Given the restricted timeframe and the steep costs associated with gym memberships, it might feel daunting to fit in adequate physical activity.
However, according to experts, you don’t have to go to the gym to torch calories. You can adopt various daily activities both at your house and workplace that might end up burning more energy than an ordinary exercise session.
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis, referred to as NEAT, is characterized as a
The process whereby the body consumes greater amounts of energy.
And consumes more calories performing daily activities throughout the day compared to when exercising.
In addition to maintaining your weight, NEAT can also aid in improving circulation, heart health, boosting your mood, and stabilizing blood sugar levels — thus reducing the risk of various conditions.
diabetes
and cardiovascular diseases.
Dr. Michael Dakkak, a specialist in sports medicine, clarifies: “NEAT refers to activities outside of formal exercise that nonetheless utilize bodily energy. These actions enhance performance, aid calorie burning, and contribute to efficient overall body function.”
Here are six simple daily activities that can help you burn calories without much effort:
Standing at work
Substantial studies indicate that when you stand rather than sit at your workplace, your body consumes additional oxygen, consequently burning more calories.
Research assessing oxygen intake discovered that standing consumes roughly 0.15 additional calories per minute compared to sitting for the majority of individuals.
While the difference itself is miniscule, it can accumulate over long workdays and make a big difference.
A person working at an office and standing for about three hours during an eight-hour shift can burn roughly 15 to 30 calories each hour.
This can amount to nearly 1,800 calories over the span of a month – equivalent to running 18 miles.
Adjusting your posture and fidgeting
Frequently altering your stance and movement rather than remaining stationary for extended periods can significantly impact your caloric expenditure throughout your weight-loss journey.
Research utilizing advanced tracking devices indicates that individuals who regularly alter their stance or modify their body position over the course of the day use additional energy, thereby burning more calories.
Although fidgeting has typically been seen as distracting, it can help you expend more energy compared to remaining motionless.
Simple movements like tilting from one side to another in your seat, drumming your feet, wriggling your toes, spinning your hair, and performing shoulder circles can help maintain bodily activity and boost calorie burn throughout the day.
A 2005
study
Suggesting simple actions like just tapping your foot, jiggling your leg, and displaying various indications of unease could assist you in burning up to 350 calories daily — which may lead to losing between 30 to 40 pounds over the span of a year.
Everyday walking
You might be unaware of this, but wandering through supermarket aisles or strolling several blocks to reach your bus stop can actually burn calories.
Walking around your house as you chat on the telephone can also help you burn some calories.
The study revealed that walking for just two minutes every thirty minutes substantially enhanced blood sugar regulation after meals when compared to prolonged sitting and standing alike.
A woman who weighs 150lbs and walks – even leisurely – 60 minutes per day can burn about 210 calories.
Conversely, a male weighing 200 lbs who takes a one-hour walk can expend approximately 246 calories.
Household chores
Tasks like preparing home-cooked meals, tidying up, and washing dishes manually can significantly boost energy consumption.
Research indicates that vacuuming for half an hour can burn approximately 99 calories if you weigh 120 lbs, around 124 calories if you’re 150 lbs, and about 166 calories if your weight is 200 lbs.
Tidying up beds, tending to the garden, cleaning windows, disposing of garbage, and scouring surfaces all help burn calories and engage various muscle groups.
While scrubbing the bathtub with some additional effort, flipping the mattress to tidy up the bed, carrying bulky garbage bags from the kitchen to the street, and constantly going upstairs within your home, you’re getting exercise without realizing it.
For someone weighing 120 lbs, spending an hour doing various cleaning tasks at home will burn approximately 171 calories, whereas mowing the lawn can expend about 314 calories in that same timeframe.
Gardening is an excellent housework activity for burning calories unnoticed.
Participating in activities such as digging, weeding, raking, and planting—activities that qualify as moderate-intensity exercises—can help maintain bodily movement and keep your metabolism active for burning calories.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, getting out in the yard for just 30 to 45 minutes can burn up to 300 calories.
Even if you are spending the day inside the house, running up and down the stairs and moving things around can burn about 240 calories a day
Taking the stairs
Opting for the stairs over an elevator in your office building, a doctor’s office, the mall or subway station can help you lose about a pound over the span of several months.
A study examining step counts among various populations discovered that individuals who average at least 7,500 steps per day tend to have considerably healthier body weights compared to those who take fewer steps.
A person weighing 160 lbs can expend roughly five calories per minute when climbing stairs at a slow pace, and around four calories each minute when descending those stairs gradually.
An individual can expend 19 calories each minute by jogging up a staircase.
Interacting with children or animals
Many children engage in playful activities, particularly those involving young ones, which consist of rapid and impromptu actions like dashing about, leaping, squatting, and pursuing each other.
And all of these things can significantly raise your heart rate and burn calories.
Likewise, engaging in basic activities with your pets like tossing a ball or going for a leisurely stroll can contribute to shedding pounds.
According to a 2023 study conducted by Lloyds Pharmacy, an individual can burn approximately 250 calories per hour for men and around 211 calories for women when engaged in activities like playing with children or pets, with calorie expenditure varying based on the vigor of the play session.
