10 EASY WAYS TO BURN CALORIES (WITHOUT EXERCISING)

One of the first things I noticed when COVID struck and we were all doing the shelter-in-place thing was that my waistline got bigger… Not because I was eating differently but simply because I just wasn’t MOVING as much as I used to. So, I started walking and focusing on workouts but then I thought – there must be some simple and easy ways to burn calories without even thinking about it, right…?? Well, guess what – I figured out all the tips and tricks and I’m going to share easy ways to burn calories with you right here!

Easy Ways To Burn Calories (Without Exercising)

Here are my top tips to burn calories without even thinking about it!

1. Go Shopping (husbands, look away!)

What we think of as “shopping” (I’m looking at YOU, Pottery Barn), uses 160 calories per hour.

Grocery shopping, uses a whopping 209 calories per hour! To kick it up a notch, you could put on some ankle weights to really work those legs.

Either way, shopping is good for you – regardless of whether you spend or not 😊

2. Walking Breaks To Burn Calories

One thing I did a good job of when I sat in on office was to take little walking breaks – in the office, in the parking lot, around the buildings – just to clear my head and get my blood moving.

It will work at home, too!

Setting an alarm on your phone every hour or two will help remind you to get up and MOVE.

A 15-minute break is 66 calories – enough to offset a whole cup of strawberries.

3. Give Yourself Some Space

Speaking of parking lots, just parking a little further away from your destination each time gives you a little more calorie-burn.

And, if it’s hot or cold out, you’re using even MORE calories to regulate your body temp!

Be sure to keep some sneakers or comfortable walking shoes in your car to make this an easy “yes.”

4. Stepping Up To Burn Calories

You’ve likely heard this before but it bears repeating – take the stairs!

Even 10 minutes on the stairs burns 81 calories – that’s 20 pistachios-worth.

PLUS, stair climbing has been shown to help with overall cardiovascular health so why not use your 10 minutes to kill two birds with one stone?

5. Play With The Kids

I’ll be honest, my husband is much better at this than I am – probably because I’m burning calories cooking while he’s outside playing soccer with the munchkins!

But if YOU would rather be the one having fun-in-the-sun, you get the extra benefit of burning off those hot Cheetos!

Just 30 minutes of playing with kids burns 180-200 calories. BOOM – that’s dessert, right there!

Who knew those kids would prove useful? 😉

6. Plant A Garden

Here’s another one I get the benefit of (from the fresh produce) but is really the labors of my dear spouse.

Planting (and tending to) a garden not only lowers your stress levels (and stress is anti-weight loss), it burns 279 calories per hour.

Yes – you get the benefits of fresh-from-the-garden veggies AND losing weight while doing something you love. What a sweet deal!

7. Stretch It Out to Burn Calories

If you like to wind down by listening to a book or podcast or watching your favorite shows, why not get a double benefit by doing some stretches or yoga poses?

Taking the time to help your muscles relax will not only help you sleep better (and sleep is GOOD for weight loss!), it burns 174 calories per hour.

That’s more than you’d get in one serving of Claudine’s Clean Cherry Cobbler or Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream!

Because it’s all about what we do with our calories, amiright?!

8. Wax On, Wax Off

Remember Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid? Apparently, he knew what he was doing when he had young Daniel washing his car – strength training!

Washing your car (yes, by hand), uses 209 calories per hour so why not enjoy the great outdoors AND offset that sushi lunch at the same time?!

9. Rise Up

Sorry, my daughter has been listening to the music from Hamilton non-stop, LOL! (If you know the music, you’ll know that’s 2 references in one 😉).

But back to business…if you sit at a desk all day (🙋), you know it’s a sedentary life. There are 3 things you could do to make that computer-time work FOR you, rather than against you:

Sit on a yoga ball (burns 112 to 165 calories per hour, depending on your size!)
Stand at your desk while on zoom or get a standing desk for a 179 calorie/hour burn
Put some exercise bands around your calves or thighs and tone up! You can get the benefit of about 100 calories for every 30 minutes PLUS the day-long benefit of muscle training!

10. Dance Party to Burn Calories!!

I have a LOT of friends who love to dance. If grooving to the beat is your jam, turn up the tunes and give yourself a dance party of 1.

You’ll not only release those happy-feeling endorphins, you’ll use 139 calories in just 20 minutes of bumping-and-grinding.

If you have kids, this is a fun activity for them, too!

So, now you have TEN easy ways to burn calories (without even trying!) to help get you back on track.

But here are some BONUS tips to make those even more impactful:

Get Your Z’s: Studies have shown that skimping on sleep helps you GAIN weight! Because not only does it make you more prone to reach for unhealthy snacks, it stresses your body. And a stressed body holds on to weight, rather than release it
Drink Water! You know it – just do it! Be sure to drink half your body weight in ounces each day. So, if you weigh 150 pounds, that’s around 75 oz of water (9 cups) of H20 per day
Cycle-Sync: For women, choosing the right workout at each stage of your cycle (including allowing your body some time off when you’re exhausted) actually HELPS you with your weight loss goals! A stressed and overly tired body HOLDS ONTO WEIGHT, despite your best efforts.

I hope this was helpful! Leave your comments below to share how YOU get your extra calorie burn in each day, without having to spend hours at the gym.