Staying active throughout the workday can be challenging, especially if most of your time is spent sitting in front of a computer. Here are eighteen simple ways to burn more calories throughout your day.
Once you leave work, you’re likely juggling social obligations, family time, and the gym. If you’re running short on time, the latter is most likely to get cut!
In addition to finding time to work out, focusing on simple ways to stay active by being mindful of your daily activities can ignite your health and energy level — without sacrificing your schedule. Try these easy ways to burn more calories!
1. Get a bike.
Help the environment and your waistline by biking to work every day. Not only will you burn more calories than driving, but you will also experience fresh air and save gas money.
2. Make date night count.
When it comes to date night, try to think of fun things to do that don’t revolve around food. Whether it’s bowling, a dance class, or a bike ride, these activities are a great way to torch calories while making memories.
3. Bring out your inner green thumb.
Gardening not only increases sustainability and lowers your environmental footprint, but you can also burn 100 calories for every 30 minutes you spend weeding, planting, and harvesting.
4. Rise and sweat.
Set the alarm clock 15 minutes earlier than normal, and get your metabolism revved by doing a circuit of jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches, and squats. This will jumpstart the calorie-burning process, which will continue throughout the day.
5. Keep it cool.
If you keep your home (or office) on the chilly side, you can burn more calories than having the thermostat set at room temperature.
6. Change up the office.
Instead of sitting at a desk all day, try swapping out the traditional chair for a standing desk or stability ball. This will change up your routine and help burn more calories throughout the day.
7. Namaste and stretch.
Too exhausted for a vigorous gym workout? Don’t sweat it! Just by stretching or doing an easy yoga routine for 30 minutes, you will burn 100 calories while decreasing stress and increasing range of motion.
8. Lift more weight.
Whether you’re an avid gym person or not, it’s important to train your body to lift more weight. Increased muscle tone will burn more calories, even while sedentary, so adding in a few more minutes of strength training each week will make a difference.
9. Shop with your eyes.
Window shopping isn’t just satisfying, it’s exercise-friendly, too. Checking out the latest fashion trends at your favorite stores will burn 100 calories in 30 minutes!
10. Take a daily walk.
Take a few minutes out of your lunch break to go outside and walk around. It’s a great way to get fresh air while burning calories at the same time.
11. Cook dinner.
If you spend a grand total of 40 minutes slicing, sautéing, and cleaning up, you can burn off an extra 130 calories before dinner is even served.
12. Take a break.
If you have a desk job, take a few minutes at the start of every hour to stretch, walk around, or do a few walking lunges. This will help re-focus your mind, give your muscles a small workout, and burn a few extra calories.
13. Clean up.
Cleaning may not be your chore of choice, but if you spend 15 minutes scrubbing, you can zap over 100 calories and make your house a more pleasant environment.
14. Get more shut-eye.
It’s not healthy to skimp on your nightly shut-eye. In fact, if you get less than four hours of sleep each night, your metabolism can slow down, so go to bed a littler earlier and reap the benefits. Check out this list of foods to help you sleep better!
15. Fidget more often.
If you constantly fidget, you can burn up to 350 more calories a day compared to those who remain stationary. Try to tap your feet, pace up and down, or move around in your office chair.
16. Walk and talk.
The next time you get a phone call, stand up and walk around while talking. This form of multi-tasking will actually boost your calorie burn.
17. Ditch the elevator.
Instead of waiting around for the lift, try taking the stairs instead. Climbing stairs is a great way to improve muscle tone and encourage weight loss. Research suggests that a 150-pound person could lose around 6 pounds per year by climbing two flights of stairs every day.
18. Laugh more often.
Turn on a Netflix standup special or watch your favorite sitcom. Just 10 to 15 minutes of laughter can help you burn about 10 to 40 more calories compared to a somber person.
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