to discuss your fitness plans with them. You want to make sure that what you’re about to do works for you given your current fitness level.
The absolute best approach to burning a lot of calories is to engage in an activity that you can sustain for at least 15 minutes. Swimming will burn more calories than walking, but if you can’t keep swimming for long and need a life jacket after a few minutes, it’s best to keep walking.
When you look at any chart that explains how many calories you can burn doing an exercise or activity, there are a few things to keep in mind. A person who is out of shape and new to exercise will generally burn 3 to 4 times fewer calories than a fit person. Factors that will affect calorie burn with each person include: muscle mass, weight, metabolism, and training intensity.
So which activity gives the highest calorie burning cycle? An average cycling speed is 15 mph. At that rate, a person can burn up to 350 calories in 30 minutes. If the cyclist increases his speed to 18 mph. that calorie burn can reach 425 calories in half an hour.
By comparison, running at a pace of 10 minutes per mile will burn 365 calories in 30 minutes. Running at a pace of 8 minutes per mile will actually burn 440 calories, but in a 30-minute period we’re talking about running less than 4 miles. That can be pretty intense and beyond most people at the beginning of their exercise regimen.
Aerobic dancing, which may not be for everyone, can produce a good burn in 30 minutes on 340 calories.
Jumping rope at a rate of 60 to 80 jumps per minute will burn 285 calories per half hour.
Walking at a pace of 15 minutes per mile will burn 150 calories in 30 minutes on level surfaces. If you walk in a mountainous area at the same pace, you can burn a little over 200 calories in that same amount of time.
Here are some other activities during a 30-minute period: Swimming (35 yards per minute) 250 calories, Racquetball 225 calories, Boxing 330 calories, Basketball 280 calories, Golf (stick walking) 175 calories.
