KESEHATAN
Exercising regularly makes you feel good about yourself and benefits your overall health. However, for many, going to the gym for an intense workout or taking time out from their busy lifestyle for exercise is not possible. Fortunately, there are other ways to reap some of the benefits. You can do many physical activities to burn fat as well as improve or maintain your physical fitness and your health in general. These can include everyday activities, active recreational activities and some of your favorite sports.
Along with burning fat, staying physically active helps prevent obesity, increases your energy level, eases depression and anxiety, and reduces the risk of developing heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, some cancers, Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. You can be on your way to a more fit body and much healthier lifestyle by incorporating some sort of physical activities into your daily routine.
Best Fat-Burning Activities Without Gym Exercise
1. Walking or Jogging
Walking or jogging are also good physical activities that can help burn calories. Try to walk at a moderate pace for 30 to 60 minutes, 5 times a week, to help burn stored fat and boost your metabolism. In fact, 30 minutes of brisk walking daily can burn about 150 extra calories.
You can opt for walking in a park to get the additional benefits of fresh air and the green environment. At the same time, you can log walking time while doing other things like listening to music, talking on the phone, taking stairs more often, doing household chores, going to the market and so on. Regular walking or jogging also reduces your risk of heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes and strokes. Both also have a positive impact on emotional and mental health.
In addition, when you walk or jog at a park in your neighborhood also gives you the opportunity to interact with your neighbors and improve your social relationship.
2. Swimming
Swimming is another effective physical activity for anyone who wants to burn calories and lose fat. The number of calories you burn while swimming depends on the length and intensity of your workout and your weight. The higher the intensity and longer the duration, the more calories you will burn. High-intensity freestyle swimming will burn 100 calories every 10 minutes. In addition, this all-round activity helps reduce stress, build endurance, strengthen muscles and improve cardiovascular fitness. It also helps tone the entire body.
Aim to swim at least 30 minutes daily. To make it more fun, go swimming with your partner, children or friends. You can even join a swimming club.
3. Cycling
Cycling is a physical activity that helps get rid of belly fat as well as tones the muscles of your lower body. In addition, it makes your lungs work harder to collect more oxygen, which in turn helps improve metabolism.
Riding a bicycle is also an interesting and environment-friendly way to explore the world around you. You can enjoy cycling as a recreational activity or for traveling to nearby places.
4. Yoga
Yoga is a fantastic way to burn calories and maintain your ideal body weight. Yoga comprises three main elements – poses (asanas), meditation (dhyana) and proper breathing practice (pranayama).
When done at moderate speed for 15 to 20 minutes daily, many simple yoga poses can help you lose weight. However, if you wish to burn more calories, learn high-intensity yoga from a yoga expert.
Some of the yoga poses that can help with weight loss are Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandraasana), Chair Pose (Utkatasana), Tree Pose (Vrksasana), Forward Bending Pose (Uttanasana), Mountain Pose (Tadasana), Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana), Boat Pose (Nauka Chalan) and Grinding Pose (Chakki Chalan).
Along with aiding weight loss, yoga can help boost metabolism, reduce stress, fight anxiety, improve sleep, and increase concentration. Besides that, yoga makes your body use oxygen more effectively. More oxygen means more nutrients reach different parts of the body.
5. Skipping or Jumping Rope
Skipping or jumping rope is one physical activity that you cannot underestimate when you are trying to lose fat. It can help burn fat throughout the body. You can jump rope for 5 to 10 minutes a few times a day to help burn loads of fat. When it comes to fat burning, jumping with both feet at once is a much better choice. On average, skipping rope burns about 11 calories per minute. When skipping rope, make sure to keep your back and knees straight. When the intensity of your jumps rises, you can burn more calories per minute.
You can do this anywhere, anytime. Be it in an open area or inside in a room, both children and adults can enjoy this activity.
Apart from weight loss, it also improves cardio-respiratory (heart and lungs) fitness, builds bones, and strengthens your legs and tones up your hips, thighs and back.
6. Dancing
You can also dance your way to less fat. The different dance moves (from moderate- to fast-paced) help target different areas of the body, especially the belly. Dancing burns calories similar to swimming, cycling or walking.
It also helps fight stress, anxiety and depression, some factors that contribute to weight gain. If done regularly, dancing can lower your heart rate and blood pressure while improving cholesterol levels — all signs of good health and fitness. Some of the dance forms that help burn fat are belly dancing, ballet, hip-hop, hoop, pole, salsa, rumba and more.
7. Enjoying Outdoor Sports
Many outdoor sports help burn calories quickly, making them ideal physical activities to help you lose weight. Some good options include tennis, badminton, hiking, surfing, skateboarding, hockey and horseback riding. Rock climbing is another physically demanding sport that can help burn fat.
The intensity and pace of the sport determines the number of calories you will burn. However, there is no need to play these sports daily. Spending 30 to 60 minutes twice a week playing your favorite sport will help you maintain a healthy body weight.
Plus, it will add enjoyment to your life, raise your vitamin D levels, boost your immune system, reduce stress, improve your mood and elevate a sense of well-being.
