If you want to know how to burn 500 calories a day, there are various activities you can do to accomplish this. The most effective activity in my opinion is the very first one listed, but I’ll explain more about that below. If you eat at a calorie deficit while also completing any of the activities below, you’ll notice fat loss at a much more rapid rate.
Below, you’ll find 6 activities that will help you burn 500 calories a day:
- Walking
- Yoga
- Jumping Rope
- Doing Body Weight Workouts
- Running
- Bike Riding
Every one of these activities will burn 500 calories in a day, depending on the time you spend on each one. You’ll notice I spend a great deal of time on the “walking” section below. This is because it’s the one method that has done wonders for my life, and helped me get into shape like I never have before…very surprisingly.
Let’s break down all the activities below so you can decide which is best for you.
Go For A Walk
Without a doubt, I feel this is the most powerful calorie burning activity on this list. I never would have believed simply walking would be such a powerful fat burning calorie destroying activity. But when I dropped 3% body fat and 13 pounds in just a few months, I realized this is the most effective cardio workout I’ve ever done. How on earth can this happen by just walking?
- WALKING 10,000 STEPS BURNS APPROXIMATELY 400 – 500 CALORIES
Walking 10,000 steps burns approximately 400 – 500 calories. There’s a calculation you can do based on your own weight to find out exactly how many calories you’ll burn. Click here to find out how many calories you will personally burn walking 10,000 steps.
- IT’S THE LAZIEST WAY TO BURN 500 CALORIES
I’ve learned one of the reasons walking is so powerful for burning calories is because it’s an incredibly laid back activity, and you’re doing it throughout the day anyway. Every step you take counts, whether you’re walking to the bathroom, to the mailbox, to the car, or to the grocery store. So, I track all my steps each day on the MyNetDiary phone app, and once I hit 10,000 steps for the day, I’m done.
Also, I notice that without even trying, I’m getting about 1,500 – 2,000 steps in a day. So, you just need to get the other 8,000 in, and you’re good. It takes about 90 minutes to walk 10,000 steps total. What I often do, is break up my day into little chunks. I’ll walk 30 minutes earlier in the day, and then another 30 minutes later in the day. Right now, cause it’s cold where I live, I’m using a treadmill for some of my steps. Click here to learn creative ways to get 10,000 steps in each day.
- WALKING MAY BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE CALORIE BURNING WORKOUT
I know it’s a pretty bold statement to say walking is the most effective way to burn 500 calories. But I got leaner and more defined just strolling down the street than I ever did with Shaun T’s Insanity or going to intense Kickboxing classes. It was a bit shocking to me at first that lazily walking around town could be more powerful than sweating your ass off doing crazy moves. And it truly will transform your body if you also eat at a calorie deficit.
Do Yoga
- 1 HOUR OF YOGA BURNS APPROXIMATELY 200 – 600 CALORIES
Yoga is a great exercise which benefits your overall health, physically and mentally, and it’s why I listed it right after walking. I used to do yoga at a studio in my neighborhood 5 to 6 days a week, and I felt great after every session.
There are many forms of yoga, and your calorie burn will depend on your weight and the style of yoga that you do.
CLICK HERE FOR A YOGA CALORIES BURNED CALCULATOR
This calculator will determine how many calories you’ll burn, depending on whether you choose to do Hatha, Asthanga/Power, Hot/Bikram, or Vinyasa/Flow Yoga.
If you weigh 160 pounds, you’ll easily burn over 500 calories in a single hour if you choose to do Hot/Bikram or Vinyasa/Flow yoga. The other forms of yoga would require you to spend more time to burn the same amount of calories.
Also, if you weigh less than 160 pounds, you’ll need to spend more than an hour on these exercises in order to burn that 500 calories, but you can still easily accomplish this goal in a day.
Jump Rope
- 1 HOUR OF JUMP ROPING AT A SLOW PACE BURNS APPROXIMATELY 400 – 1000 CALORIES
I personally jump rope 3 days a week for 10 minutes. I know that may sound like very little, but I don’t do jump roping for calorie burn purposes. I do it to improve athleticism and overall conditioning. However, you can easily burn 500 calories doing this exercise if you choose to do it for longer periods of time as I’ll explain below.
Depending on your weight and the intensity of your workout, you can burn anywhere from 400 to 1000 calories in an hour of jumping rope at a slow pace. If you choose to do this exercise at a medium or fast pace, you’ll burn 500 calories much more quickly.
CLICK HERE TO SEE EXACTLY HOW MANY CALORIES YOU’LL BURN JUMP ROPING FOR 20 MINUTES
The chart in the link above will give you an exact number of calories you’ll burn based on your weight and the intensity of your jump roping. That’s why the range of calories you can burn is so large. You’ll get a much more precise number when you look at the chart.
One thing I would suggest if you choose to use jump roping to burn 500 calories a day, is to take several breaks. For instance, even though I jump rope for 10 minutes 3 days a week, it’s actually about 15 minutes of time total, because I take a 30-second break after every minute of jump roping. It would be incredibly hard to jump rope for 10 minutes straight without stopping. If you can do it though, all the power to you!
