Does the thought of hitting the gym for an hour keep getting pushed to the next day on your to-do-list? Now I am a big believer in regular exercise because the benefits far outweigh the sacrifice. You can read about that in my next blog if you are needing some motivation.
But did you know that what you do the rest of the day makes as much or more difference in your metabolism and weight management than your gym time? For instance, a study from the University of Missouri found that active non-exercisers burned more calories than people who ran 35 miles a week but were otherwise sedentary. 🤯 That sounds crazy, and probably not what you want to hear if you are the person running 35 miles a week 😉. But you could do both and skyrocket that metabolism!
Here are the big three ways to burn calories:
1. Stand instead of sit at your desk!
A study by Barry Braun, Ph.D., an associate professor of Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, shows that standing instead of sitting can burn an extra 750 calories a day without triggering an appetite increase. Think about the extra calories you could have if you were on a 1200 calorie/day diet. That sounds like a game changer to me!
2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, and/or do 2-3 min of stair climbing every hour.
This has multiple benefits. Just 7 minutes stair climbing a day has been estimated to cut the risk of a heart attack over 10 years in half! Plus you will increase your productivity for the next hour, so you are not cheating on your company by taking the short break. Instead you are increasing their ROI (return on investment) for both the company and yourself!
3. Park far away and/or go for a walk in the evening.
That evening walk can make up for the sitting that was required during your day. Anytime you are active, you not only burn some immediate calories, but you increase your calorie burn for the next 30 min or hour!
It always helps to know what is actually happening. Wear a fitness tracker and see how many steps and/or calories you are burning. Better yet, invite a friend or co-worker and you will have even more happy endorphins elevated because you will help both yourself and a peer! 😄