12 Fat-Burning Activities That Don’t Seem Like Exercise
It’s time to trade your workout pants for a skirt or shorts. Skip the treadmill, too. You can get lean without exercise—no joke! So forget what you know about working out and start using these simple everyday activities to burn fat.
1. TAKE THE STAIRS Whenever possible, use the stairs instead of the elevator. It might take a little longer, but you’ll burn more calories and strengthen your legs at the same time.
2. CLEAN UP Do housework on Saturday so you don’t have to clean as often during the week. You can burn about 360 extra calories by scrubbing bathrooms, vacuuming and dusting for an hour.
3. TAKE A WALK Instead of watching TV, go for a walk with your partner or a friend after dinner. Not only will you burn calories and get stronger legs, you’ll also have fun!
4. SURF THE WEB Take your laptop to Starbucks and log on to their free Wi-Fi. Once you’re connected, surf the web while sipping a glass of tea or coffee. You can burn about 70 extra calories every half-hour.
5. PLAY WITH YOUR KIDS Take your kids to the park for some good old-fashioned fun! Playing will help them get stronger, which means they’ll burn more calories, and you’ll dodge childhood obesity.
6. CHARGE UP Find a local farmers market where you can get fresh food while taking in some outdoor air and sunlight. With about one cup of strawberries or one tomato weighing in at only 50 or 70 calories (respectively), this is a fat-fighting win-win!
7. GET AHEAD Do some laundry, go over your receipts or clean out your purse to make room for the fun stuff in life—like shopping with friends! You can burn 135 calories by sorting items for half an hour.
8. TAKE OUT THE TRASH Politely decline when someone offers you a donut or a cookie. When you have to throw something away, go outside with the trash instead of leaving it for someone else to take out. You’ll burn about 60 extra calories every time you do this.
9. COOK DINNER Try some new recipes with your family; switch things up and make dishes that are different from your normal routine. Not only will your food taste better, you’ll be burning extra calories while preparing it!
10. TAKE A WALK If you have some time to spare before or after work, go for a walk around the block or in the park instead of watching TV at home. You’ll burn about 50 calories every half-hour.
11. TUNE IN TO TUBE Try a new show on Netflix or Amazon Prime that you’ve been meaning to watch, rather than tuning in to the tube at night. This will leave you time for something more productive, like working out!
12. GET IT SEWN Instead of buying a new shirt, go to a tailor and have it hemmed instead. Not only will this save you money, it’ll also keep you from buying another item that requires upkeep!