Cut your calorie intake or burn more calories by exercising if weight loss is your goal. If the thought of sweating in the gym is a turnoff, or you don’t think you have the time to devote a half hour a day to fitness, is there any way to increase the calories you burn without exercising? The answer is yes. It takes focus and looking for ways to be more active. It might be as simple as getting up and putting something away immediately rather than waiting until you’d get up anyway. Make an effort to move more.
You don’t need an official exercise program to move more while you work.
If you have a desk job, get up and move about two to five minutes every hour. Studies show it can dramatically improve your health. It will also cause you to burn more calories throughout the day. Spending one or two minutes every hour in an eight-hour workday can add as much as an extra half-hour of calorie-burning to your day.
Spend time with the kids.
Enjoy the freedom of being a kid for a while and make snow angels, jump in raked leaves with them, or shoot hoops. If you have little ones, pretend you’re an animal and walk like a panther, elephant, cat, or dog. Your kids will love it. Find a favorite song you can create movements to, like rocking a baby, jumping in the air, or dancing with them. They’ll have fun. If you do it long enough, it will become a solid memory and family tradition.
Ride your bike to work or to the store.
If you live too far to safely do it, take the bus part of the way and ride the rest. Most buses have a bike rack. The fitter you get, the further you can ride. Use a bike basket or backpack to carry extra clothes for work or bring the things you bought home. If you’re not ready for that much exercise, use your bike or walk to a neighbor’s house instead of the car. Find short trips that will burn calories instead of gas.
- Walk faster and extend your stride. Taking longer, faster strides burns more calories than moderate or leisurely walking. You’ll also arrive at your destination faster. If you’re using an escalator, climb the stairs as you ride them up.
- Deep clean your house. If you clean vigorously, it’s a workout, but you have more to show for it than just sweat. Break down your cleaning efforts into half-hour projects. You don’t have to wash all windows or walls at once or clean every drawer.
- Tap your toes while you sit or listen to music and sway to it. Every extra move you make burns more calories. If you can’t turn on music, mentally sing your favorite song and move your body to the rhythm.
- Stretch every morning. Stretch in bed and as soon as you get up. Put your arms out and twist your body side to side. Lift your hands toward the ceiling as high as possible, then drop them and try to touch your toes.
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