How to burn 500 calories in 30 minutes

How to burn 500 calories in 30 minutes

To lose weight and stay fit, you need to burn 3,500 calories a week- while it seems practically impossible, it is something you can work out.

If you want to lose a pound of fat, then you have to burn 3,500 calories per week, which means torching 500 calories per day making it 4 pounds a month.

Following the right diet plan, properly managing stress, and sticking to your workout routine can help you lose 5 pounds of fat in a month.

Vigorously exercising and enjoying it can help you work out for longer periods without feeling exhausted. To achieve your goal (burning 500 calories in 30 minutes), it is best to do exercises that interest you and boost your performance level.

If working out on a treadmill or doing a number of crunches bore you, adjust your workout routine. You could mix in and match strength training, cardio exercises, and bodyweight exercises.

A key to burning calories is to focus on intense workouts that increase your heart rate, focus on “intensity”. You have to try to ensure your heart rate is between 75%-90% of your maximum effort.

With these 9 intense workouts, you will be able to increase your heart rate and burn up to 500 calories per half an hour. These workouts could be done anywhere- at home, a gym or even outside.

Best exercises to burn 500 calories in 30 minutes.

1. HIIT (high-intensity interval training)

High intensity interval training is one of the best exercises you can do to burn calories in a short period. HIIT involves alternating between different exercises for a short period, say 20 to 45 minutes with a lesser recovery period.

HIIT is a quick total body workout that is intense, more reason it is effective in burning calories quickly.

HIIT also boosts EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) effect, meaning that your body can still burn fat even when at rest. Most trainers feel like EPOC is influenced by the duration of their workout, your workout has to be intense to create the EPOC effect.

Thanks to HIIT, your metabolism can be rev to boost the afterburn (EPOC) effect. And the greater the afterburn, the greater the calories you torch and the greater the amount of weight you lose.

An example of a high intensity training is performing 15 burpees at a high intensity for 30 seconds, rest for 15 seconds followed by 20 high knees. Rest for 15 seconds and perform 2 sets of burpees. Take a 15 seconds rest period. Perform 12 squat jumps and rest for 15 seconds, then repeat two more sets.

2. Sand Running or Running

When it comes to burning calories quickly, running and sand running is very effective. These exercises are cardio exercises that works the entire body.

They don’t require any equipment since it is quite comfortable to do anywhere. Before running or sand running, warm up by doing a brisk walking, or jogging for 5 to 10 minutes then sprint for few seconds.

To burn excessive calories, you have to run actively and quickly, remember it has to be intense. Running at a 7 miles per hour (mph) pace burns 700 calories per hour.

Running on a sand is better than running on a hard surface. While you run on a soft sand, your core, glutes, hamstrings, hips, quads, calves, and ankles are worked as it places a softer effect

It is true that running on a sand is better and softer for your joints than running on a hard surface. Running on a sand surface creates a resistance for your body and you’ll have to work harder to overcome this resistance and keep moving forward.

Trying to overcome the resistance will increase your heart rate and burn calories.

A study found that running on sand takes 1 to 6 times the energy expenditure of running on harder surface. If you weigh 120 pounds and run at 12mph, you are more likely to burn 545 calories in 30 minutes. Try Interval running to help you achieve this goal.

3. Plyometric Exercises:

Plyometric exercise can help burn 500 calories per half an hour. Plyometric, also known as jump training exercises are effective for rapid torching of calories.

Plyo exercises involves relaxing, stretching, and contracting your muscles at a rapid pace. Doing this can boost your heart rate and burn calories.

Plyometric exercise combines different jumping moves to increase power, strength, speed and build muscles.

Most plyo moves require strong tendons and ligaments to avoid injury to the joints, so start with other exercises that builds stability and strength.

To make the most out of this exercise, intensity is key, followed by work-to-rest-ratio. This means a shorter work period and longer rest period. Some plyometric exercise to perform includes:

• Squat jumps: in a standing position, lower your body into a squat. Press through your feet, engage your core and jump up. Lift your arms over your head while jumping. Return to your squatting position by lowering yourself back down.
• Box jumps: start in a standing position facing a box in front of you. Squat down as you prepare to jump onto the box a foot in front of you. Jump back down and land on the ground with your knees slightly bent.
• Mountain climbers: start in a push-up position and engage your core. Pull your right knee towards your right elbow, then return to the push-up position. Repeat the movement with your left knee and left elbow. Keep alternating sides and do it as quickly as you can.
• Alternating lunges: start in a standing position, about hip-distance apart. Step forward with your left leg and lower your body slightly till your knee is bent at 90 degrees while your rear knee is off the floor. Pause. Apply weight on your left foot to return to starting position. Repeat movement with your right leg.
• Buttkicks: start in a standing position about hip-distance apart with your arms by your side. Slowly lift your right heel to your buttocks and return it back down by placing the ball of your right foot on the ground. Repeat this movement. Alternate heels and gradually increase speed.

4. Dancing or Zumba:

If you are bored and want to try something fun, dancing is a great option. Surprisingly, dancing is one of the best ways to lose weight and burn 500 calories under a short while.

