Surprising Everyday Ways to Burn Calories 

We all know that the best way to burn calories is by eating less and by exercising more. However, when you are trying to diet, every calorie burned counts. Because of this, it is useful to try and find extra ways to burn a few calories here and there.

With that in mind, here is a list of a few everyday activities that can help you burn some extra calories. You should note that these activities will not burn a ton of calories, but as was already stated, every little bit helps when you are dieting. 

Drink Cold Water

Cold water is one of the most underrated dieting aids out there. Not only does it help suppress appetite, but it can actually allow you to burn more calories. Now, the actual act of drinking the water doesn’t burn more calories, but what cold water does is speed up your metabolism. The sped-up metabolism leads to more calories burned. 

Drink Green Tea

According to a study in The Journal of American College Nutrition, just one cup of green tea can help stabilize high blood sugar levels when combined with exercise three days per week. By improving your insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, your body will use energy much more efficiently. This will help you slim down or maintain a healthy weight.

Burn belly fat fast! The Journal of Nutrition reported that three cups of green tea combined with exercise burns abdominal fat. Results were shown after three months, but fat burning begins after the first three days of exercise.

Eat More Celery

You burn more calories than you consume when you eat celery.

Make Yourself a Bit Colder

Keeping with the theme of coldness, studies have also consistently shown that exposing yourself to colder temperatures does result in more burned calories. Why exactly? Well, it seems that your body is forced to use more energy to keep itself warm, which requires your body to burn more calories as fuel.

We aren’t saying to go jump head first into the snow naked, but it may be something to consider next time you to go to jack up the heat during the winter. 

Singing

Singing in the shower can burn an extra 10-20 Calories per song, depending on the volume and pitch of your voice.

Walk on Dirt

A person will burn 7 percent more calories if they walk on hard dirt compared to pavement.

Go Shopping

Shopping is a surprisingly good activity for burning calories. If you walk around a very big store or a mall for a long time, you burn a shocking number of calories, even if you are just walking a leisurely pace.

So, next time you sit down to binge watch a show or go to do some other hobby, why not take a shopping trip instead? Even if you don’t buy anything, your body will thank you. 

Stop Multitasking

Carry in groceries one at a time to sneak in more steps, advises trainer Lisa Kinder, of the 10 Minute Solution: High Intensity Interval Training DVD. “Something that might normally take you two minutes has now become a 10-minute activity,” she says. Hey, it kills off 89 calories!”

Cleaning

Cleaning your house is never usually fun. In fact, many people pay to get their house cleaned. However, cleaning your house can actually be a pretty good way to burn some calories. How many calories exactly? Well, for light cleaning jobs like dusting putting things away, etc., you can burn over 150 calories per hour of cleaning. For tougher cleaning jobs, like scrubbing floors and walls, you can end up burning close to 200 calories per hour. 

Fidget more

Exercising burns calories and helps you stay fit. However, more subtle forms of physical activity can also boost your metabolic rate. This concept is known as non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which includes fidgeting

Laugh More

Laughing also burns calories. In one study, 45 couples watched movies that were either humorous or serious. When they laughed during the funny movies, their metabolic rate increased by 10–20%!

Hugging

Hugging for one hour can burn 70 Calories!

Sex

You burn about 200 Calories during 30 minutes of active sex.