Running
Whether you love or hate it, running is one of the best and simplest ways to burn calories—and you don’t need a treadmill to do it. Just lace up your shoes and hit the road. Running in intervals—speeding up and slowing down your pace—will help make the minutes and miles go by quickly. Run in fartleks, which means speed play in Swedish, where you pick up the pace every other street lamp or water hydrant you hit, and then slow down after you pass the next one.
“The best way to burn calories while running is to vary your workouts,” says Natalie Dorset, a running coach in New York. “If you’re doing the same workout week after week, your body won’t have anything to adapt to. Vary the speed within a workout, do some bursts of faster running, but also mix up the types of runs you do. Whether it’s slow and steady, comfortable and hard, or intervals, variety is the key to constant adaptation.”
Hiking
Walking and hiking are both beneficial forms of exercise, White explains. However, if you’re looking to increase your calories burned walking and increase the weight loss benefits, hiking may be a better option. “Hiking will be more beneficial to you in aiding in that calorie deficit that is essential in losing weight compared to walking,” White explains. This is because hiking is a bit more challenging than walking on a flat path. As your body works harder trekking over the harsher terrain, hills, and elevations, it will help with strengthening leg and core muscles, as well as increasing balance and stability—in addition to burning more calories. “All in all, hiking is a great way to get outdoors and be surrounded by nature while reaping the benefits of exercise,” White explains.
