Ten ways to lose 100 calories

The problem with most keepfit programmes is that they're almost impossible to cram into a typical working week. After a day in the office you're too exhausted to head off to the gym, and as for going before work - well, you're only human after all.

But, if you incorporate at least four five-to-seven-minute routines into your day and concentrate on mini-workouts rather than hour-long sessions, you can lose up to four or five pounds a month. Here are 10 fast ways to burn calories: put several into one intense workout or sprinkle them throughout your day. The more you do, the more you burn.
1. Running upstairs
Time to burn 100 calories: 5 minutes.
Scamper up the stairs to your flat or find a steep hill to tackle on your way home. Count only the time you spend going up (for knee safety, always walk downstairs instead of running).

2. Skipping (with rope)

Time to burn 100 calories: 5 minutes.
Try jumping twice per second. If you're more adept at fancy footwork, try mixing it up: hop on just one foot instead of two, twist from side to side, or travel around the room as you're skipping.
3. Running

Time to burn 100 calories: however long it takes you to run a mile.

If you run seven-minute miles, you'll incinerate about 100 calories in seven minutes. To inject more speed into your stride, pump your arms as you run.

4. Cycling
Time to burn 100 calories: 7 minutes.
Aim for 14mph to 16mph, or a pace where you're working fairly hard (keep the intensity at a low level, concentrate on speed rather than resistance). To go faster, focus on using your legs throughout the entire pedal stroke: push down and then pull up your heel as your foot comes up and back.
5. Circuit training
Time to burn 100 calories: 7 minutes.
This involves progressing from one gym-machine "station" to another without resting - many gyms set up their machines in an easy-to-follow format or you can add one-minute cardio bursts (cycling, running, etc) between moves.

6. Callisthenics
Time to burn 100 calories: 7 minutes.
You'll remember these from your school gym-class days: press-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks and squat thrusts are not only standards, they're great strengtheners and calorie burners as well. Incorporate these exercises into a circuit programme or make them a workout in themselves.

7. Race/power walking

Time to burn 100 calories: 7 minutes.

Walking sometimes gets a bad calorieburning reputation, but that's mostly because people don't walk quickly enough to see good results. To feel the burn, speed it up for a great calorie blast: pump your arms back and forth and focus on pushing off with the toes of your rear foot to pick up your pace.

8. In-line skating
Time to burn 100 calories: 7 minutes at 12mph, 15 minutes at 10mph.

You'll skate faster if you bend your knees, crouch down and push your feet out to the sides with each stroke, as opposed to behind you as if you're walking. (It's hard to go fast if you're standing upright.)

9. Weight training

Time to burn 100 calories: 7 minutes with heavier (eight-to-12-pound) weights; 35 minutes with lighter weights.

If you're serious about sculpting muscles and boosting your metabolism, choose a weight that you have a hard job lifting by the time you do the last repetition in each set. If you lift weights that are too light, you'll not only have difficulty improving strength, you'll burn fewer calories.

Yoga
Time to burn 100 calories: 7 minutes.

Power yoga, including Bikram and ashtanga, involves switching postures frequently, as opposed to holding one pose and meditating or stretching. Yoga builds endurance while it stretches your muscles. Of course, the more vigorous the postures, the more calories you'll zap.

How to build a better workout
To boost your calorie burn, combine any of the above exercise bites in any order. Try breaking your workouts into small segments, focusing on balance (calf raises, lunges), strength building (free weights) and stamina (running stairs, skipping). If you can vary your workouts you'll see greater benefits and enjoy it a lot more. By mixing and matching these 10 100-calorie bursts, you could go a month or more without doing the same workout twice.

All calorie counts are calculated for a 10 1/2-stone adult.