Do Body Weight Workouts
- 1 HOUR OF BODY WEIGHT WORKOUTS BURNS BETWEEN 400 – 600 CALORIES
Body Weight training is incredibly powerful. If you’re looking to also gain lean muscle, the beauty of this kind of training is that 
you can do body weight workouts almost anywhere. During the summer when I’m at my family’s beach house, and I don’t have access to a pull up bar, I go outside and actually do them on a tree branch.
This is the main workout that I do 3 days a week. Depending on what moves you are doing, and your weight, you’ll burn anywhere from 400 to 600 calories in an hour.
CLICK HERE FOR A CALORIES BURNED BODY WEIGHT TRAINING CALCULATOR
The link above will not use the words “body weight” but instead “calisthenics” which is the same thing. Some of the main workouts I do, include push-ups, lunges, squats, and pull ups, which are all listed in the calculator.
Go For A Run
- RUNNING FOR 30 MINUTES BURNS APPROXIMATELY 200 – 500 CALORIES
I used to run daily, and it’s simply a fantastic and effective calorie burning exercise, especially on a beautiful day. Running will certainly help you burn more calories in less time than you can with walking. And if your goal is to burn off those calories quickly, this could be a great option for you.
You’ll burn approximately 200 – 500 calories in a half hour depending on your weight and distance that you run.
CLICK HERE FOR A CALORIES BURNED RUNNING CALCULATOR
Aside from the calorie burn that you get, running also just makes you feel good, so it’s something I still do from time to time. If I choose to run over walking on any particular day, I just spend less time on the exercise, since you are getting more distance in over a shorter time span.
Go For A Bike Ride
- BIKING FOR 60 MINUTES BURNS APPROXIMATELY 450 – 750 CALORIES
Depending on your weight, speed, and distance you go when biking, you can burn anywhere from 450 to 750 calories in an 
hour of cycling.
CLICK HERE FOR A CALORIES BURNED CYCLING CALCULATOR
The calorie burn you will get differs depending on whether you use a stationary bike or if you choose to bike outside. Because of the various factors outdoors such as steep inclines, such as hills, and also having more room for movements, it’s likely you’ll burn more calories cycling outdoors.
However, with a stationary bike, you can track calorie count directly from the bike itself. The number of calories you will burn on stationary bike is largely dependent on your weight more than anything else, according to a Harvard Study. Also, the difference in calories you’ll burn from a stationary bike compared to outdoor cycling is approximately 30 calories based on calculations you’ll find online.
A Note About Mainstream Cardio Workouts
I just want to take a moment to mention that, if you’re serious about burning 500 calories a day easily, I want to stress a con I see with many cardio workouts. Most mainstream cardio workouts are incredibly intense. And, because of this, on the days you do those work outs, it’s much easier to become ravenously hungry and overeat.
Also, I feel that one of the reasons intense cardio isn’t nearly effective as just walking is because it’s really easy to get burnt out on these kinds of exercises. I remember dreading the days I had to do Insanity, 5 days a week. And then only 2 months later, my body hadn’t really changed very much.
It’s a mental thing, but it’s real…unless you absolutely love pushing yourself to the extreme and sweating your butt off, I don’t see a reason to choose other forms of cardio over walking, unless you really just want to mix things up and try something new.
What’s Your Favorite Activity To Burn 500 Calories?
These 6 methods on how to burn 500 calories a day are all effective and they each have the ability to help you on your fitness journey. Which is your favorite? Here are the activities mentioned in the article:
- Walking
- Yoga
- Jump Roping
- Body Weight Workouts
- Running
- Cycling
As you already know, I strongly suggest walking over any other activity on this list, because it’s incredibly laid back, and the calories burn off seemingly without effort at all. This website is dedicated to making fat loss simple, and walking is one of the most laid back activities you can do. It’s also exactly what I do every day, and it’s been a huge player in helping me drop 13 pounds and burn off 3% body fat.
Now, I want to stress something. All the exercise in the world cannot help with weight loss if we are not eating properly. So, before I close out this article, I just want to take a moment to express the importance of understanding your food intake if you really want to see your body transform and burn fat. And no, you do NOT have to eat strictly fruits and vegetables. You can eat what you want.
- A NOTE ABOUT EATING RIGHT TO LOSE WEIGHT
If your goal is to burn fat and lose weight, then understanding exactly what foods you put into your body each day is absolutely crucial. You can do any of the exercises listed in this article, but if you’re overeating, you won’t notice a difference on the scale or in the mirror, and I know how discouraging that can be. Eating right is the most important element of weight loss.
Luckily, it’s very easy to eat properly. Unfortunately, many people don’t understand the simple math behind it. Once you do a calorie deficit calculation, everything will change. My best friend lost 30 pounds in just a few months following the math. So, if you’d like to learn how to eat at a calorie deficit to lose 4 to 5 pounds per month, I strongly suggest reading this article which will give you the exact calculation you need to start dropping pounds while eating your favorite foods.
I hope this article was helpful and you learned of activities you can do to burn 500 calories in a day. If anything was unclear or if you have any questions or comments about anything, please leave them below and I’ll be more than happy to get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks so much for reading!