We’ve all been stuck at home for rather more than we would have liked to, and many of us start looking for calorie burning activities to stay fit.
The recent pandemic led to a lot of our most well-loved hang-out places closing down unexpectedly, thus limiting our options.
Suddenly, we were unable to go to the gym, to follow our regular workout schedule.
We were restricted from going jogging, swimming or biking, you know, all those fun activities that helped us stay in shape, burn calories and release some much-needed endorphins.
Naturally, this, coupled with the insane boredom of being stuck indoors all day led many to put on some extra weight in the lockdown months.
For many, this troubling time continues every day.
Depending on where in the world you live, you might still not be able to go exercise, go to the gym, or lead the active lifestyle you’d become accustomed to.
Many schools and universities are resuming classes online this semester, and many businesses have moved to remote working – this limits the activity we do on a given day.
But, just because we’re stuck at home, that doesn’t mean we should give up on ourselves.
Uncontrolled weight gain affects our self-image, which in turn can lead to depression and other bad feelings.
And this is a depressing enough time as it is, we don’t need extra reasons to get depressed, right?
So in this article, we’ll be looking at 12 different activities that you can do at home to burn calories, combine them with a balanced diet plan and you’ll get the perfect formula for long-lasting weight loss.
Naturally, make sure you do these safely and at your own pace :)!
12 Calorie Burning Activities You Can Do At Home!
1. High Knees
This is one of the most popular cardio exercises out there, and the good news for us is, you can easily do it at home.
Better yet, since high knees involve running in place, you’re expected to do it at home!
The average human being burns something between 200 and 400 calories for a 30-minute session of High Knees.
Now, don’t get too excited, as this is a strenuous exercise and most people barely manage to do it for a few minutes at first.
But if you stick to it, then gradually, you’ll increase your resistance levels and in turn, burn more calories as you go.
2. Jumping Jacks
By balancing out your heart rate, controlling blood pressure and helping deal with bad cholesterol levels in the body, jumping jacks offer you a wide range of cardiovascular and fat loss benefits.
They are one of the best vigorous types of cardio exercises that help you create a negative energy balance in the body.
This means that you have expended more energy than the number of calories you have consumed which aid weight loss.
3. Burpees
Our third calorie burning activities are Burpees.
Burpees improve your blood flow, strengthen your heart and help you burn a ton of calories. So, good news for you!
The bad news is that there is no fun way to do burpees, whether you take them slow or you try to hit a certain rep count with a set time period…
You’ll be wondering how it’s possible for many muscles to be burning at the same time.
4. Jump Rope
Spending just a half hour jumping rope does wonders for building strength, and increasing muscle tone.
This is one of the most effective forms of cardio exercises because when you jump almost the majority of your muscles are working
This makes your body in-need to burn more fuel to produce the energy, thus it burns lots of calories.
5. Walking
That’s right, the simple act of walking can burn about 5 calories per minute, and more if you’re doing housework (like vacuuming or sweeping) as you walk.
The way we see it, this is a two-in-one special – you’re getting in shape and getting the house in order, so what’s there not to like?
Walking is also excellent if you are overweight or recovering from an injury or surgery because it’s not too strenuous (it’s frequently recommended as a form of exercise for patients recovering from a cardiac episode), yet it DOES get the blood flowing and the muscles moving.
Best of all, you can walk anywhere. You can walk around the apartment, the house, and the yard, if available to you.
6. Power Walk
The #6 in our calorie burning activities list is power walking.
That’s right, we’re setting this one apart because you can’t really do any housework while power walking and it’s also a more vigorous exercise.
So, we’re counting it as a different activity.
Power walking, as the name suggests, involves moving faster, raising your feet higher, as well as taking larger strides.
When power walking, people also use their arms to propel them forward and typically burn about 250 calories in as little as 30 minutes.
So pop on your favorite podcast, and start power walking!
7. Stationary Bike
If you were an avid cyclist before quarantine, then we highly encourage you to invest in a quality stationary bike (like this one here).
Yes, it’s a great workout if you’re stuck indoors all day,
But, it’s also a great investment in the long term, for all those rainy days and chilly winter mornings.
Stationary bicycling for just 30 minutes will burn between 250 and 300 calories, at a medium to high intensity, and give you a powerful cardio workout.
8. Treadmill
We can’t recommend a stationary bike without also recommending a treadmill.
Obviously not together, unless you’re looking to build your own mini gym, in which case, good for you!
A treadmill, like a bike, is a great long-term investment and it’s even more useful because it allows you to do a number of different exercises.
This includes walking and power walking, as well as the more traditional jogging and running.
