Exercising can be hard to fit into a tight schedule, and with so many other demands taking up our free time, many of us feel like we need a way to burn some extra calories. We went looking for ways to burn calories without exercising. And found some great results. Get the details below on how you can burn calories without exercising, too.
People who enjoy a good, hot soak have one more reason to indulge. Turns out that we can burn an average of 140 calories an hour by soaking in a hot bath, reports ScienceAlert. This practice may be especially helpful for people who are at risk for metabolic diseases like diabetes but aren’t able to exercise regularly.
Not exactly a calorie burn but just as important was learning this: Exposure to the cold may also help people lose weight, but in a different way. One study showed that men who slept in rooms set to 66 degrees Fahrenheit had 42% more brown fat after one month than when they slept in a room at 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is important because brown fat, which is not at all like the white fat that makes people obese, burns calories. A small change to the temperature in the bedroom could increase metabolic activity by as much as 10%. The higher the ratio of brown to white fat, the more calories you’ll burn overall, even while you’re idle.
Sexual activity offers about the same calorie-burning activity as taking a brisk walk. Researchers argue that this might not add up to a whole lot in the short time most people spend rolling around in the sack, but it’s still better than not moving at all.
Fun comes in many forms, and another great one for burning calories is dancing. According to Active.com, people can burn an average of 200 to 400 calories per hour when they dance. Can’t bring yourself to spend an hour or two at the gym? Why not go out for a night on the town instead?
Running around and playing with the kids will burn about 230 to 300 calories an hour in an average-sized person. Go outside and play a rigorous game of tag. Run around and be silly. You’ll burn calories — and better yet, you’ll be having fun and bonding with the munchkins.
Doing housework will average most people about 200 calories burned per hour. The type of housework will affect that number, of course, with more rigorous cleaning burning far more than a less active choice like dusting or straightening up. Increase the effectiveness of that cleaning regimen by engaging core muscles and integrating yoga poses while cleaning.
People who engage in more movement during idle time tend to be thinner than people who don’t. It’s possible to burn calories through non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), or moving around in ways that aren’t technically exercise, like fidgeting. Stand or pace a little while chatting on the phone, bounce a leg while sitting or get up and stretch every hour or so while at work. Every little bit adds up.
The great news is, we can burn calories without a gym membership or an extensive exercise regimen as long as we’re willing to get creative. Work out — outside the box.