Calorie-Burning Activities That Make You Forget You're Working Out

The excuses are endless when it comes to working out. And I’m not here to knock them down. Some of them are pretty legitimate.

Staying active isn’t exactly a walk in the park when you have 3 kids and a full-time job - plus your own life to take care of. Finding time for yourself is hard - if not impossible sometimes.

Then, there’s the fast pace of society. You’re go-go-go all day long. You get home and you crash.

And a lot of people end up with expensive gym memberships they never use. Or they don’t want to get a gym membership because of that hefty price tag. So how can you exercise for free? What are ways to workout without you knowing it?

Get ready. There are endless ways you can work out - without really knowing it. Here we go!

1. Walk Everywhere

Going to grab lunch part-way through your workday? Forego the car. Walk it! Walk to get groceries. Don’t take the elevator to your meeting two floors up - walk up the stairs. There are so many ways to do this. Find those little opportunities and grab them. They add up!

And 5 minutes of slow-paced walking can burn about 13 calories. A brisk pace can burn 20 or more every 5 minutes, so pick up that pace!

2. Invest in a Standing Desk

Standing requires more muscle and balance. You only burn slightly more calories, but it also gives you the freedom to stretch it out while you think up that next email. Or throw in a few jumping jacks to boost up your energy in the middle of the day.

Plus, you’ll have better posture. Standing requires more postural muscles. Sitting, you can get away with not losing your balance while hunching forward. Standing - not so much.

3. Bus to Work? Get Off a Stop Early

This comes right back to our first point about walking everywhere. Apply it to your commute. So, walking might not be entirely possible from your home - but you could do part of it. Get off the bus or train a couple of stops earlier. