You don’t have to workout at the gym to burn calories. Little movements add up and can also help you lose weight. This can be anything from pacing back and forth while talking on the phone to getting regular breaks from your desk to walk to the drinking fountain.
Don’t underestimate how non-exercise activities can contribute to weight loss. Non-exercise activities burn calories at a slower rate than intentional exercise, but they burn calories nonetheless. Used in combination with an exercise routine, non-exercise activities can help you lose weight.
Making small changes in your daily routine to move more will raise your metabolism. This will allow you to burn fat even when you are at rest. It is a win-win situation. The idea is to start thinking about how you can sneak in activities throughout your day. Walk the dog, get up to turn off the TV, use commercials as a reason to get up, walk to your mailbox, etc. Think about how life was different before all of the electronic devices we have now and all the easy ways out that we take. Then eliminate some of those shortcuts.
Non-exercise activities are things you can do to move more without breaking a sweat or raising your heart rate. Examples of non-exercise activities:
- Standing
- Pacing
- Chewing
- Flexing
- Stretching
- Taking extra steps
- Playing with your kids
You’ll be surprised by now many extra calories you can burn every day just by moving more and being active throughout the day. Don’t isolate movement to gym time. Instead, make non-exercise activities a part of your daily routine. Start small and continually build in more ways to be active more often.
