If you think that burning 300 calories in 30 minutes is impossible, think again. Better yet: You can do it in the comfort of your own home. Though it can be a challenge to burn calories at home, high-intensity, aerobic exercises are the best way to torch through a few hundred calories quickly — and you don't need any fancy equipment.
"I'll bet you didn't know that if you have a flight of stairs anywhere near you, you basically have a full gym," says Phil Catudal, certified personal trainer, celebrity fitness instructor and author of Just Your Type: The Ultimate Guide to Eating and Training Right for Your Body.
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Burning calories at home is all about finding inventive ways to squeeze in your fitness — and cranking up the intensity, he adds. "You can do something as simple as run up the stairs, walk down and repeat for interval sprints. Then, mix it up with some lunges, jumps and toe-taps. Do 30-second bursts, and you'll be burning."
There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat, which means that burning 300 calories will help you lose about one-tenth of a pound of fat. Other than running up and down the stairs, what are your other options for how to burn 300 calories at home? Try one or more of the following, and you'll feel the burn while the calories — and the pounds — melt away.
Try a HIIT Workout
To torch 300 calories in a flash, lean into high intensity interval training. "A quick bodyweight and dumbbell HIIT workout will do the trick," says Catudal. He suggests the following:
- 10 squat jumps
- 10 push-ups
- 10 triceps dips
- 10 dumbbell curl to thruster
- 10 dumbbell deadlift
- 30 seconds of high knees
Do the entire circuit once through without breaks, then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat the circuit three times. "If you're really feeling it, go ahead and run a mile for speed after — whether on a treadmill or around your block," says Catudal.
Work Up a Sweat With Mountain Climbers
Another way to boost your burn and get those calories melting away? Mountain climbers, an easy heart-rate-raiser you can do at home, no experience (or mountain!) required.
"On the floor in a high plank position, bring knees in one at a time — like you're leaning forward climbing a mountain — toward your chest and back to the floor," says Catudal. "I like to do these for 30 seconds at a moderate pace, focusing on the stretch and full range of motion, then stand up and go immediately go into high knees at maximum effort for 30 seconds. Do that a few times," he says, and you'll blast through calories quickly.
Torch Calories With Tabata
A Tabata-style workout consists of a 4-minute circuit with 20 seconds of an exercise on, followed by a 10-second rest. "The secret to these is go as hard as you can (with proper form) for the given time, rest for a short period of time, then return to the burst," says Lindsay Bennett, a celebrity trainer in Nashville. "Go for a high-intensity move, like squat jumps or burpees, for as hard as you can push yourself for the 20 seconds. Then, rest for 10 seconds and repeat until the four minutes are up."
Skip the Snacks
If you're trying to lose 300 calories at home, avoid over-consuming and deterring your progress in the gym. To enjoy the results of all that hard work, be mindful of your post-workout food and drink consumption. "One of the best things you can do post-workout is to consume a lean protein within 30 minutes after finishing exercise," says New Jersey-based dietitian registered dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, author of _Belly Fat Diet For Dummies. "_Not only can this help to build muscle mass, but it curbs post-workout hunger which can sneak up on you and lead to eating too fast and too much later on."
"Keep your hydration in check as well," she adds. "Your brain can misinterpret thirst for hunger, driving you to eat more than you really need. By drinking at least 24 ounces of cold water after your workout, you can rehydrate while curbing hunger — and bonus, cold water can increase metabolism slightly as well for an added calorie burn."