11 Sports That Will Help You Burn Fat

Whether you absolutely loved playing sports in high school and were the king or queen of the jocks or would use any opportunity to avoid PE, there’s no denying that physical exercise is the best way to burn fat and improve fitness.

Not only are sports great for helping you maintain your goal weight, but they can also help improve your mental health by releasing happy hormones.

Team activities are a great way to bond with friends (or make new ones) and leave you in great spirits every time.

Best sports for fat burning and weight loss

Whether you want to improve your physical or mental health or are simply looking for a new hobby, these activities below are some of the best ways to help you look and feel amazing every day.

1. Walking, Running, and Jogging

Walking offers a tremendous amount of health benefits and is an easy way to fit physical exercise into your daily routine.

According to Harvard Health, walking for just 30 minutes can burn up to 200 calories.

What’s more, all that fresh air is excellent for your mind, body, and spirit and will leave you in a great mood.  

If you want faster results, try upping your speed and go for a jog or run instead to burn even more calories.

Okay, you’ll need some more comfortable clothing and footwear than walking requires, but getting your heart rate up and moving your body faster will aid in fat burning.

A short jog can even aid with significant health problems, including diabetes and heart disease.

2. Weight Training

Lifting weights and strength training is a great way to burn fat and build muscle.

It is also a brilliant way to improve your Resting Metabolism Rate (RMR), which basically states how many calories your body can burn when at rest.

Increasing this is key to sustained weight loss and reduced body fat percentage.

Lightweight training is a fantastic rehabilitation method and can aid in recovery from joint or muscle injury. 

3. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Combining the benefits of lifting weights with cardio exercises, participating in a HIIT class is probably one of the best ways to quickly burn fat and calories.

These classes involve several different “high-intensity” exercises with small recovery intervals between them.

You can complete a HIIT session in just 10 minutes and still see impressive results, with calories continuing to be burned even after the exercise is over!

4. Swimming

Swimming requires full use of the entire body (literally) from head to toe.

You can burn up to 266 calories in half an hour just by completing a casual swim, and those who have perfected the butterfly (or other more sophisticated swimming strokes) can double this calorie-burning power!

Swimming is also excellent for people with joint problems as the lack of resistance offered by powering through the water puts very little strain on the body.

This makes it an excellent exercise for older people.

Swimming also increases flexibility as you move through the water and can even fight serious health problems, including lowering your cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease.

Related: 75 Day Medium Challenge Workout

5. Yoga For Belly Fat

In today’s busy society, yoga offers so much more than a way to burn fat fast.

It also offers a sense of calm and peace in a hectic world with a focus on mindfulness. 

Yoga is a phenomenal way to improve flexibility, build strength, promote mental health, reduce aches and pains (it’s particularly good if you suffer from back, neck, or shoulder pain).

There are loads of yoga classes all over the world these days, and you can also find plenty of yoga for weight loss tutorials easily online if you prefer to exercise in the comfort of your home.

6. Racquet Sports

Racquetball, tennis, squash, and any other sport requiring a racket and ball come under the heading ‘racquet sports’ and are a fantastic way to burn fat fast (and have fun doing it!). 

These sports require you to be constantly moving as the ball flies and bounces around the court and offers a fantastic workout.

You can play most racket sports in teams (doubles), against one person (singles), or even on your own against a wall, so there are loads of ways to enjoy these games and get your heart rate up.

It’s probably best to play singles for weight loss and fat burning, as this style of racket sport requires you to cover more ground to keep the ball in play and is a more enjoyable high-intensity sport that is sure to get your heart rate up!

Soccer burns fat

7. Soccer

Of course, football is a brilliant exercise. (I’m partial since my daughter plays soccer)

It is a great way to burn fat as it works your muscles and heart in a variety of different ways.

By employing both slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers, soccer helps you build and preserve muscle mass and boosts your metabolism.

Soccer is also much more player-friendly than high-impact sports such as football but you still need to watch out for injuries if you play with people who don’t know what they are doing.

Related: I got in great shape while helping my daughters train for soccer using some of the workouts here. 

8. Basketball 

The variety of basketball movements makes this an excellent sport for weight loss and can give you a confidence boost as you improve at the game!

Many companies have an employee basketball team that you can get involved in, or look for a group in your local area for a fun way to make new friends, learn a new skill, and get toned doing it!

By combining running, jumping, and stretching, basketball works most muscle groups to give you a great all-around workout.

Quick footwork and decision-making also improve your mental health and prowess, making basketball a brilliant game to improve the fitness of your brain as well as your body.

sports that burn fat and weight loss

9. Lacrosse

Lacrosse might seem like a posh person’s sport, but it’s accessible, great fun, and one of the best ways to burn fat fast.

Because it’s a high-intensity sport that combines cardio with strength training, it offers a brilliant all-body transformation that will burn fat and calories and help build lean muscle mass.

Similar to basketball, the quick and constant changes in speed, intensity, and direction while running around exercise your body and mind in addition to burning significantly more calories and fat than running or jogging alone.

It’s not at all expensive to get started in the world of lacrosse: all you’ll need is a crosse (the lacrosse stick), a set of lacrosse balls (like these at Victoremgear), a helmet and safety gear (lacrosse can be an incredibly high-impact sport), and you’re ready to go!

10. Martial Arts

Burn up to 1,000 calories in 60 minutes and feel amazing as you boost your self-confidence while burning fat when you subscribe to a martial arts class.

This is a fantastic way to exercise as it requires so many different movements to work out every muscle group.

You don’t need to intend to fight to enjoy martial arts, and many classes are more focused on exercising the body and mind rather than fighting… but being able to defend yourself is certainly not a bad skill to have and the weight loss will make you feel amazing in no time!

Running burns fat

11. Other Weight Loss Exercises

Burning fat doesn’t need to be done in high-intensity workout classes or by getting dirty running through a muddy field…

There are so many easy ways to burn fat and calories!

Anything from dancing in the kitchen to horseback riding, bowling, frisbee, skateboarding, and even shoveling snow off your driveway can help you achieve your dream physique!

Bottom Line

When it comes to weight loss, we believe the best way to go about it is to pick activities you enjoy.

Studies show that even bowling can burn up to 133 calories in as little as 30 minutes, so there’s no need to take part in a HIIT session if you’re just going to be miserable, and you don’t need to swim if you have a fear of the water!

Whatever exercise you prefer, aim for something that combines cardio with lifting weights or resistance training to help you burn more calories, build muscles, and increase flexibility.

Doing something fun will keep you motivated on your fitness journey.

 

 

Keep Reading:

31 Fitness Hacks You Need To Know
30 Day HIIT Workout Plan With Videos

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