20 Ways to Burn 1,000 Calories and Not Even Realize It
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Working out is a lot easier when it doesn’t feel like, well, work. Luckily, how hard you’re exercising and how hard you think you’re exercising are two different things. And the latter—called the rate of perceived exertion (RTE)—might be more in your head than in your muscles. So, in theory, you can burn 1,000 calories without even realizing it.
After all, there’s a reason the treadmill’s nicknamed the “dreadmill,” and that people forgo their workouts when their playlists run dry. In fact, a 2012 review published in the International Revue of Sport and Exercise Psychology concluded that listening to upbeat music not only reduces ratings of perceived exertion, but improves the body’s energy efficiency and spurs better performances.
That’s the true beauty of playing with your RPE. Employ a few tricks to lower it, and you can actually work out harder, longer, and without breaking a sweat (or at least feeling like you are.) Plus, chances are, you’ll have a lot more fun while you’re at it, explains exercise physiologist Mike T. Nelson, Ph.D., C.S.C.S. And that’s key to sticking with any workout over the long haul.
So what cuts your RPE, apart from the obvious blaring of tunes and absence of ball chafing? Here’s an idea: On your next run, try simply looking ahead rather than all around. In a 2014 New York University study, when racers kept their fixed eyes on a target straight in front of them, they perceived the finish line to be closer and the trek to be easier. They also finished the course 23 percent faster than those who took in the sites.
Meanwhile, a hilarious study out of Northumbria University in the U.K. found that when guys work out in the presence of a female onlooker, their RPE drops. However, when the spectator is a fellow male, the exercisers’ RPE goes up. So yeah, you might want to sub in your girlfriend as your new workout buddy.
Still, one of the easiest ways to slash your RPE and up your fitness results is just to get with activities you actually enjoy. Here are 20 ways to torch 1,000 calories* before you even realize it.
* Based on the average man weighing 195.5 pounds
1. Hiking
“You’re going to work your lower body in a way you’ll never be able to at the gym,” explains trainer Mike Donavanik, C.S.C.S. Between the constant incline (or decline if you’re headed back down the hill), varied steps, and backpack weighing you down, the leg and cardiovascular workout equate to a huge caloric burn.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 120 minutes
2. Mountain biking
Mountain biking forces you to work your glutes, quads, core, and back harder than you ever will on a stationary bike. Plus, the scenery is so much better.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 80 minutes
3. Football
Right in time for fall, football hones your speed and agility, while requiring quick bursts of energy and explosive movements that burn calories and build muscle, Nelson says.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 85 minutes
4. Kayaking
“Kayaking works your upper body and core strength all the way,” Donavanik says. “Half of your body is pretty much taken out of the equation, so now you have to balance the kayak in the water while navigating and propelling yourself forward. You’re constantly pulling and pushing.” Bonus points if you can beat the current.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least: 135 minutes
5. Rock climbing
Rock-hard bodies are made scaling mountains (or walls). Rock climbing fires up every muscle in your body for a crazy burn with muscle-building benefits. Plus, the focus on grip strength can seriously improve your rowing/pulling performance in the gym, he notes.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 60 minutes
6. Basketball
If you’re standing still during a game of basketball, you’re doing it wrong. An honest effort can keep you running intervals for hours, he says. Meanwhile, the quick directional changes work your abductors and adductors (which are often missed in the gym) while upping your coordination.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 90 minutes
7. Soccer
It’s the metabolic equivalent of running sprints—but with your eye on the ball, you’d never know it. Plus, all of the explosive ball handling equates to even more calories torched.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 80 minutes
8. Scuba diving
It’s called “the lazy man’s sport,” but diving burns as many calories as jogging. That’s because apart from those calories burned swimming, your body expends major energy to keep your body temperature up. Plus, if you’re doing a beach dive, you’re going to burn even more calories walking down the beach to your dive spot while carrying 100-plus pounds on your back and waist.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 95 minutes
9. Skiing
Getting down the mountain (without falling) takes some serious effort, burning 10 calories per minute. But climbing uphill is even harder. Uphill cross-country skiing can burn up to 25 calories every. single. minute.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 200 minutes
10. Hockey
Apart from missing teeth, hockey players are known for their chiseled bodies. It’s no surprise why. “When you play hockey, it’s like you’re in a squat for the entire game,” Donavanik says. “Plus, unlike running, you need to push out laterally, so you’re getting a ton of glute, quad, and hamstring activation that you would never get in the gym.” Fire up those muscles—the biggest ones in your body—and you’ll burn more calories than you’ll know what to do with.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 75 minutes
11. Swimming
Michael Phelps reportedly consumed 12,000 calories a day during the peak of his career. He debunked that figure in his autobiography, saying he got by on a mere 8,000 to 10,000 daily calories. You won’t be swimming as long or hard as the GOAT, but swimming at even a moderate pace in a lap pool or open water burns serious energy. If you’re in a competitive or masters swim program following an interval training workout, you’ll start to burn fuel at a Phelpsian rate relative to your size, age, and work ethic. Freestyle and butterfly burn a few more calories than backstroke or breaststroke, but it’s all relative. Swimming is one of the best ways to burn calories.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 95 minutes.
