Losing one pound means burning 3500 calories on average. Therefore, if you want to lose a pound every week, you have to burn 500 calories per day.
If you’re looking for the best way to burn 500 calories every day, it depends on how much effort you want to put in and how much time you have to devote.
Obviously, you’re going to do best if you pick something that you actually enjoy doing, so that you’ll want to do it. Otherwise, most people put off and make excuses about something they don’t really want to do.
If you don’t have 60 minutes at a time to do one activity, you can split it up over the day and still lose the weight! I’ve estimated calories for these activities for an average woman who weighs 135 pounds. If you’re heavier – you’ll burn even more calories! However, if you slack off and don’t push yourself, you’ll burn less calories.
Let’s look at 21 ideas that burn 500 calories a day!
1. Jog for 60 minutes (with at least a 5mph pace)
This is just like running, except you won’t be pushing yourself as hard, so you have to go for twice as long. Try splitting it up!
Plus, if you hate running, Here’s How To Learn To Like It !
2. High Intensity Interval Training
This is a style of exercising that you can do with most of these ideas to increase the rate that you’re burning calories. You’re going to want to alternate between periods of high intensity effort and “rest” periods of lower intensity work outs. This stimulates your metabolism and boosts the efficiency of your workout.
3. Run for 30 minutes (with at least an 8mph pace)
Running is such great exercise because you don’t need equipment and it’s incredibly efficient, which means you’ll see results fast.
Make sure to add strength training to your routine in order to maximize your results and keep your lean muscle mass, since running can cause you to lose it if you do only running.
4. Swim for 60 minutes
This isn’t just doing the backfloat for 60 minutes and calling it a day – you actually have to swim up and down the lane! However, the plus side is that this is a super effective way to burn calories.
5. 120 Minutes of lawn mowing
ok , so you’re obviously not going to be doing this every day (unless you have 14 hours of lawn to mow, in which case, you’ve got a huge lawn), but this is a great once a week activity to burn lots of calories. Plus, you’re killing 2 birds with one stone – getting work done around the house and getting in shape!
6. Hiking for 120 minutes
Other than the awesome benefits of getting to see beautiful scenery and breathe the fresh outdoors air, hiking will also raise your heart rate and get your body burning calories. Try doing a couple hours of hiking each week to improve your mood and your mindset as well as your body.
7. 60 minutes of rock climbing
Feeling adventurous? Rock climbing is a great way to give yourself a thrill, boost your adrenaline, and burn calories, all at the same time! Plus, it’s a great strength training workout for your upper body and your legs.
8. Tennis for 1 hour
Do you like playing tennis? Then you’re in luck! Tennis is an awesome way to burn calories – plus there are always classes for beginners! Have fun and work out at the same time – you can’t beat that!
More: Kettlebells: The Most Effective Way To Burn Calories
9. Strength Training
This won’t help you burn 500 calories all at once (usually you’ll burn about 300 calories in a session) but it will help shape the areas of your body you want looking best like your buns, thighs, and arms, and also boost your metabolism to burn more calories while you’re resting.
10. Martial Arts Training
If you take a martial arts class that lasts at least 50 minutes, you’re going to burn 500 calories while learning self-discipline and how to defend yourself from any possible threats.
11. Aerobics
Try doing High Intensity Interval Training applied to an aerobics routine for 50 minutes. If you want to take it easier and at a slower pace, increase the time spent training to 70 minutes.
More: 7 Amazing Benefits Of Strength Training For Women
12. 1 hour of volleyball
Another great sport that you can play with a team to have fun and lose weight at the same time. If you want to burn extra calories, try doing the beach version in the sand!
13. 75 minutes of bicycling
Whether you do this on a stationary bike or on your own 10 speed, biking is a great way to burn calories. Plus, you can use it as transportation – saving yourself gas money and getting in shape all at the same time.
14. Dance
Try picking up a dance class, either at your gym or even in the comfort of your own home.
It doesn’t matter whether you know how to dance – the only important thing is that you keep moving.
Modern dancing will burn 310 calories over 60 minutes.
15. Horseback Riding for 120 minutes
If you’re leading a lifestyle where going horseback riding is a viable option for your time, 1. I am crazy jealous and 2. It’s a great way to burn calories while doing something you love to do.
16. 45 minute spin class
These classes are totally dependent on you – you get out of it what you put into it. If you don’t slack off and push yourself, you’ll burn 500 calories in just 45 minutes.
17. 1 hour of surfing
If you’ve got an hour every day to go surfing, I don’t even know what to say other than teach me how to live your life. But if you want to pick up this challenging but rewarding sport, you’ll lose 500 calories in just an hour.
18. 50 minutes on the stair climber
The best part about this activity is that you can do it at the gym on a machine, or you could do it anywhere that has flights of stairs you can climb up and down.
19. 45-50 minutes on the rowing machine
This is an awesome exercise and a great way to efficiently burn calories – if you use proper form. Otherwise, you’re going to wind up hurting yourself or not burning as many calories as you should be. Remember not to round your back going forward, and remember to fully extend your legs before you pull with your arms, and you’ll be fine.
20. 50 minutes of jump rope
Jumping rope isn’t just a fun activity from your childhood – it’s also an awesome way to burn calories right now! Don’t try to do all 50 minutes at once – instead break it up over the day into 5 or 10 minute chunks… like while you’re watching tv or listening to music.
21. Keeping yourself moving all day
This is all about avoiding sedentary behavior – which means not vegging on the couch all day or sitting in an office chair without moving for 8 hours. If you can fidget around all day, like bouncing up and down on your chair, or walking around while you’re on the phone, you’re doing yourself a world of good.
Similarly, try getting off the bus a stop earlier to add some walking into your day. You might not burn all 500 calories doing this but you’ll definitely make a start!
