Fitness

We Are Obsessed With these No-Sweat Ways To Burn Calories

20. Reading a Book Do your friends love to get outdoors or be in the gym while you prefer to read your book? Reading a book… Trista - July 15, 2022

20. Reading a Book

Do your friends love to get outdoors or be in the gym while you prefer to read your book? Reading a book is definitely a form of mental exercise, but what does it do for our bodies, and does it help us burn calories? You’ll burn about 95 calories in one hour when reading a book. However, it might not be enough to help you lose weight if that’s your goal. Dieticians and researchers agree that you burn calories when you read, though! You actually burn calories just to be alive, breathing, and existing burns calories for you.

So, you can sit down and read your new top book pick for about an hour and a half. As a result, you’ll burn somewhere around the 150-calorie mark. Nevertheless, what if you want to take this up a notch and incorporate physical exercise into your reading time? Take your book for a walk, and burn even more calories! Instead of listening to a podcast on the treadmill, take your book with you and enjoy. The minutes will pass by so quickly because you’ll focus on your book’s world instead of the intense incline of your walk.

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19. Eating Spicy Food

If you like your food more on the spicy side, you’ll be delighted to read about the weight loss benefits of this flavorsome food. Spicy food actually helps to boost your metabolism. It does this by increasing your heart rate and producing heat in the body. All of this combined allows you to burn more calories. Metabolism is essential in the process of burning calories. The faster your metabolism, the more calories you burn. Let’s go further in-depth into the benefits of spice. The spicy chemical compound capsaicin is in certain chili peppers, including cayenne, habanero, and jalapeno.

A study was conducted in 2021 and found that capsaicin helped the body burn an extra 50 calories each day. The researchers concluded that this could result in significant weight loss over a couple of years if you were on a weight management program. Not only that, but capsaicin also acts as an appetite suppressant. In turn, it helps you to consume fewer calories overall and also aids in weight loss efforts. So, next time you order Indian or Mexican cuisine, see how spicy you can handle it if you’re trying to shed those extra pounds.

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18. Maintaining Good Posture

It’s time to check your posture because maintaining a good posture while working is a way to burn calories without a sweat. When you sit properly with good posture, you are working the muscles in your upper body as well as your shoulders and back. This small change in the way you sit can have fantastic health benefits because it will strengthen your core and burn additional calories with your effort to keep your body in this upright position. Holding this posture when standing is also beneficial as it engages similar muscles.

When you maintain this posture, your body requires a certain degree of muscle tone and the isometric contraction of the all-important stabilization muscles. When you increase your effort to engage these muscles and keep this good posture, you use more energy and burn more calories. Perfect posture is about tightening your abs and pulling your neck and shoulders into a more relaxed position. Think about it as though you had a string attached to the top of your head, and you’re being pulled up. You could also introduce an exercise ball to your desk and really see some good results.

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17. Talking a Lot

Hey chatterbox, you are burning many calories with all that tongue-wagging you’re doing. If you have a higher weight, you’re actually burning a lot more calories because of the greater body mass. You can burn about 53 calories per hour of easy conversation, so this is great news for people who talk for a living: actors, politicians, teachers, and professional speakers. You should all be in great shape with the daily talking you do! It’s excellent when daily activities and standard parts of life help us to stay in good condition.

If you’re a young chatterbox, you’re really winning in this category because younger people have a much faster metabolism. Age has a natural effect on caloric burn when talking, and younger people will burn a lot more calories than older people when they are talking. A young man of about 18 years old will burn 57 calories per hour of talking, while a much older gentleman of about 80 years old will burn 43 calories for the same conversation length. At least older people have great stories to share, so they have a lot more reason to chat for a long time to share their knowledge and wisdom with the younglings.

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16. Shopping

If you’re a shop-a-holic, this might not be good for your bank account, but it is suitable for a no-sweat way to burn away those extra calories. Shopping is a great way to burn calories and have a good time while doing it. Shopping in a mall (not online) involves a lot of walking, which means that you will be getting in a decent amount of steps. If you have a smartwatch, you should track how many steps you do and think about things like taking the stairs instead of the escalator. There are other ways to burn calories while shopping, including while you’re in line!

