32 Fun Activities That Can Help You Burn Calories

When trying to lose weight, or maintain a certain weight, it can become mundane doing the same physical activities over and over again.

This is what usually causes people to lose interest in their workouts and never reach their body weight goals.

If you are looking to change things up, and keep your workouts or leisure time more exciting, then check out the following physical activities to burn calories:

1. Ballroom Dancing

The average person can burn up to 330 calories per hour as they tango or waltz across the room. To burn even more calories, the average person will need to dance at a faster pace.

For example, 500 calories would require roughly 90 minutes of faster paced dancing.

2. Baseball

America’s pastime can also help you to burn off more calories than you think. In an hour, an average person can burn off roughly 360 calories.

The longer you play, the more you will burn off.

3. Basketball

This sport is great for improving athleticism, coordination and burning off calories. In one hour of shooting hoops, you can burn nearly 300 calories.

In that same timespan, if you play a half game of hoops, you can burn up to 558 calories.

For those that run the full length of the court, you can burn nearly 747 calories per hour.

4. Bicycling

Bicycling is one of the best cardio exercises as it blends physical exertion with leisurely enjoyment. The faster you pedal, the more calories you burn.

The average person can burn 48 calories per mile at a speed of 14 mph. At 20 mph, the average person will burn off 56 calories per mile.

5. Boxing

This activity can be done as a competitive sport or as an intense workout. Either way, you are cranking out the sweat and calories.

In an hour of hitting the heavy bag, you can burn over 400 calories. An hour of sparring will up the caloric expenditure to over 630 calories per hour.

6. Bowling

This activity will surprise you in how many calories you can expend during a few games of fun. The average person can shed at least 210 calories in an hour.

If you are there for a few hours, then you will burn off over 400 calories.

7. Cricket

This sport might not be as popular as others on the list, but it’s certainly an activity that helps you to burn off a lot of calories.

In one hour of cricket playing, you can burn off at least 350 calories.

8. Croquet

This popular lawn game can also become a very competitive activity where up to 6 players can play at a time. In most cases, the average person can burn off nearly 200 calories in an hour.

If it gets more competitive, and you ramp up the intensity, expect to burn off more calories.

9. Curling

Curling has been popularized by the Winter Olympics. But, have you ever wondered how much work these participants are actually doing?

In an hour of curling, you can actually burn over 270 calories.

10. Fencing

Fencing is more than just dueling against your opponent, it’s also dueling against your body to burn more calories.

In an hour of fencing, the average person can burn off nearly 400 calories.

11. Football

The most popular sport in America is also a great way to burn calories. In a game of full contact, smash mouth tackle football, you can burn off 650 calories per hour.

In a game of two hand touch or flag football, an average person can crank out over 550 calories an hour.

12. Golf

Golf is both sport and leisurely activity with many variables that can affect your caloric expenditure. Based on 9 holes of golf, the average person can burn 721 calories walking with a bag or 718 calories walking with a push cart.

Additionally, using a caddie can lower the calories to about 600 burned and riding in a cart will decrease the caloric output to roughly 400 burned.

13. Handball

Handball is more than just an activity you play during your school years. This game has grown into an international competitive sport and it’s a great way to burn calories.

In an hour, the average person will burn off almost 900 calories during a competitive handball game. The amount of calories burned will also depend on your intensity.

14. Hockey

Hockey is a great example of high intensity interval training. For those who play hockey, you can burn off up to 700 calories per hour.

However, because of the high levels of intense intervals, hockey players can burn off more calories even after the game is over.

15. Horseback Riding

You might be surprised to know that not only is the horse burning calories, but so are you. In an hour of trotting or walking a horse, you can expend about 250 calories.

If you increase the horse’s pace, you will also increase the amount of calories you burn in an hour.

16. Ice Skating

This winter activity can be an enjoyable way to burn some calories and spend the evening with loved ones. In an hour of light ice skating, you can burn off nearly 400 calories.

For those who crank it up to speed skating, you will also crank up the caloric output to over 1000 calories per hour.

17. Jiu Jitsu

This martial arts is a great way to learn self-defense, self-discipline, and burn calories. With all of the variables that go into Jiu Jitsu, the amount of calories burned in an hour can fluctuate greatly.

Typically, the average person will burn about 300-500 calories in an hour of light to competitive bouts of Jiu Jitsu.

18. Jumping Rope

Jumping rope can be done as an individual activity or part of your training in other sports like boxing and wrestling.