Want more? Here’s a daily plan of how to burn 500 calories:
Morning: Eat a quick snack before you work out, and then pick your favorite exercise and do it for 20 minutes. Try a circuit workout of a bunch of different exercises and run it for 20 invigorating minutes.
Amount Of Calories Burned: 204
Afternoon: You might think you’re too busy to work out during the day – but if you’re feeling super busy, that’s the best time to get away from things and clear your head. Try taking a 20 minute walk outside in-between tasks to burn 93 calories and improve your mood.
Amount Of Calories Burned: 297
Evening: Add in some jump rope to your couch time to feel less like a potato and more like a lean, mean, fat burning machine. Do it for 12 minutes and you’ll melt 139 calories off your frame.
Amount Of Calories Burned: 436
Before Sleep: As you’re getting ready to lay your head on the pillow and relax, take some time to give your body a gift and get yourself mentally and physically ready for bed. Try doing some hatha yoga – it will take 25 minutes and burn 68 calories, getting you in the right mindset for some great sleep.
Amount Of Calories Burned: 504
In summary…
Activities That Burn 500 Calories Per Day
- Jog for 60 minutes (with at least a 5mph pace)
- High Intensity Interval Training
- Run for 30 minutes (with at least an 8mph pace)
- Swim for 60 minutes
- 120 minutes of lawn mowing
- Hiking for 120 minutes
- 60 minutes of rock climbing
- Tennis for 1 hour
- Strength Training
- Martial Arts Training
- Aerobics
- 1 hour of volleyball
- 75 minutes of bicycling
- Dance
- Horseback Riding for 120 minutes
- 45 minute spin class
- 1 hour of surfing
- 50 minutes on the stair climber
- 45-50 minutes on the rowing machine
- 50 minutes of jump rope
- Keeping yourself moving all day
If you loved this article, then check out these other must-see related posts:
Tighten Up: Top 3 Pilates Moves for a Toned Booty
Related posts:
The Best 300 Conversation Starters: The Only List You’ll Ever Need
Kettlebells: The Most Effective Way To Burn Calories
The Laziest 11 Ways To Burn More Calories
7 Scientifically Proven Ways To Lose Belly Fat
23 Crazy, Weird Signs That Might Mean You’re In Love
The Best Ways To Lose Belly, Arm, And Leg Fat In 8 Weeks
Remember to only include time that you’re actively riding, not when you’re taking breaks. So a 3-hour ride that includes an hour of break time would burn about 500 calories.
I always would imagine that running for an hour would burn way more calories than 500. Is that right?
When I am at the office, I could sneak a few of these in during the day and I am glad to know that I am shaving small amounts of calories from my diet.
Great tips! Even for a beginner, these are nice ways to ease into a workout routine!
Great tips! These are all things that most people can do on a daily basis making the “i don’t have time” excuse one that is not valid.
These are great tips. Anytime I can lose a little that is awesome!
I do not like to workout really, but it is nice to see some normal household routines are on this list. At least I know I am burning calories doing something.
Anytime I can burn a calorie, I am going to do it.
I love to jump rope. I feel that it is a great workout and can really work out many parts of your body. However, I doubt that I can do it for more than 30 minutes, and here you have it listed for 50! That would be insane.
I would think that swimming for 60 minutes would be way more than 500 calories.
Awesome! Any time I can sneak in some calorie burning situations to my day, I plan to and this is a great list to work from.
I walk about 30-45 minutes a day and that is ON TOP of the walking I do at my job. I regularly record about 15,000 steps per day so it should be an easy 500 calories, right?
I hate to do the same thing all the time when working out. This is a good list to print out and save to get different ideas for a workout.
HIIT can do your body wonders. The issue I had when I first started was that I did not have the stamina to really get into it. I think I should have worked my way into it, right?
That might have been a better idea compared to just jumping right into it right away!
All of these are great activities. I personally walk about 1 mile each day. That is a minimum, so I ate least did something active. If I throw in some weight training or anything else, then I start to feel pretty good about myself.
So easy to do! Half of these you do just after you get out of bed for the day!
I know that is so great! I always tell people that claim they have no time to workout, they can workout anywhere. These are great ways to sneak in a small workout each day.
Since our riding lawn mower took a dump, getting 120 minutes of that in per week is pretty easy for me LOL.
Thank you for that daily calorie burning plan. I can follow that for sure and as long as I do and count my calories going in, I should be able to burn just about as many as I take in.
I find it amazing that if I walk for 30 minutes I can burn just as many calories compared to 45 minutes in a spin class. I would think that spinning is much harder on your body than walking.
I thought the same thing, however, I understand that more or less of your body is used during these workouts and could contribute to the calories being burned.
Isn’t it funny how easy it is to burn these calories? I feel like, even if I ate 5,000 calories per day, I could burn half of them doing my normal routines for the week.
500 calories might not seem like a lot when you are doing all of these things, but the real benefit comes into play when your metabolism is in turbo mode.
These are so easy and a great way to get your diet or exercise routine jump started for the day.
This is the type of post that I would refer to when people complain about not having time to exercise. ALL of these are easy to do and some you do already.
This is great! Even though I try to stick to the 2000 calorie diet, it is nice to know that these simple things can take 1/4th of those away by the end of the day.
I cannot believe these activities will all burn only 500 calories. Some of them seem to be a little more intense than that. The good thing is that most of them could be a daily activity.
That is the best part. We all stand, sit and walk around all day. Let’s turn that into super calorie burning events that can really make a difference!!
Awesome. I always try to find ways to fit some exercise into my day. These are things that happen on a daily basis and if you amp them up a bit, you can burn even more calories!
Great tips! Between each day of the week, I do at least one of these, so that is a good thing!