We know that waiting in line is the absolute worst, but you can get in a quick ab workout while you wait. Work on building a stable core by pulling your belly button towards your back and holding this for a count of 10, then release and repeat. Thanks to your heavy shopping bags, you can also work on your biceps. While you’re walking around, throw in a bicep curl here and there with your shopping. You can also do shoulder shrugs with your bags, with your arms fully extended downwards and simply lifting your shoulders repeatedly.

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15. Wearing High Heels

Have you ever noticed that you’re feeling muscles you’ve never felt before when walking around in heels? When we wear heels, we actually use different muscles. In turn, we are burning more calories than when we wear sneakers. Unless you’re out on the run, of course, but then you’d be breaking a sweat! Don’t go finding your highest pair of heels now to live your life in; you need to find a good balance of comfortable heels and ones that have a decent elevation to help you burn those unwanted calories as you go about your day.

It turns out that women who wear heels will burn 10% more calories than women wearing flats. You can burn about five calories per minute from wearing your heels. You’ll probably notice that you’ll have more toned calves and maybe even your derriere with frequent heel wearing! It’s great when we discover things to help us burn calories without really having to put too much time or effort into it. It also gives you a reason to dress up whenever you’d like and not just to a fancy dinner.

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14. Hugging

We know all the general benefits of hugging, such as releasing happy hormones and, of course, creating a connection with the other person involved in your hug. However, you may not know that hugging people and your loved ones will help you to burn calories without sweating. Unless you go in for a full-on run and jump hug or a bear hug, that is. That could cause you to break a bit of a sweat, but it would definitely be worth it. When you hug someone, you actually burn a ridiculous 12 calories!

This means you should be dishing out hugs left, right, and center, and you’ll soon be at your calorie goal for the day. This is a simple action that requires minimal effort from our bodies but helps to increase our heart rate and releases happy hormones. This combination helps burn those extra calories, and you’ll get enjoyment from the hug. You may have seen people online offering free hugs; maybe they’re not so crazy. Why? Because they’re probably in excellent shape after all the free hugs they’ve given out to strangers and their loved ones.

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13. Sleeping — Yes!

We all know how important sleep is to our overall health but have you ever stopped to think if you burn calories while sleeping? Research shows that we do! The brain uses about 20% of your body’s calorie intake each day, and it continues to use this even when you’re asleep in dreamland. Rest is vital to help you burn calories, and interestingly, oversleeping isn’t doing your metabolism any favors. In fact, it’s slowing it down! Sleep is undoubtedly the perfect way to burn calories without even sweating. That is unless you have a terrifying nightmare!

Further proving the point that we burn calories when we sleep is that too little sleep has been linked not only to poor health but obesity as well. When we aren’t getting proper sleep, we harm our metabolism. While too little sleep isn’t good, neither is too much sleep. There is also a correlation between that and increased appetite when you oversleep, which won’t be doing your calorie intake any favors. So, make sure you’re getting the right amount of sleep, and you’ll be setting yourself up well.

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12. Kissing

Kissing is undoubtedly an activity that gets our heart rate up, releasing hormones and burning calories. This sounds like a fun way to burn calories and a great way to show affection to the one we love. Is there a difference between the number of calories some casual kissing and a steamy make-out session will burn? Let’s break it down for you. Casual kissing on a couch can burn around two calories each minute. When things get a little more passionate, you can burn more calories. Kissing is considered to be in a similar range to other low-impact exercises.

Casual kisses aren’t just good for your relationship, and they’re clearly great for your weight too! However, if you want to turn things up a notch and engage in some very passionate kissing, you can burn up to 150 per make-out session. Keep things interesting in your relationships, and keep yourself feeling your best with some extra kisses and make-out sessions with your partner. This is one of the best ways to burn extra calories without sweating. That is, at least without sweating too much! Calorie burning doesn’t always have to be a chore. It can actually be a lot of fun.

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11. Sipping Green Tea

Sipping tea sounds like a great way to burn calories. However, is it possible? Well, it is with a specific type of tea: green tea! Green tea is frequently listed as an ingredient for weight loss and fat-burning supplements. Why is this? It has been linked to increased fat burning, especially when mixed with exercise. A study shows a man who had green tea extract before exercise burned 17% more fat than those who didn’t. So, maybe you should drink a cup of tea before doing any other activities on this list to burn those calories.

