If you're like me, you're always looking for ways to burn more calories. And if you're trying to lose weight or just maintain your current healthy weight, exercise and calorie burning is probably near the top of your must-do list.
Burning Calories
The good news is that your body is burning up calories all the time...whether you're very active or sitting at a computer. Even when you are sleeping or doing nothing at all.
The amount of calories burned directly relates to your basic metabolic rate.
In fact, of the total calories burned in a day, about....
The number of
calories you need
per day varies depending on many factors....but one thing is certain....burning more calories than you take in is the only way to
lose weight.
Burn the Fat!
For every pound of fat you want to lose, you will need to burn 3500 more calories than you eat, through increased activity or decreased eating or a combination of the two. With a
healthy diet
and regular activity, losing 2-3 pounds of fat per week is a reasonable healthy goal. That might not sound like much, but just think, that amounts to...
over 25 pounds in only two months!
Total Calories Burned
The number of calories you burn with
exercise
depends upon your weight, your activity and the intensity level of your exercise. Any activity that you perform can be done at a variety of intensity levels.
If you exercise at a higher intensity level, you will be working harder, expending more energy and burning calories faster than someone who is not working as hard.
Walking, biking, running and swimming are all great calorie burning activities.
Use the chart below to see how many calories you can burn with your favorite activity.
Type of Exercise
Calories/hour
Housework
160
Golf
240
Gardening
250
Walking, 3mph
280
Tennis
350
Swimming
400
Rollerblading/Skating
420
Aerobic Dance
420
Aerobics
450
Bicycling
450
Jogging, 5mph
500
Swimming
500
Cross Country skiing
500
Hiking
500
Step Aerobics
550
Rowing
550
Power Walking
600
Stationary Bike
650
Jumping Rope
700
Running
700
This list got me thinking...how many calories are burning doing everyday things. For example, exactly how long would you have to kiss in order to burn off a bottle of beer? Or how long would you have to argue with someone to burn off a Mars bar? From playing ping-pong to belly-laughing, this The Little Book of Calorie Burning contains more than 100 activities and their calorie-burning powers. For instance, have you ever thought about the calories you burn simply by eating and digesting?
Activities are arranged A-Z and show the calories burned for four different weights. Each entry also gives an example food, telling you how long you must do that activity to burn it off. Be a calorie-burning trivia expert!
To help keep you
motivated,
put together a
workout playlist
of your favorite songs. Power walk while listening to your favorite music for an hour and you've just burned 600 calories!
I love my elliptical, and try to use it every day. To increase the abdominal fat burning during my workout, I use an amazing belt calledThe Flex Belt. It's comfortable, inexpensive, and best of all, it works great! I totally love it!
contains more than 100 activities and their calorie-burning powers. For instance, have you ever thought about the calories you burn simply by eating and digesting? 