12. Standup Paddleboarding
SUP builds core strength, balance, and rotational power while improving proprioception. Some have called it the closest man can come to walking on water. Like swimming and other paddle sports, the rate of calorie burn depends largely on effort. If you’re out for a leisurely paddle to spot marine life and enjoy some time on the water, the burn rate will be slower than a paddle involving interval training, choppy seas, or paddling against the wind. Any of those factors can double the burn rate.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 120 minutes.
13. Yard work
Rather than move weights around an air-conditioned gym, do double duty with your workout and mulch your yard or do some landscaping? Pulling weeds and raking leaves is the equivalent of moderate exercise; and moving rocks, installing shrubs, and hauling dirt are on par with serious strength training. Unlike most two-dimensional lifts in the gym, yardwork is a better workout since it requires moving in all three planes of motion.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 110 minutes.
14. Golf
Don’t laugh. Walking 18 holes—not using a golf cart—is equivalent to traveling 3.5 miles. Since most weekend warriors require far more than the 65 to 75 strokes per round professionals take, hackers burn more calories. They also walk farther in search of errant shots. An average round takes four hours, more than enough time to burn 1,000 calories.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 180 minutes.
15. Pickleball
Sure, there’s less running involved than in tennis, but pickleball is a sport of constant motion, quick reflexes, and short bursts of energy requiring upwards of 5,000 steps per hour. You’ll burn more energy playing outside than in air-conditioned gyms, but either version of this fast-growing sport is an underrated means to burn calories.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 115 minutes.
16. Moving Furniture
The next time you’re asked to help someone move, think of it as a workout opportunity. Moving furniture and boxes requires strength, stamina, and dexterity—especially when it comes to fitting around corners and tight spaces. Unlike a gym workout, where the amount of weight remains consistent or rises incrementally, the weight shifts dramatically throughout a move.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 120 minutes.
17. Washing/waxing cars
Daniel LaRusso mastered karate and made Mr. Miyagi’s antique car collection look brand new by spending hours washing and waxing cars. The rotational movements and constant bending burn calories, though you’ll need to spend as much time on the job as the Karate Kid to reach the 1,000-calorie mark, so pull the whole family’s fleet of cars out.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 200 minutes.
18. Dancing
This can be an effective way to burn calories, especially in a packed, sweaty nightclub, assuming you’re not downing high-calorie, alcoholic beverages while busting moves. There’s a reason why Broadway performers and the professionals have such leaned, chiseled physiques: dancing burns calories.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 150 minutes.
19. Volleyball
Whether played on the sand or in the gym, volleyball is a grueling, full-body endeavor involving jumping, diving, lunging, quick reflexes, and fast-twitch movements. Beach volleyball tends to be more of a calorie burn between the heat and the sand, and the greater likelihood of two-on-two play, which generally requires more movement.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 100 minutes.
20. Trampolining
Don’t mistake the low-impact, childlike nature of bouncing on a trampoline as an easy activity. There’s a reason parents send kids outside to the trampoline; it burns off energy (aka calories). A trampoline workout improves balance and flexibility, and strengthens bones by forcing them to adjust to an increase in gravitational pull. It’s also a tremendous endorphin rush as it’s impossible not to have fun while on a trampoline.
Time to burn 1,000 calories: at least 120 minutes.
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