Angela Hall
Taking a break from your typical cardio routine is not only a nice ‘change of pace’ so to speak, it actually helps your body as well. New workouts challenge your body in new ways. This in turn can help to increase your endurance and speed up your weight loss goals. So next time you are feeling a little bored with your standard cardio workout, reference this list for other options that torch some serious calories.
All calories burned/hour are estimates for an average 200 pound adult.
#1: Jumping Rope
While this may seem like a simple activity, it can help to spike your heart rate and burn more calories than your usual workout. There are countless jump rope cardio workouts available online that incorporate several moves to keep things interesting. Just one hour of jumping rope can burn as many as 1,074 calories.
#2: Taekwondo
What started as a martial art has transformed into an olympic sport of combat. This intense sport is also a great workout. There are videos online to help beginners with the moves or you can check out your local martial arts studio to see if they have classes available. One hour of Taekwondo can burn 937 calories.
#3: Tennis
A seemingly simple sport that is actually incredibly challenging. Playing a tennis match will have you running back and forth while challenging several muscle groups. An hour of singles tennis will burn around 728 calories.
#4: Rollerblading
Often thought of as a leisurely activity, active rollerblading can actually be a great workout. It challenges several different muscle groups and can really get the heart rate up. One hour of active rollerblading can burn 683 calories.
#5: Hiking
Hiking can be an incredibly strenuous exercise. Depending on the duration and terrain, you can get a great workout in. Consider taking your workout outside, the fresh air will revitalize your body and the hike will spike your heart rate. One hour of moderate level hiking can burn 546 calories.
#6: Backpacking
Similar to hiking, this just adds carrying a backpack with you. Next time you’re thinking about a camping trip, consider backpacking to your destination to burn some serious calories on the way. Even one hour of backpacking will burn 637 calories.
#7: Swimming
Swimming is a great low-impact exercise. It’s great to challenge your body as well as provides a nice change of scenery from the typical gym format. An hour of light to moderate lap swimming will burn 528 calories. An hour of vigorous swimming will burn up to 892 calories.
#8: Row Machine
Not typically thought of as a challenging form of cardio, rowing on a machine can actually be a great workout. It uses your whole body while spiking your heart rate. One hour of rowing can burn 546 calories.
#9: Cross-Country Skiing
Winter time typically keeps most people indoors. However if you’re looking for a new snowy workout, look no further than cross-country skiing. This workout will burn up to 619 calories per hour.