Depending on the intensity at which you set your treadmill, as well as the inclination you use, you can burn anywhere from 300 to 500 or more calories in just 20-30 minutes.
So, this one’s a very efficient calorie burn and in a very short time.
9. Aerobic Dancing
Haven’t you always wanted to brush up your dancing skills? We know you have!
And now’s the perfect time to do that.
Many people don’t take dancing classes out of embarrassment, but the good news for you is, there are plenty of online dancing tutorials and classes.
Some are more focused on style and moves, others are simply a good way to burn calories.
On average, you burn 7-8 calories per minute while doing aerobic dancing, such as Zumba, so that’s around 250 calories burned in 30 minutes.
Not to mention, this will improve your flexibility and coordination!
10. Stair climbing
The #10 in our calorie burning activities list is stair climbing.
If you’re lucky enough to live in a multiple story home, you can easily take up stair climbing.
There is room for a lot of variety with this activity, as some people love to jog up and down the stairs, while others stick to slower, regular climbing.
And if you’ve ever been left out of breath after climbing a staircase, now’s the time to rectify it!
With an impressive 250 – 300 calorie burn in just 30 minutes, stair climbing can help you stay in shape inside a closed space.
Tip: if you feel comfortable, you can do this on the staircase of your apartment building, instead.
11. Planks
Speaking about high-intensity core exercises , planks are one of the best beneficial exercises.
It engages multiple muscles at once, from your pelvic girdle to your shoulder girdle as well as your legs.
Thereby strengthning the core of your body.
The challenge here is to spend more time each and every single day in a plank position to build up your stamina and reap all the health benefits.
P.S: Before jumping into a workout routine filled with planks you must consider doing this exercise in a proper form. Just like anything, excessive use, or improper execution, can lead to some unpleasant results.
12. Mountain Climbers
The last but not least calorie burning activities you can do at home are Planks with a twist!
Mountain climbers add an aerobic element that will get your heart pounding faster than almost anything else.
Therefore, they’re a great way to increase your cardio endurance and agility.
Plus, they will blast your abs and strengthen your core just like planks giving you almost a total body workout with just one exercise.
Mountain climbers can make a great full body workout because they target multiple muscle groups.
They are also perfect to increase your core strength and help you burn a ton of calories.
How To Fit Workouts in Your Lifestyle?
Switch Your Chair For A Stability Ball.
Remember when you used to see one of these as a kid and just sploosh all over it?
Well, stability balls have been making a name for themselves in the grown-up world for a few years now.
Remote working often involves a lot of sitting down at your desk.
And sitting on one of these bouncy bad boys will improve your posture and help alleviate back pain, a REAL common issue in sedentary lifestyles.
Even better, sitting on a stationary ball as you work can apparently burn calories, since it challenges your balance.
Not a lot, usually around 100 calories a day, but it’s still something!
Work Out In Between Episodes.
We know, everyone’s been binging a lot of their favorite TV shows in these past few months, and we can’t blame you.
Truth is, reality has been hectic and a good escape session is in order for everyone.
Unfortunately, those long hours spent on the couch aren’t doing your silhouette any favors.
So, instead of going for another snack in-between episodes or during commercial breaks, why not squeeze in a couple of high-intensity core exercises? Or, hitting a few reps on the above calorie burning activities?
With even 15 minutes of commercial time, you could be burning up to 200 calories, so get off that couch and start burning some calories!
Use A Resistance Band.
Speaking of sitting down to work or study, why not give yourself a workout while you’re working?
A common problem for people with sedentary jobs and lifestyles is that their legs tend to accumulate fat and be disproportionately larger than the rest of their bodies.
By using a high resistance band and squeezing and parting your thighs while you sit down, you’re working your thigh muscles and helping diminish that fat.
We’re not exactly sure how many calories this burns, but it’s definitely worth looking into. We mean, even a little exercise is better than none at all, right?
Final Thoughts – Lose Weight At Home!
We know that trying to stay in shape while being stuck indoors can feel like a real pain.
We also know that you don’t always have the energy or right frame of mind to go for a full-blown cardio workout.
But as we’ve seen in this article, you don’t need to!
There are plenty of day-to-day “normal” activities that can help you burn through those extra pounds and put you in a better mood.
Remember it doesn’t have to be a 30-minute high-intensity training session. It can just be dusting your home.
What’s important is that you take action today, in order to look and feel better.
And if you want to quicken your weight loss journey, check out this powerful new dieting formula that combines multiple benefits to help you get the slim, sexy body you’ve always wanted!
It’s so tempting to just sit at home in one position for hours during this extended quarantine period. But these are some good ideas and I will incorporate them slowly into my daily schedule. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed reading the article 🙂 Thanks!