Weird things that burn calories

burns calories

If you’re on the hunt for a new exercise regime that’s sure to get your body burning some extra calories, you’re in luck. Did you know that small, simple things you do daily have the potential to burn calories without you running up hills, deadlifting, and planking?

If the thought of hitting the gym for an extra hour, or even 30 minutes, exhausts you more than actually going to the gym, here’s a tip:

Try incorporating a few of these simple habits into your daily routine and see what happens.

1. Reading

65 minutes of reading can burn up to 100 calories and support sharp, quick brain function.

2. Cleaning your teeth

It’s a small number of calories, around 5, but every bit counts, right? Spending the recommended time of 2 minutes brushing your teeth morning and night not only keeps the dentist away, but kick-starts your day with some caloric burn.

3. Cooking

Standing while you chop, sauté, mix and spread prepares you for consuming a delicious meal. Navigating the kitchen, and even washing dishes, burns calories you can then reintroduce into your body through your deliciously prepared home-cooked meal.

4. Laughing

A supporter of mental and physical health, memory, and even immunity, laughing also burns calories by increasing metabolic rate. Dad jokes are welcome here.

5. Kissing

It’s time to break out your kissing booth. Each kiss you engage in can burn between 8-16 calories. The more passionate the kiss, the more calories you’ll burn.

6. Sleeping

While we can’t quite say that your bed is the new gym, each hour you sleep burns around .42 calories per pound of weight. So, if you weigh 140 pounds, you burn slightly less than 60 calories for each hour spent snoozing.

7. Fidgeting

Think of it as an alternate form of cardio you can engage in while practically anywhere. Whether you’re a foot tapper, a leg shaker, or a pen twirler, that extra movement you engage in throughout the day can burn up to ten times more calories than sitting still. This may not seem like a lot, but over the course of a year you’re burning a lot of calories!

8. Chewing

Some research suggests that chewing gum after eating a meal can help burn more calories than those who don’t chew gum.

9. Donating Blood

There really is no selfless good deed. Donating blood is not only advantageous for the beneficiary; it also temporarily increases the number of calories you burn. Some research has shown that you can burn up to 650 calories just by donating one pint of blood. The caloric burn happens when your body must use energy to replace what was lost by synthesizing new proteins, red blood cells, and other blood components.

10. Drinking Tea

Drinking green tea multiple times throughout the day (3-8 cups) may also have a significant impact on overall percentage of body fat. Some research has suggested that those who consume green tea may also burn significantly more calories than those who don’t. This is thanks to the fact that the tea’s polyphenols are rich in antioxidants which can help your body in breaking down fat.

So, next time someone calls you out for fidgeting, blowing bubbles with your gum, or taking too many naps, you can now explain to them that you are taking small steps to burn more calories throughout your day.

Raquel is a creative writer for Lipozene.com. When she’s not helping people achieve weight loss success you can find her binging crime podcasts, traveling the globe, and exploring her native sunny San Diego.