As the holiday season rolls on, a lot of our diets are sliding a bit, with big holiday meals, treats, and snacks. Fear not! You can make efforts to counteract those extra calories by ramping up your exercise program as well. But, which exercises will give you the most bang for your buck when it comes to burning calories?

Here is a quick reference guide, based on American Council of Exercise (ACE) calculations. You can also use their calculator to check out how many calories you would burn while performing a variety of activities. 

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Walking

They say you should walk before you run, so we’re starting here. Walking at a moderate pace will burn just under 100 calories per 30 minutes.  This is a great exercise to add more movement into their daily routine. 

Running/Jogging

Picking up the pace a bit from walking, now we’re actually running. As you might expect, the added intensity also brings a benefit when it comes to burning calories. Jogging at a moderate pace can burn over 200 calories per 30 minutes and that number goes up as you crank up the speed and intensity.

Cycling

If running isn’t fast enough or doesn’t cover enough ground, you might look at hopping on your bike (a stationary bike brings the same benefits without the physical travel). At a fairly leisurely 5.5 mph, you still burn almost 120 calories during a 30-minute bike ride. Of course, if you pick up the speed or add hills and resistance to your ride, then those calories per hour kick up at the same time.

Weightlifting

For those that don’t want to make distance a part of their exercise routine, resistance training through weightlifting is a popular option. While a typical weightlifting routine doesn’t burn as many calories as a more aerobic exercise, it is still a good option for burning some calories while adding the benefit of increasing strength and muscle tone. A fairly typical weightlifting workout burns about 90 calories per 30 minutes. However, you can easily increase the intensity and make it a more calorie-burning exercise routine by taking shorter breaks and combining exercises. 

Stretching

A good stretching routine should be a part of just about any exercise program, but while we may think of it as a recovery period, it can also continue burning calories. A moderate stretching or yoga routine can burn over 70 calories per 30 minutes.