How Many Calories Are Burned While Doing Jumping Jacks?

Calories Burned at Moderate Intensity

Apart from the intensity at which you do jumping jacks, the amount of calories burnt will also depend on your current body weight and on the duration for which you jump. An individual weighing 150 pounds will burn around 154 calories during a half an hour moderate intensity session of jumping jacks. An individual weighing 200 pounds will burn around 205 calories during a half an hour moderate intensity session. While you are unlikely to do jumping jacks for half an hour straight, this implies that a 150 pound individual will burn around 5.1 calories per minute and a 200 pound individual will burn around 6.8 calories per minute.

Calories Burned at Increased Intensity

By increasing the intensity, your calories burned doing jumping jacks will increase. For instance, an individual weighing 150 pounds will burn 275 calories during a half an hour vigorous intensity session of jumping jacks. This implies that he will burn around 9.1 calories per minute. Similarly an individual weighing 200 pounds will burn 366 calories during a half an hour vigorous intensity session of jumping jacks. This means 12.2 calories per minute.

Strengthen the Body

A full-body workout is provided by jumping jacks. All large muscle groups are moved during jumping jacks. To engage your core, you should take deep breaths so that your abdominal muscles are also targeted. Jumping jacks can be modified to make them a more powerful activity to build muscles. After jumping with your feet shoulder width apart, don’t return to a standing position; instead, assume a deep squatting position to target your thigh, calf, abdominal and gluteal muscles. Do them at a brisk pace to enjoy the aerobic benefits of jumping jacks.

Relax the Body

A chemical effect is sparked in your body after doing jumping jacks for long periods of time. Endorphins are released in your body, which act as natural pain killers and provide you with a sense of well-being. Additionally, due to the deep breathing, your mind is cleared, your focus is sharpened and your body is energized. The stress relieving power of jumping jacks can be maximized by maintaining the elevated heart rate for at least 20 minutes. If you are not able to perform jumping jacks for the whole time, alternate between jumping jacks and marching in place.

Fit Perfectly into an Interval Training Session

You can fit jumping jacks perfectly into a session of interval training. Perform a 1-minute session of jumping jacks to raise your heart rate and then slow down to a recovery rate for more than 1 minute. Your heart rate will remain raised during the recovery period, maintaining fat-burning at a high level and improving your stamina. Make moderate exercise sessions more challenging by including jumping jacks. For instance, take a brisk walk for 5 minutes, perform jumping jacks for 1 minute and then again do walking. Repeat this throughout your walking session.

Start by stretching the muscles of arms and legs (i.e. quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, back, shoulders, biceps, and triceps.) Stretching is extremely important to avoid injury.

Stand in an erect position with arms at your side and feet together.

Bend your knees slightly and propel yourself a couple of inches into the air.

While you are in air, bring your feet out to the side around shoulder width apart or slightly wider.

While you are moving your feet outward, raise your arms over your head. Throughout the whole in-air movement, the arms should be kept slightly bent.

Your legs should land at a distance of shoulder width or wider and your hands should meet above your head.

Jump back to step 2 quickly and repeat Steps 3-6. Do 10-100 repetitions depending on your stamina and physical fitness.

It is essential to do stretching to cool down if you are performing jumping jacks as your last workout for the day.

You can find calories burned doing jumping jacks are high, but do you know you can achieve the similar effect by the following tips without sweating.

• Eat vitamin D: It has been found that females who are deficient in this vitamin lose weight more slowly.

• Drink coffee: Caffeine has been found to increase the rate of burning of calories.

• Get more sleep: Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep, as getting less than 4 hours of sleep over a long duration slows the metabolism.

• Perform tasks by hands: Cook dinner, vacuum or wash your dishes.

• Eat smaller meals at regular intervals: For majority of the individuals, digesting smaller meals uses more energy.

• Walk briskly: Always walk like you are late and have to catch a train.

• Laugh: Laughing for 10-15 minutes per day burns up to 50 calories.

• Eat breakfast regularly: It fastens your metabolism; your body begins burning fat even if you are doing your normal activities.

• Avoid eating late at night: It can interrupt your sleep and slows metabolism.

• Stay hydrated: Dehydration drops metabolism. Aim for at least 8 glasses of water a day.

• Walk while talking phones: Avoid sitting still while you are talking on phone.

• Always carry a low fat snack: Such as nuts, a piece of fruit or low-calorie bars. Eating at regular intervals improves your metabolism.

• Relax: Cortisol is released when you are stressed. It stores more calories as fat.

• Eat spicy food: According to some studies, metabolism can be temporarily increased by eating spicy food.

• Eat salmon: In a study, more weight was lost by salmon eaters than beef eaters, even though they consumed equal calories.