Sweat may be involved, but blood and tears don’t have to line the path to physical fitness.
Your health journey can be full of fun memories and activities you genuinely enjoy.
This week, try out one or two of these five delightful ways to burn calories without working out.
Go on a calorie-burning date
Get your heart pumping on a romantic date with your partner. Your body will be burning calories without you knowing it. Try out these four activities next date night.
- Talk a long stroll
Walking burns calories, increases your metabolism, and even genetically changes your body to make it lose weight easier. Strolling with your partner at a leisurely pace (about 30 minutes per mile) will burn around 225 calories per hour. - See a comedy show
Just 15 minutes of laughing can burn 40 calories. Find your favorite rom-com, or watch your favorite comedian live. After the show, talk to your partner about their favorite parts and keep the laughter going. - Go dancing
You can burn between 200 and 400 calories dancing for just half an hour. Search for dance classes or events in your city, or find your favorite upbeat playlist on Spotify and have a dance party in the living room. - Give each other a massage
Not only does massage lower cortisol (the hormone that makes our body store belly fat), giving one burns calories. Burn over 100 calories giving your partner a half-hour massage. Then, switch places. - Have sex
Sex has a long list of health benefits. As a bonus, it burns calories. Most people burn about 100 to 200 calories each time they have sex. Send that number through the roof by switching positions frequently.
Take the Relaxation Route
Stress triggers our bodies to release cortisol, which causes more calories to be stored as fat, especially on our bellies. Try these five relaxation techniques to keep cortisol at bay and burn calories the luxurious way.
- Sunbathe
Women deficient in vitamin D lose weight more slowly, according to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition. Higher levels of vitamin D may also be related to testosterone, which promotes muscle mass, strength, flexibility, and a higher metabolism. - Sip on some spa water
When dehydrated, we experience a drop in our metabolic rate. Drinking water throughout the day caused metabolic rates to increase by about 30 percent. Shoot for at least 8 cups of water a day to stay hydrated. - Sit in the sauna
Saunas can double your calorie burn. If you burn around 70 calories per half hour sitting on the couch, you could burn up to 140 moving that seat into the sauna. - Get a good night’s sleep
New research suggests that an extra hour of sleep every night could help sleep-deprived people eat 270 fewer calories per day without even trying. How long you sleep may also increase your resting metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn when at rest). - Have a hot soak
Taking a bath will ease sore muscles, lower stress, and reduce cortisol—but it also may burn up to 130 calories per hour.
Burn calories in the backyard
As soon as the sun comes out, hit the backyard with these three fun fitness tricks.
- Get fit in the grass
Mowing the lawn with a pushmower burns about 150 calories per half hour. Grab the weedwhacker and edger to give your lawn a few final touches and burn an extra 250 calories per hour. - Tend to the garden
Pop on your sunhat and get in touch with your green thumb. Weeding, planting new flowers or veggies, and mulching burns 200-400 calories per hour. - Play with your pups and tots
Make your dog’s or kid’s day and spend some time playing with them outside. Tossing a ball to your dog can burn about 80 calories per half hour. Playing with your kids in the backyard can burn a whopping 150 calories per half hour.
Plan activities with your friends
Make great memories with friends and get fit doing it. Try out these ideas next time you have a free weekend.
- Get sporty
Even if you’re not an athlete, you can enjoy some easy activities with your friends. Hit the driving range or go mini-golfing, and burn about 200 calories per hour. Go bowling and burn 150, play darts and burn 85, or go kayaking and burn 250 calories per hour. - Visit a U-Pick farm
Find a farm in your city that lets you pick your own fruit. You’ll come home with a healthy snack and burn about 300 calories per hour. - Have a jam sesh
Get the band back together and burn between 80 and 300 calories per hour (depending on your instrument and music genre of choice). Singing also revs the metabolism, burning about 125 calories per hour.
Slim down solo
Spending the day with yourself? Plan a fun and fitness-focused evening with these five ideas.
- Put on a scary podcast
Scary stories can make your heart race, boosting your burn up to 85 calories per hour. - Clean the house
Cleaning is as good for our homes as it is for our bods. Even light cleaning tasks like dusting and tidying burn around 170 calories per hour. - Get crafty
Paint a picture while standing—you’ll burn around 150 calories per hour. Knitting burns around 100 calories per hour. Got a workshop? Carpentry burns over 200 calories in just one hour of work. - Check off your bucket list
Always wanted to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, ski at Breckenridge, or snorkel the Great Barrier Reef? These heart-pumping adventures will raise that metabolism. - Shop ‘till you drop pounds
Whether you’re picking up groceries, making laps around the mall, or exploring your city’s local stores, shopping can rack up your step count and burn 250 calories per hour.
Healthy Living Should Be Life-Giving!
Weight loss and fitness do not have to be painful. That’s why, at LEAN, you’ll learn how to reach your health goals and enjoy the journey.
If you’re ready to finally shed those pounds, grow stronger, or have the energy you feel like you lost after kid #1, join LEAN today.
For more tips on how to reach your health goals, plus my favorite recipes and workouts of the week, sign up for my weekly newsletter here.
