If doing long duration cardio on the treadmill, crosstrainer, or lifecycle sound less appealing than cleaning your house then why do it? If you don't love the idea of emulating hamsters to burn fat then here's a few tips on how to burn calories without cardio machines.
Group Exercise
Doing cardio with an instructor and other people can be a lot of fun if you choose the right class. If you like to dance try hi/lo aerobics, jazzercise, hip hop aerobics, salsa aerobics, or step aerobics. If you need to be pushed to your limits try spinning, taebo, kickboxing, bosu, athletic training, or boot camp. Need gentle cardio because you have back, knee, hip, or shoulder problems? Aqua aerobics, rebounding, or treking are good options. Trying to squeeze weights and cardio into one workout? Step interval training, powerflex, step circuit, power sculpt, rep reebok, or cardio sculpt. If you don't have a gym membership there are plenty of great videos that offer the same type of workouts.
Outdoor Workouts
Exercising outdoors allows you to get fresh air, and get some fat burning sunlight. There are obvious workouts like hiking, biking, walking, running, and swimming that burn tons of calories. You can also sprint up and down stadium steps or parking garage stairs, alternate running laps with basic moves like squats, pushups, and crunches, ie. run a lap do 10 pushups, run a lap do 20 squats, run a lap do 30 crunches then repeat everything two more times. Try inline skating, try a par course, trail running, speed walking uphill, running laps through water wearing aqua runners, alternate 1 minute of jumping rope with crunches, pushups, lunges. Anything counts as long as you're working between 65% & 75% of your target heart rate for 20-30 minutes.
Sports
Choose sports that involve continous movement rather than those involving short burst of energy and a lot of standing around. Bad choices include baseball, softball, football, and golf. Good choices include volleyball, racquetball, and tennis. Great choices include, soccer, kayaking, rowing, boxing, skiing, surfing, lacrosse.
Do Your Own Housework
Are you paying someone to clean your house, mow your lawn, wash your car or maybe you've delegated these chores to your kids. If so you're missing out on some serious calorie burning. A 5'4" 30 year old woman who weighs 150lb performing any of the activities below for 1 hour can burn:
- 272 calories cleaning the house (vigorously)
- 207 calories washing the car
- 306 calories waxing the car
- 374 calories mowing the lawn
- 204 calories painting indoors
- 408 calories shoveling snow
Have Physical Fun
These days everyone's idea of entertainment involves activities that require sitting like movies, video games, chatting or playing games with friends online, casino gambling, sports events, dinning out, or going to a bar. If you have the typical desk job you can't afford to spend your free time sitting as well so try to have fun with physical activities.
- 30 min. of bowling or ballroom dancing burns 102 calories
- 30 min. of gardening burns 136 calories
- 60 min. horseback riding burns 272 calories
- 30 min. of miniature golf or frisbee burns 102 calories
- 30 min. ping pong burns 136 calories
- 1 hour of square dancing burns 306 calories
Burn calories, lose weight, and have fun with Bellydance Fitness for Weight Loss featuring Rania (Cardio Shimmy/Bellydance Boogie/Hip Drop Hip Hop/Pure Sweat)
