It's no secret that good old fashioned exercise will help you burn calories and lose weight. But did you know that there are plenty of sweat-free ways to get similar results? Here, 10 sneaky calorie-burners that won't leave you reaching for your deodorant:
1. Stand up. This may be the biggest secret of them all—anything you do standing up burns more calories than anything you do sitting down. That goes for reading, eating, talking and even watching TV. Standing requires your legs, back and core muscles to contract work together and coordinate your balance.
2. Switch chairs. Roll your office chair out and an exercise ball in. Sitting on an appropriately sized exercise ball (hips higher than your knees) utilizes core, back and leg muscles to maintain balance. You'll tighten muscles, tone your abs and quietly burn calories while working at your desk.
3. Take your vitamins. People who get enough Vitamin D, calcium and other vital nutrients have more efficient metabolisms and burn more calories than people who are undernourished.
4. Do the work. Wash your dishes, clothes or car by hand instead of using appliances or the carwash. Scrub a little harder, reach a little farther and before you know it, everything is sparkling clean and you've burned calories.
5. Spice up your diet. Some studies say that highly spiced foods rev up the metabolism and make your body burn more calories.
6. Turn off the stove. Other studies say raw foods make you chew your food more and require more physical energy to break down and metabolize. Raw fruits and veggies are also high in fiber and complex carbohydrates and take up more room in your stomach so you feel full longer.
7. Fidget and wiggle. Tap your feet and fingers, twirl your pen or hair, wiggle in your seat and do all those other things your mother told you not to. Cross and uncross your arms and legs, The calories it takes to do little movements throughout the day accumulate into hundreds burned, just by being fidgety.
8. Laugh out loud. You can burn 10 to 50 calories with 15 minutes of belly laughs.
9. Have a good cry. It's not as much fun as laughing but a real gut-wrenching crying jag may burn as many calories as a big laugh. Don't hold back, now, you won't burn as many shedding silent tears as you will with a gulping, gasping, body racking sob.
10. Just breathe. Deep breathing, yoga-style (Pranayama), requires you tighten your rib, chest and back muscles while taking long, slow breaths. Not only do you burn more calories, you'll reduce stress and stress hormone levels, associated with weight gain.