Although it depends on your weight and intensity, it is an activity you should try out. While attending a dance class can help you, you can try a solo dance in your home or engage your friends or kids.

All you simply have to do is turn up the disco and move to rhythms like you just don’t care.

In addition to torching calories, dancing boosts cardiovascular fitness, improves muscle strength, and bone density, reduces the risk of injuries and improves stability and coordination.

Dancing can also relieve stress, fatigue and improve mood- more reason it is an enjoyable exercise for most people.

5. House Chores:

You must be wondering how you could burn calories this way. Well, doing house chores can torch calories, more reason you feel tired after engaging in them.

For instance, gardening burns 178 calories for a person weighing 200 pounds and 120 calories, for 125 pounds.

• Mowing a lawn for 30 minutes burns 135 calories for 125 pounds and 200 calories for 185 pounds.
• Vacuuming for 30 minutes burns 99 calories for 120 pounds, 124 calories for 150 pounds and 166 calories for 200 pounds.
• Making a bed for 30 minutes burns 187 calories for 125 pounds and 300 calories for 200 pounds.
• Decluttering for 30 minutes burns 105 calories for 125 pounds and 155 calories for 200 pounds.
• Cleaning up after a meal for 30 minutes can burn 187 calories for 125 pounds and 300 calories for 200 pounds.

While performing house chores, you can engage your core and incorporate few exercises to make it more fun and burn extra calories.

While making your bed, do a side lunge. If you are climbing the stairs with a load, perform the walking lunge. Dance while vacuuming and while mopping, perform a basic lunge each time you move forward.

6. Weight Training:

Weight training or strength training is great for building of muscles and burning of calories- depending on intensity, duration and your weight.

The greater your muscles, the greater calories your body will burn even while at rest. This means you may keep burning calories for days or hours even while you are not exercising- after strength training.

To strength or weight train, you need equipment like dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, medicine balls, Swiss balls, resistance bands, etc. which you could use at home or at a gym.

Weight training exercises that are amazing calorie burners include deadlift, lunges, chest presses, barbell back squats, pull-up, push-up, shoulder presses, etc.

7. Bodyweight Exercises:

In cases where you don’t have any equipment to perform weight training exercises, you could use your body’s weight.

Most body weight exercises can help you burn 500 calories in 30 minutes as long as it is intense. Bodyweight exercises delivers lots of benefits like giving you a defined and toned physique.

While these exercises can be done anywhere and at anytime, they require just 20 to 40 minutes.

Bodyweight exercises that burn calories in few minutes include push-up, mountain climbers, alternating reverse lunges, squat jumps, high knees, burpees, crunches, skater lunges, crawling, leg raises, etc.

8. Jumping Rope:

Jumping rope can increase your heart rate since it is intense and also burns calories. This full body workout improves your lungs, tones your body, increases bone density, increases agility and delivers other benefits.

Jumping rope or skipping is a vigorous and fun exercise that can burn excessive calories in a little time. This exercise may even burn 10 calories per minute, meaning you could burn around 300 calories in 30 minutes.

All you need is a tough and long rope(7 to 10ft.) With good shoes for little cushioning. Remember to land softly when skipping.

9. Kickboxing:

Kickboxing improves physical fitness, balance and most interestingly, burns 500 calories in just 30 minutes. A person weighing 125 pound will burn 300 calories in 30 minutes while another person will burn 444 calories in 30 minutes.

This workout involves punching, kicking and footwork, all of which is intense- you just have to find the right kickboxing class.

Easy ways to burn calories

You can burn calories every day without exercising. Yes, replacing most sedentary habits and engaging in a little bit of activity that does not involve sitting down can help burn calories. Some easy ways to burn calories without exercising includes:

• Rather than sitting, stand up more often. You would be surprised at how many calories you could burn by just standing.
• Always take a walk. Instead of using the elevator, use the stairs. Instead of parking your car at the closest spot to your destination, park it farther away and take a walk.
• Laugh out Loud. Most people underestimate the benefits of laughter. Laughing helps burn calories.
• Lack of sleep could change the way your body burns calories. Sleep adequately to rev your metabolism. Sleep for at least 8 -9 hours a night.
• Eat foods rich in fiber. Fiber-rich foods slows digestion and help your body burn more calories. Eat seeds, oatmeal, whole grain and vegetables, etc
• Always stay hydrated. Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, every day to boost metabolism.
• Relieve stress to inhibit the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. Do things that make you happy and feel relaxed. Try yoga, practice meditation, hang out with friends, play a game, or write in a journal.
• Do more house chores as most of them can help burn calories
• Play a game with your kids, roommates or friends.
• Drinking coffee can help burn more calories because of its caffeine content.
• Eat breakfast. When you eat breakfast, your body receives a signal to start burning fat since you are not starving.
• Avoid screen time at night so you can go to bed early, sleep adequately and wake up early to eat breakfast
• Try fidgeting. Pace, act restlessly, tap your feet, or even play with your fingers
• Practice squats. Whenever you try to pick something from the floor, perform a squat exercise.
• When carrying heavy weight items, swap sides after a few minutes so you work both muscles
• Drink herbal tea such as oolong tea and green tea.
• Always remember to sit up, instead of slanting or bending at your waist.