Moving more does not necessarily require fitness equipment. Find out what doing 50 jumping jacks a day can do for your health.
Many people who are considering an exercise routine like this are interested in the amounts of calories it can burn.
As a first example, a 155-pound (70 kg) person will burn around 12 calories while doing 50 jumping jacks.
Jumping jacks are alright when it comes to burning calories but it is normal that just 1.25 minutes of extra exercise a day won’t do that much in this area.
Similarly, 50 jumping jacks a day can potentially offer tiny improvements in cardiovascular health, coordination, mood, and sleep.
A short workout like this is mainly useful for getting into the habit of exercising more. You likely want to consider more intense workouts soon to get more health benefits.
Results of doing 50 jumping jacks a day
Even if you don’t like the idea of jumping jacks, you realize that doing 50 of them every day will at least do something to your body.
One important thing to note is that doing 50 jumping jacks will only take about 1.25 minutes.
While you can expect the effects below to some extent, you likely want to consider more intense workouts to see significant results.
Calories burned with 50 jumping jacks
One of the most popular benefits of jumping jacks is that they help you burn more calories.
Your body requires energy (measured in calories) to function throughout the day. More intense movements during something like exercise use up more energy.
There are ways to make predictions about how many calories you burn with jumping jacks but keep in mind that these are rough estimations. The actual amounts for you will likely vary.
Let’s say the average person does about 40 jumping jacks per minute. In that case, you can estimate that people with certain body weights will burn the following amounts of calories with 50 jumping jacks:
- 125 pounds (56 kg) body weight: 10 calories
- 155 pounds (70 kg) body weight: 12 calories
- 185 pounds (83 kg) body weight: 15 calories
- 215 pounds (97 kg) body weight: 17 calories
Since it only takes about 1.25 minutes to do 50 jumping jacks, you should not be too surprised that these amounts are relatively low.
Jumping jacks can be good in terms of burning calories but will need more of them to see significant results.
Will it help you lose weight?
One important thing to keep in mind is that even working up to something like 1000 jumping jacks a day or more, is no guarantee for weight loss.
To lose weight you have to make it so your body requires more energy than is coming in from food. At this point, you start using energy from stores like body fat to get the remaining needs.
However, that also means that how many jumping jacks you need to lose weight also depends on lifestyle habits like what you eat.
So it is possible that you are doing an extra 50 jumping jacks a day or more and not seeing any weight loss results. In that case, you likely want to take another look at these other areas or do more intense workouts.
Your cardiovascular health may improve slightly
Jumping jacks are mainly a cardiovascular exercise. That means they mostly work your heart, lungs, and blood vessels.
Your cardiovascular system is responsible for extracting oxygen from the air and moving it, nutrients, and waste products around your body.
When you move your body more intensely by doing jumping jacks, the processes above have to happen to a larger extent. In turn, your cardiovascular system will work harder than usual.
If you do the 50 jumping jacks a day intensely enough (but not too intense), you can strengthen this system slightly.
This can be helpful because a stronger cardiovascular system tends to reduce the risk of related conditions.
You get into the habit of moving more
The extra 1.25 minutes of extra moving a day to do 50 jumping jacks is not that impressive when it comes to workouts. That being said, this can be a benefit in some cases.
As an exercise beginner, the first step is making a habit of moving more.
Hour-long workouts with heavy weights and sprinting uphill may have more potential for health benefits. However, these can feel intimidating if you are not used to exercising.
In a situation like that, starting with 50 jumping jacks a day can be a decent start.
Once this goes well, you can gradually increase the duration and intensity of your workouts to get more health benefits.
Your coordination could get better
Jumping jacks are not the most complicated exercise out there but they do require some arm and leg coordination.
Initially, your first few repetitions may have looked like weird variations.
Over time, holding your hands above your head at the same time as landing (or at least something close to that) could have become your new normal.
In simpler words, working up to 50 jumping jacks a day may improve your arm and leg coordination.
These fitness components are not just helpful in your workouts.
During daily activities like walking around, climbing stairs, and moving things, better coordination can help you avoid missteps and bumping into things.
Could improve muscle endurance slightly
While jumping jacks will mainly focus on your cardiovascular system, you will also engage a few muscles to a certain extent.
This will likely not be challenging enough for actual muscle growth but using your muscles more intensely can also offer other positive effects.
Doing 50 jumping jacks a day could slightly improve muscle endurance in your shoulders, latissimus dorsi (middle/upper back muscle), inner thigh muscles, outer thigh muscles, calves, quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings if you are more of an exercise beginner.
Better muscle endurance can make daily activities like walking around and carrying things easier and more convenient.