The great thing is that your body is constantly burning calories, so if you drink a cup of green tea, even when you’re at rest, you’ll be more likely to be burning calories without having to lift a finger. We never give our bodies credit for all their work without us even knowing what is going on. It’s constantly using energy to keep us going, and if a cup of green tea can help things along, then why not? Start by replacing your morning coffee with a cup of green tea for a few weeks and see if you notice a difference.

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10. Drinking Cold Water

Thank goodness it’s summer because we could all do with a glass of cold water! When drinking cold water, our body has to work (and burn calories) to bring that cold water to body temperature. There’s even a fancy name for this process: thermogenesis. Drinking more cold water each day can help you shed a few extra calories and probably cool you down from any sweat you may be experiencing. You could burn 50 calories per 1.5 liters of water, and you should be drinking this plus more anyway!

It’s thought that a third of the calories burned from drinking cold water is due to thermogenesis. If you want to use a water bottle, you’re looking at about 5 to 6 calories. How? It is due to the process of bringing the water to body temperature. You also burn calories with the energy used up by the body, working to balance salt, fluid, and sucrose levels once you’ve ingested the water. Whichever way you look at it, drinking water is vital for you to be healthy and if it helps you stay in better shape, get that water bottle filled right away.

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9. Fidgeting

Do you have a desk job where you fidget a lot? Well, fidgeting can help you burn tons of calories, so keep on moving! There have been various studies on the benefits of extra little movements, better known as fidgeting, and the habit has become associated with leaner people than others. People who are more overweight do not move as much, including small movements like fidgeting, as those with a slimmer body shape. You’ll be impressed that fidgeting can help you burn an extra 300-350 calories per day.

Of course, this all depends on how frequently and how intensely you fidget throughout the day. Nevertheless, it’s a good thing to keep in the back of your mind. That goes double if you can’t make it to your actual sweat-inducing and calorie-burning workout that day. Through fidgeting, you’ll burn an immense amount of calories without having to do much and, better yet, not break a sweat. Let’s add the number of calories you would burn each year from fidgeting with this amount per day. You would burn 109,500 calories per year just from these small movements. If you aren’t a fidgeter, now may be the time to make this a new habit of yours!

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8. Eating Breakfast

We’ve heard it our whole lives. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Moreover, it could be the most important way to help you burn extra calories! Did you skip breakfast this morning? Did you rush out the door without taking something to eat when you get to work? New research shows that this wasn’t just an old wives’ tale. Making time for breakfast in the morning could be what your metabolism needs. Breakfast gives your metabolism a significant boost. When you eat a hearty breakfast that nourishes your body and gets it going for the day ahead, that goes double.

The good news is that you don’t have to eat your breakfast first thing. Some people aren’t hungry at that time or are way too busy to sit down for a delicious breakfast every morning. You should make time to eat some good food at some point in the first portion of the day, and it could even replace your 15-minute coffee break. Instead of living on a caffeine diet, pack a breakfast for yourself the night before work so that you don’t have any excuses. This will give your metabolism the best chance at burning calories throughout the day. Plus, you’ll get a delicious meal out of it too.

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7. Singing

Do you love to sing in the shower? Or what about singing along while you’re cooking dinner and playing some music? This is one of the most fun ways to burn calories without sweating — unless you’re a pop star performing on stage. A study reveals the benefits of singing, and it even extends beyond burning calories. It’s good for the health of your heart. So, they’re not joking when they say, “sing your heart out.”

Singing actually exerts a fair bit of energy as you’re using a few of the muscles in your body. When you sing, you need to engage your abdominal muscles to support your voice. If you like to sing opera, you’ll be burning the most calories as this type of singing requires a lot of breath work and a lot of stamina to keep up with the singing. You can burn about 135 calories per hour of singing. This is great for road trips and nights out when you will be singing a lot without your neighbors wanting to call the cops on you for disturbing the peace.

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6. Donating Blood

Donating blood is very important to do, especially when many hospitals face blood shortages, which helps save lives every day. Nevertheless, you will be rewarded when donating blood. Furthermore, it is not just with the juice and cookie you’ll get afterward. When you donate blood, you can burn a significant amount of calories! So, not only are you helping between three to four people with each blood donation, but you’re also looking after your body.