Whether you are playing double dutch or doing double leg jumps, this activity is a calorie killer.

The average person can shed up to 600 calories per hour depending on the intensity.

19. Mowing the Lawn

Not all activities are going to be fun and exciting. Sometimes, we still have to take care of our responsibilities and chores around the house. Instead of viewing chores as a depressing act, try viewing them as a way to burn calories.

With that in mind, pushing a lawn mower for an hour can burn up to 462 calories. So, get off the riding lawn more and get pushing.

20. Rowing

This is one of the best activities for burning calories and improving your overall fitness level. Depending on the intensity, an average person can burn roughly 520 to 640 calories in an hour.

They will also work every major muscle group harder than just about any other activity on this list.

21. Rugby

This international sport is gaining popularity in America as a great way for kids and adults to be active. Not only will they smash their opponents, but they will also smash the calories.

Depending on the level of intensity, an average person can burn up to 700 calories in an hour.

22. Running

Running has many levels of intensity that can really impact your body and how many calories you burn. The average person can burn roughly 14 calories per minute.

So, that would be over 840 calories per hour. You can boost your caloric expenditure by increasing the intensity in the form of sprinting.

Also, HIIT for running is a great way to burn calories and get in shape.

23. Skateboarding

Skateboarding really gained popularity in the 1980’s and it has become a common activity for people of all ages. It’s also a wonderful activity to eliminate those calories as the average person can expend more than 375 calories per hour.

Keep in mind, upping the intensity of a skateboard session will also up the calories burned.

24. Skiing

An hour of moderately intense downhill skiing can burn up to 600 calories per hour for the average person. While, cross country skiing can take it to over 800 calories burned an hour.

Your level of intensity will affect how many calories you burn in an hour. On a side note, cross country skiing is also considered one of the best total body workouts due to all of the muscles that are engaged in this activity.

25. Sleeping

For some of you, this might be your favorite activity on the list. A person’s weight, muscle mass and other health factors can affect caloric expenditure per hour.

With that being said, the average person can burn just under 50 calories per hour of sleep.

So, a good night’s sleep of 8 hours can burn nearly 400 calories.

26. Soccer

The world’s most popular sport is also a great way to burn off calories. In an hour of soccer, the average person will expend at least 500 calories.

However, there are many factors that can impact your caloric expenditure like weight, level of intensity and which position you play.

27. Tai Chi

This ancient Chinese martial art is a great way to relax, improve your health, center your chi and burn calories.

Despite the slow, rhythmic movements, the average person can burn roughly 300 calories per hour.

28. Tennis

This sport is also a great aerobic workout whether you are practicing or playing in a singles or doubles match.

The potential of calories burned during tennis really depends on your level of intensity and whether you are playing double or singles.

At a moderately intense level, the average person can burn 288 calories in a doubles match and 414 calories in a singles match per hour.

29. Volleyball

like tennis and other sports, the amount of calories you can burn in an hour of volleyball depends on things like level of intensity and where you play at.

In a non-competitive group game, the average person can burn about 200 calories per hour. Competitive play will up the caloric expenditure to at least 300 calories per hour.

In beach volleyball, the average person can burn up to 700 calories per hour.

30. Walking

Like running, there are several factors that can affect the rate of calories burned per hour. The average person can burn about 80 calories per hour at a pace of 2.5 to 3.5 mph.

So, instead of sitting at your desk during lunch break, use that hour to walk and burn off those calories.

31. Wrestling

Although actual wrestling matches are short in duration, the practice of amateur wrestling can provide great returns of calories burned per hour.

Like any other activity on the list, one’s weight will also affect amount of calories burned.

With that said, the average person can burn nearly 450 calories in an hour of wrestling.

32. Yoga

Like Tai Chi, yoga is an amazing way to relax, meditate, reduce stress and improve your health. It’s also a great way to expend calories as the average person can burn nearly 300 calories per hour.

Keep in mind that the level of intensity, type of yoga, and hot yoga can increase caloric expenditure per hour.

Final Words

Before participating in any of these activities, make sure you consult with your health professional to see if the desired activity is safe for you. As mentioned above, it’s highly recommended that you change things up to keep level of motivation high and to keep your body guessing, which maximizes our caloric expenditure.

Also, the numbers used in these activities is based on a person weighing 150-155 pounds. For those of you who weight more or less, you the number of calories burned per hour will increase or decrease based on your body weight.

Lastly, these numbers are for reference only. They don’t guarantee that you will burn that amount every time you participate in an hour of any specific activity.

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