Losing weight and feeling confident aren’t reserved for fitness buffs who spend hours at the gym every day. Instead, incorporating a few health-conscious daily habits could be all you need to help your body stave off fat-buildup and weight-gain.
At Tampa Rejuvenation, we aim to bring real results to patients around Tampa Bay looking to improve their health. Continue reading to hear some of our daily tips for burning calories that you can conveniently implement into your life.
1. Take the Stairs – This is an old, golden rule for good health to follow. From hotels and apartments to shopping malls, we’re given plenty of opportunity to choose stairs over the simple elevator or escalator. Taking the stairs is a sure way to shed calories fast and easily.
2. Break with a Walk – Sitting at a computer desk isn’t only bad for your posture–it’s also a detriment to your metabolism. Break those long spells of physical inactivity with a stroll away from your work desk to freshen the mind and burn a few calories.
3. Try Coffee or Tea in the Mornings – Excluding sweeteners and heavy creamers, coffee or tea in the morning are low-calorie (nearly no-calorie) options that may satisfy appetite craving. With the boost of energy they provide, you’re more likely to be up and active, burning more calories than you would if moving slow and sluggishly.
4. Cook at Home – Instead of eating dinner out, opt-in to stay home and cook your meal yourself. The time it takes to prep food and cook is full of movement, though it doesn’t necessarily feel like exercise. Cooking at home allows you to burn extra calories while skipping the fryers and other unhealthy cooking methods used in restaurants.
5. Stand Up When Reading – We sit down enough in the day–in our office chairs, anytime we’re in a car, lounging on a couch, etc. When reading a book or magazine, try standing instead of sitting, since the body burns more calories as it uses muscles to hold itself upright and balanced.
6. Body weights – When going on an afternoon walk or moving back and forth across your house (say, when you’re cleaning or doing a load of laundry), try on body weights to maximize the activity. Ankle weights or arm weights will require you to exert more energy without noticing it, increasing burns.
7. Stroll the Mall – Shopping relieves stress for many Americans, and a casual stroll to browse (even if you don’t buy anything) is a cardio workout. Walking the length of the mall is like walking the distance around a field track, except here there’s a lot more to look at.
8. Use a Basket Instead of a Cart – At the grocery store or supermarket, go for the baskets if you think it can fit all your items. Instead of a cart that’s used to lean on for support while browsing, a basket will require a little extra energy and can act like resistance training on a very practical scale.
9. Walk with Purpose – Even those little trips in and out of a building (whether it’s work, home, or somewhere else) can be a quick exercise. Make the most of those trips by walking at a brisk pace, ultimately burning a few extra calories with minimal effort.
10. Drink Water Throughout the Day – Water is the body’s ultimate nourishment, seeing as over half of our body’s composition is water. You should replenish the body with healthy fluids as you lose them throughout the day. Drinking cold water during the day has the chance to increase your metabolism and aid in extra calorie loss.
11. Practice Yoga – Yoga is an easy and relaxing way to burn calories while strengthening core muscles. If going with friends, yoga can act as a workout and social outing while tripling as peaceful meditation. A simple yoga routine in the mornings or evenings can enhance your body’s metabolism in big ways.
12. Park Further Away – While there’s a great spot in the front row, if you choose to park in the back of the lot, you can increase your calorie burns on a quick trip across the parking lot to your destination.
13. Get Off a Stop Early – When taking public transit (such as a bus or subway system) to get where you’re going, you can clock extra calories burned by getting off a stop or two early. While it may only increase your commute by five minutes, the energy spent in that walk will help shave off some of your breakfast calories.
14. Dance When You Feel Like It – You hear people saying never to be afraid to dance. Well, if you’re someone who gives a little shake when a good song comes on, then the saying is especially relevant. Don’t be afraid to dance when you feel like it, especially considering it has a hand in calorie-loss.
15. Get a Good Night’s Sleep – The body still burns calories while we sleep, just not as much as when we’re walking or performing complex activity. Getting enough sleep at night also affects hormone production, which plays a role in the health of the immune system.
Losing weight and feeling great isn’t always a laborious battle. Adding a few of these tips into your daily routine, however, will dramatically change how many calories you burn in a day, without feeling like a massive chore.
For more insightful tips from the health specialists at Tampa Rejuvenation, check out our blog!