When you donate between 350ml-450ml, you burn about 650 calories. It might also factor in a few extra calories if you are anxious and scared of needles. That will certainly get your adrenaline pumping and increase your heart rate. Burning calories won’t always be fun. However, there are creative ways to do this, which helps other people too. We think that this way of burning calories is the best win-win we’ve seen on this list! When was the last time you donated blood?

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5. Laughing

Pretty much everything we do in life burns calories. When we laugh, our heart rate rises, which can actually rise by about 10-20 percent. When your heart rate rises, so does your metabolism! When your metabolism is performing well like this, you’ll burn calories not only when you’re laughing but also after the joke. Your body will just work all by itself to burn more and more calories. Laughter is not just good for the soul, but good for the body too!

Laughter also is an excellent workout for your abdominal muscles, and you won’t even realize you’re “working out” because you’ll be enjoying yourself too much. Laughter isn’t a magic pill to lose a lot of weight, but it certainly will help you keep fit and happy. Aren’t those great things in life? Include laughter as part of your day and supplement this with some additional actual workouts to really see the benefits.

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4. Drinking Coffee

We discovered that green tea has incredible health benefits and is excellent for helping people burn those extra calories, but what about coffee? Coffee is everyone’s go-to drink throughout the day but are we benefiting from this drink? The good news is that you are! It has excellent benefits like green tea does in helping you shed those unwanted calories. These fat-burning qualities can help you in the long run.

With one cup of coffee, you can boost your body’s calorie-burning by four percent over about two hours. Don’t get too excited because the best way to burn calories with coffee is to drink it black. This means saying goodbye to your sugars and creamers. Why? Because those are actually going to add calories, and then you’re just defeating the purpose of the coffee you’re drinking all day. Start slowly and cut back on your creamers and sugars. Soon, you’ll be drinking straight coffee and reaping the rewards in your body.

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3. Chewing Gum

Did you know that people have been chewing “gum” for thousands of years? It might not have been as delicious as the gum we know today. Nevertheless, it’s been around for a long time. With the introduction of sugarless gum to the shelves of stores, gum-chewers have been burning calories without needing to sacrifice their dental health. Researchers did studies on the number of calories you burn per hour when chewing gum, and the results weren’t too bad!

When you chew gum, you are about to burn around 11 calories per hour. This is an impressive 19% more than a person who sits in a chair without chewing gum for the same amount of time. This simple action hardly exerts any effort, and it’s a great mindless activity to do. Researchers concluded that when chewing non-caloric gum, you could lose more than 11 pounds of body fat a year completing this habit. Furthermore, that is without any changes to your diet or activity level. However, beware of the sweetened gum, as you’ll only burn about five calories with that.

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2. Feeling Cold

Something that has become increasingly popular over the years is cold water therapy. It ranges from plunges into the arctic to simple things like cold showers. So, can feeling cold help you burn calories since it has many other health benefits? When you shiver, you exert a lot of energy, which obviously helps burn calories. It isn’t the most recommended way to lose weight, but you certainly won’t sweat!

Depending on how low your body temperature goes when exposed to the cold, your energy expenditure can increase by 48 percent. That is a considerable amount. We aren’t saying go and do unsupervised polar plunges. However, it might not hurt to turn off your central heating every once in a while or enjoy a freezing shower. Let yourself feel the cold, and you might just see a few extra calories coming off your body in turn.

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1. Sitting on a Stability Ball

Do you have people sitting on stability balls in your office and making everyone else feel bad for their comfortable office chairs? Well, they might be onto something as this could be helping them burn calories without even trying too hard. This is actually a proven way to burn calories, especially while sitting. Try bouncing safely on the stability ball if you want to go the additional mile and burn a few extra, as this extra movement will definitely help.

When an ordinary man of about 185 lbs sits at a regular work desk in a standard workplace chair, they burn roughly 156 calories naturally. When you add a stability ball into the mix, you up this calorie burn by 6%. This means they’ll be burning up to 165 calories per hour, and when you add it all up, they will have burned an extra 75 calories throughout the work day. In a year, this adds up to 19,500 calories. The great thing about stability balls is that they also help strengthen your core muscles, which will help you burn calories and tone your stomach area.

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