When most people think of exercise they think of long boring and intense workouts. This doesn't have to be true! There are so many ways to burn extra calories without getting bored. Personally my favorite fun exercise is dancing. In fact hip hop dancing will burn anywhere from 370-610 calories per hour! I crank up the volume on my Pandora Radio and dance till I can't dance anymore! Here are a few ways in which you too can have fun while burning that fat.

Let me see you move this hips

Hula Hooping isn't just for kids. It can be a great waist exercise that will gets those abs sweating. It can also help to tone your arms and legs! With this fun exercise you can burn anywhere from 420-600.

Burn Calories and become one with Nature

If you are the type of person who really enjoys being in-tune with nature, try hiking! Hiking with a backpack is a weight baring workout that also provides an intense Cardio workout. Hiking with a backpack can burn up to 500 calories and also lets you get outside in an active way!

Have a Competition! 

For the more competitive people out there fitness competitions can be loads of fun. Challenge a buddy to a push up or crunch challenge and try to beat them. It doesn't even have to be push ups or crunches, you could challenge them with a race or even have a plank challenge. The last time I did a plank challenge I got up to a minute!

Run to the beat of your iPod!

Adding music into your workout can motivate you to push yourself harder. You can even play little games with yourself while listening to music. Put your music on shuffle and jog to the beat of the music. If it's a fast song run as fast as you can for that amount of time. If it's a slow song run slow. If it's a combination then do a combination! 

Swim like a fish!

Even though swimming isn't ideal for every season, it's a great way to exercise. Swimming has a lot of resistance due to the water which makes the workout more intense. You don't even have to do laps to have a good workout. You can burn a ton of calories just by having fun in the pool with your friends or family!

The main idea is to have fun with your exercise. If you find yourself getting bored with the same routine try on of these tips or make up your own fun active idea! If you have any great ideas post them in the comments section!

If you read the above headline and you are offended then you probably aren't familiar with the advanced exercise which is the Burpee. If you read the above headline and you know what a Burpee is but you're still offended then I can't help you. Anyway, for those of you who want to know what this amazing exercise is or you want to learn more about it, then feel free to read on!

How to Perform a Burpee


Step 1: Begin in a strong standing position. Easy right? Oh just you wait, it gets worse.
Step 2: Drop it down low until you are in the squatting position with your hands on the ground. WARNING: You may break a nail! Suck it up!
Step 3: In one QUICK motion extend your feet back and assume the plank position!
Step 4: Bring your feet back into your chest which will lead you back into the squatting position. You should feel the burn by now!
Step 5: Stand back up. Wasn't that fun?


That Was Terrible! Why the Heck would I want to do that?!


Those of you who just performed that intense exercise are probably saying the above statement to yourself. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion and their own exercise routine, but here are a few reasons why you should include the Burpee into your physical life.

The Burpee includes everyone in on the fun!

The procedure of the Burpee allows every single body part to be utilized. This means your arms, legs, hamstrings, thighs, front deltoids, and abs are all being used! After doing just a couple of these your entire body will feel like it's gotten a full workout. 

Burn that fat!

For those of you who are looking to trim your body of fat, the Burpee may be perfect for you. The Burpee is a very intense and cardio filled workout depending on how fast your movement is. We all know that the more cardio that you do the more your metabolism will speed up which helps to burn all that fat! So if you're tired of that treadmill or your running path just isn't that exciting anymore, switch it up with the Burpee. 

Convenient and Free

To perform the Burpee all you need i your body. It's so easy that you could perform it in your own bedroom. In fact when I was first shown the Burpee it was during Christmas in my living room! So for those of you who are at home exercisers or don't want to spend money at the gym, the Burpee is great for you!

Want more Variation and more intensified fun?

Here are a few different things that you can do with the Burpee to make it more fun!

Give me 20 push ups!

After you do step three include a single push-up and then proceed to step 4. 

Pull it up Pull it Up! 

For those of you who want to intensify the Burpee even more try this little trick. Stand underneath of a pull up bar or anything sturdy enough (I am not responsible for injuries), complete a Burpee and when you jump back up grab onto that bar (or sturdy object) and pull yourself up. I'm not going to lie, I have never done it this way, but it sounds like an ab former!

I want to see those knees hit that chest!

This one is a bit more challenging, but it also really works the ab area. The only difference with this one is that when you jump back up force both of your knees upward near your chest area. It sounds terrible, but you will see results!

Challenge Yourself!

For those who are seeking a challenge, here is one! All over the internet there are exercise challenges that people usually embark on for a month. I challenge you to find a Burpee challenge and stick with it! Challenge Accepted?

For more variations and information about Burpees, check out the videos below.

Still confused on how to do it? Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZQA08SlJnM
For Beginners: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIQx1FiQt50
For the Advanced: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9abYSAjPTk0