It’s true. You don’t actually have to go to the gym and exercise tirelessly to burn more calories. The calories you burn throughout the day include those you burn through exercise and those you burn through non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).
When attempting to increase the number of calories you burn throughout the day, you’ll have to consider your exercise and non-exercise activity and how you can maximize both to increase your total energy expenditure.
With these 10 simple daily habits you can burn some added calories without having to exhaust yourself in the gym day in and day out!
#1 PARK FARTHER AWAY
While we all love to get the closest parking spot, if you’re looking to burn more calories try parking farther away. The further away you park the further you’ll have to walk which can increase the number of calories you’ll burn.
If it’s nice out, enjoy a longer, leisurely stroll to and from your car, and if it’s cold try for a brisker walk. Either way, you’ll be burning some extra calories.
(And if you still need some encouragement, don’t worry. There’s an added bonus. The further away you park, the less chance there is of someone bumping into your car when you’re in a busy or tight parking lot.)
#2 STAND TO DO WORK INSTEAD OF SIT
A simple way to burn more calories throughout the day is by standing to complete work instead of sitting. Stay on your feet and prop your laptop up on a counter or standing desk.
To maintain a standing posture, your body recruits more muscles. Your muscles work harder to keep you standing versus when relaxed or slouched in a chair, ultimately burning more calories with one simple change.
#3 CONSUME MORE PROTEIN AND FIBER
Protein and fibrously rich foods require the most energy for our body to digest. Compared to fats and carbs, protein and fibrous foods are more difficult to digest which can help to burn more calories if you include it regularly in your meals throughout the day.
In addition, eating more protein can help fill you up since it is slow to digest, making you less likely to reach for the sugary snacks that can add more calories to your diet.
#4 MOVE DURING COMMERCIAL BREAKS
It’s surprising how many people don’t take advantage of this simple trick. Often when we watch a show or a movie we’ll sit and relax when the commercials come on.
But, if you want to burn more calories, try moving your body during those boring commercial breaks. You could do a couple ab exercises, try planing, or complete a set of push-ups. You’ll only have to move for a couple minutes but those couple minutes can easily increase the number of calories you burn.
#5 DRINK YOUR COFFEE
Coffee contains caffeine which is a stimulant. It activates the central nervous system and can give you more energy. You can use this energy to move your body more. It may give you more energy to exercise or workout, and that motivation to move can increase your energy expenditure.
Even fidgeting more as a result of consuming caffeine can help you burn more calories throughout the day by increasing your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). NEAT is a fancy way of saying the calories you burn during non-exercise activities. The more energy you have throughout the day, the more your NEAT can potentially increase.
#6 TAKE THE STAIRS
Instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs. It’ll take a bit more work in the morning but it’ll get your heart rate up which will burn some extra calories.
The stairs are a great way to get your blood flowing and get you moving which will help you burn more calories throughout the day depending on how many flights you have to go up and down.
#7 GET MORE SLEEP
Sleep is crucial for rest and recovery. It’s when your muscles repair themselves. If you’re doing intense workouts, getting enough sleep is important to keep you from feeling run down.
Getting quality sleep can also help curb cravings which can quickly add on extra calories. In addition, the more tired you are, the less motivation you’ll likely have to work out.
In addition, the more tired you are, the more your body attempts to conserve energy. As a result, you may be less likely to fidget or move your body throughout the day. This decreases your NEAT or non-exercise activity thermogenesis. So if you want to burn more calories, don’t skip the extra hours of sleep.
#8 FIX YOUR POSTURE
Adjusting your posture is an easy way to burn more calories. By standing or sitting up straight your body will recruit more muscles to maintain proper posture.
The more you correct your posture by engaging your neck and back muscles, the more calories you’ll burn compared to if you continue to slouch and relax your muscles throughout the day.
#9 DRINK MORE WATER
It’s simple. Drink more water and stay properly hydrated. Water aids digestion and digestion burns calories. Drinking water can help you eliminate waste, increase your metabolic rate. It may even suppress your appetite by making you feel more full.
#10 DO LESS INTENSE WORKOUTS MORE OFTEN
Intense workouts day in and day out can really fatigue your muscles. Each time you perform a vigorous exercise that stretch the muscle fibers, small tears occur. These tears repair through rest and recovery, growing your muscles bigger and stronger. But the more muscle breakdown that occurs, the more muscle soreness you may have, which could make you less motivated to workout and move your body.
Also, the more fatigued your muscles are, the more your body will crave rest. This may make you less likely to fidget and move throughout the day as your body attempts to conserve calories to aid muscle recovery. If your muscles don’t have adequate time to recover, the inflammation in your muscles from the tears in your muscle fibers can cause you to move less as we mentioned, subconsciously decreasing your NEAT.
In order to avoid this and burn more calories throughout the day, you could try doing less intense workouts more often rather than constantly breaking down your muscles with overly vigorous exercise day in and day out.
These less intense workouts done more often will ensure you get the same amount of exercise in without having to deal with the consequences of over fatigue and severe muscle breakdown through constant strenuous exercise.
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