Simple Daily Movements That Torch More Calories Than Intense Workouts

However, according to experts, you don’t have to go to the gym to torch calories. You can adopt various daily activities both at your house and workplace that might end up burning more energy than an ordinary exercise session.

Non-exercise activity thermogenesis, referred to as NEAT, is defined as a condition wherein the body expends greater amounts of energy And consumes more calories throughout the day performing various activities than during exercise sessions.

In addition to helping control your weight, NEAT can also boost circulation, heart health, elevate your mood, and regulate blood sugar levels — thereby reducing the risk of various conditions. diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Michael Dakkak, a specialist in sports medicine, clarifies: "NEAT refers to the activities we engage in outside of formal exercise routines, which nonetheless consume our bodily energy to boost performance, expend calories, and assist in maintaining efficient body functions."

Here are six simple daily activities that can help you burn calories without much effort:

Standing at work

Substantial studies indicate that when you stand rather than sit at your workplace, your body consumes additional oxygen, thereby burning more calories.

Research assessing oxygen intake discovered that standing consumes roughly 0.15 additional calories per minute compared to sitting for the majority of individuals.

Although the discrepancy might be tiny initially, it can build up over extensive working days and result in significant variations.

A person working at an office and standing for about three hours during an eight-hour shift can burn roughly 15 to 30 calories each hour.

This totals almost 1,800 calories over a month period, which is akin to jogging for 18 miles.

Modifying your stance and adjusting your movements

Frequently altering your stance and movement rather than staying static for extended periods can notably impact your caloric expenditure throughout your fitness journey.

Research employing advanced tracking devices indicates that individuals who often alter their stance or adjust their position during the day use additional energy, thereby burning more calories.

Although fidgeting has typically been seen as distracting, it can assist you in burning off additional calories compared to when you remain stationary.

Simple movements like tilting from one side to another in your seat, drumming your feet, wriggling your toes, spinning your hair, and performing shoulder circles can help maintain bodily activity and boost calorie burn throughout the day.

A 2005 study Simply tapping your foot, jiggling your leg, and displaying various signs of fidgeting could assist you in burning up to 350 calories daily—potentially leading to a weight reduction of 30 to 40 pounds over the course of a year.

Everyday walking

You might not be aware of it, but wandering through the grocery store aisles or strolling several blocks to reach your bus stop can burn calories.

Even pacing around your home while you talk on the phone can burn calories.

The study revealed that walking for just two minutes every half hour notably enhanced post-meal blood glucose management when contrasted with prolonged sitting and standing alike.

A woman weighing 150 pounds who takes a casual walk for 60 minutes each day could expend roughly 210 calories.

Conversely, a male weighing approximately 200 lbs who engages in walking for one hour has the potential to expend around 246 calories.

Household chores

Tasks like preparing homemade meals, doing some tidying up, and washing dishes by hand can significantly boost energy consumption.

Research indicates that vacuuming for half an hour can burn approximately 99 calories if you weigh around 120 lbs, about 124 calories if you're around 150 lbs, and roughly 166 calories if your weight is near 200 lbs.

Preparing beds, tending to gardens, cleaning windows, disposing of garbage, and scouring surfaces all help burn calories and engage muscle groups.

While scrubbing the bathtub with some extra effort, flipping the mattress to tidy up the bed, carrying bulky garbage bags from the kitchen to the street, and going upstairs multiple times within your home, you’re getting exercise without realizing it.

For someone weighing 120 lbs, spending an hour doing various cleaning tasks at home will burn approximately 171 calories, whereas mowing the lawn can expend about 314 calories in that same timeframe.

Gardening is an excellent housework activity for burning calories unnoticed.

Participating in activities such as digging, weeding, raking, and planting—activities that qualify as moderate exercises—can help maintain bodily movement and keep your metabolism active for burning calories.

The CDC states that spending 30 to 45 minutes working in your garden can help you burn as many as 300 calories.

Despite staying indoors all day, going up and down the stairs and shifting items around can torch approximately 240 calories daily.

Taking the stairs

Choosing to use the stairs instead of elevators in places like your workplace, a clinic, shopping centers, or transit stations can assist you in shedding roughly one pound over a few months' time.

Studies examining step counts among various populations have revealed that individuals who average at least 7,500 steps per day tend to achieve notably superior weight management compared to less active counterparts.

An individual weighing approximately 160 pounds can expend around five calories per minute when climbing stairs at a slow pace, and roughly four calories each minute when descending those stairs gradually.

An individual can expend 19 calories each minute by jogging up a staircase.

Interacting with children or animals

Many of the games played by children, particularly those involving younger ones, consist of quick and impromptu actions like sprinting about, leaping, crouching, and pursuing each other.

And all of these things can significantly raise your heart rate and burn calories.

Likewise, engaging in basic activities with your pets like tossing a ball or going for a leisurely stroll can contribute to shedding pounds.

According to a 2023 study conducted by Lloyds Pharmacy, an average man can expend roughly 250 calories in one hour engaging in activities with kids or pets, whereas for women, this number stands at approximately 211 calories, varying based on how vigorous the interaction is.