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We all live busy lives, have commitments and sometimes need time to prioritise chores. It’s understandable that fitness and exercise can take a back seat.
So, the last thing we want to think about is going to the gym or for that long run after work.
This means we normally live very stationary lives, which unfortunately is detrimental to our health.
However, there are ways we can still be active throughout the day to burn those calories and get the blood pumping.
Examples are taking the stairs rather than taking the lift. It has been recorded that you burn 2.5 – 5 calories for every flight of stairs you climb. You can even use the ‘calories burned on stairs calculator’ to give you an estimate https://captaincalculator.com/health/calorie/calories-burned-stairs-calculator/
Other ways to stay active include walking or cycling to work if you are lucky enough to live close by.
Walking the dog if you have a pet.
Adding more ‘elbow grease’ to household chores.
Or even limiting sofa time for a quick 20/30-minute HIIT blast, right from the comfort of your own home.
If that last idea sounds like it could work for you, then this blog is for you.
Below is a table of easy exercises you can do for thirty minutes anywhere and at any time.
Ranging from beginner, intermediate and expert.
If you are new to exercising regularly or even haven’t done it for a long time, then start on beginner exercises so your body takes time to heal and recover.
Exercises for Beginners
| Exercise | Calories Burned | Information |
| Walking / Running / Cycling | The heavier you way the quicker you burn calories but roughly a thirty-minute walk will burn 200 – 300 calories. | Okay, let’s start with an easy one. Going for a walk around the park. Ever wondered why 10,000 steps is a recommended amount per day? Well, 10,000 steps a day equates to 2000 – 3500 calories burned a week. One pound of body fat equates to 3500 calories. So, you can burn off a pound a week just by walking. A ten-minute warm-up cycle or a light jog is so beneficial for not just your respiratory system but also for your joints. |
| Bodyweight Squats | One squat, at moderate intensity, equals 0.32 calories therefore you will burn around 8 calories for every minute when doing normal intensity squats. | To correctly perform a bodyweight squat, ensure your feet are shoulder-width apart and flat on the floor. Make sure your knees follow your toes and your back is not curved. The squat works your entire lower body. Your glutes, hamstring, and quads. If you cannot get low, you can place something under your heels to raise them. Normally tight ankles or hips limit the range of movement. |
| Desk Press-ups | According to Harvard Health, 100 press-ups equals 30 calories burned. | While you are working or even at home if you find normal push-ups difficult you can perform desk push-ups. Have your hand on the desk with your feet a meter or so away, tuck your elbows in and make sure your back is straight. This takes the pressure off your back and raises your heart rate. |
| High knees / Star Jumps | A five-minute HIIT session involving high knees and start jumps burn 20 calories per minute. | This is a simple but effective one. Lift your knee to your chest while standing and alternate as if you are running on the spot. You can always hold a weight in front of you to make this exercise more difficult |
| Bird Dog | Hardly any calories burned on this one. But it helps strengthen your core, prevent injury, and stay strong. | This exercise works your core, your lower back, and your body mechanics. Start off on your hand and knees and stretch one arm out in front of you and stretch out the opposite leg behind you, hold the position for one second and bring it back to the centre. |
| Resistance band exercises | Using this formula, a 70 kg person performing upper body exercises for 30 minutes with a medium resistance band at 3.1 METS would burn 108 calories (3.1 x 70 x 0.5). | These exercises are great if you are short on time. You can perform crab walks, lying leg raises, clams and glute bridges to name a few. If you find bodyweight exercises easy, challenge yourself with a band instead. |
| Kettlebell exercises | Results show that the average participant burns about 20 calories per minute during a kettlebell workout, which equates to 400 calories during a typical 20-minute workout. | The same goes for kettlebell exercises. Kettlebell swings, deadlifts are cleans are the most popular ones to increase heart rate and sweat as they work the whole body in one movement. Start off with ten to fifteen reps. |
Exercises for intermediates
| Exercise | Calories Burned | Information |
| Walking lunges | Great exercises to work on individual leg strength, balance, and range of motion. They work your entire lower body. Make sure your front leg is flat in front with both knees bent. Always keep your chest up. You even try adding a twist to the torso to increase the intensity. | |
| Rowing machine | According to Harvard Health, a 70kg person can burn 300 – 500 calories in 30 minutes of a rowing workout depending on speed. | Perfect for burning calories and strengthening muscles. You can do a 10 – 20-minute continuous row or perform interval training. Interval training is when you increase the speed for 30 seconds/ 1 minute then go really slow for the next 30 seconds/ 1 minute and repeat |
| Skipping | A study found from Heathline.com that skipping burns 30% more calories than runners | Childhood memories. Skipping requires hand-eye coordination, rhythm, and time. Works on the respiratory system and keeps the joints healthy. |
| Single leg bridge | Good for your posterior chain. Works your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Lie on the floor with one leg off the floor and push your hips up. |
Exercises for Experts
| Exercise | Calories Burned | Information |
| Boxing | Getting into the ring packs a serious punch – burning more calories per hour than any other sport. In just one hour of boxing, you can burn up to 800 calories. That’s more than three pieces of chocolate cake, in case you were wondering | Perfect if you have a training partner and you can both motivate each other. You can either do this with pads or a bag. You don’t need to punch hard, just make sure you have good technique. Meaning you generate the majority of the power from your hips and core. |
| Burpees | One burpee burns around half of a calorie. | The dreaded Burpee. This exercise works your legs, chest and arms while getting out of breath. From a standing position, drop to the floor with your chest touching the floor and jump back up again and repeat. |
| Hill Sprints | a 30-second sprint will burn anywhere between 8 to 12 calories, depending on your weight. | This exercise works more on your core, glutes, and quads. Any exercise that involves a sprint or a short explosive movement increases your heart rate to 80 – 90% of your maximal heart rate. |
