1. Which body-weight routine blasts more calories?
  • 2. Which exercise toasts the most calories?
  • 3. Which low-impact activity zaps calories faster?
  • 4. Which burns more calories around the house?
  • 5. Which heart-pumping activity burns more calories?
  • 6. Which workout delivers the greater caloric knockout?
  • ANSWERS

    1. Pilates

    Although yoga and Pilates are both low-impact exercises, Pilates’ emphasis on core work gives it the slight calorie-burning edge over yoga. To increase the calories you burn during yoga, consider adopting a more vigorous style or trying a power yoga class.

    2. Jogging

    Walking on an incline is certainly more effective than walking on a flat surface, but it’s still not enough to beat the calorie burn that comes from light jogging. However, if your goal is to keep your heart rate in a fat-burning zone, walking on an incline might be your best bet. Try exercising with a heart rate monitor to make sure you’re on track.

    3. Zumba

    In this contest, a high-energy Zumba class is the clear winner, and it is a faster workout than a full hour on the elliptical trainer. The key to Zumba’s effectiveness is its intervals— the classes alternate between rhythms such as salsa, hip-hop, cha-cha, and even belly dancing to maximize the calorie burn.

    4. Cleaning

    Cleaning your house is one of the most effective ways to burn calories at home. Between the standing, scrubbing, and sweeping that come with housework, it torches more calories than the same time spent working in your garden.

    5. Jumping rope

    If you haven’t jumped rope since gym class, you might have forgotten what a good workout it can be. Thirty minutes of jumping rope torches far more calories than a full hour spent doing aerobics.

    6. Boxing

    Military-style boot camp workouts can be intense, but the energy boxing or sparring requires still burns more calories.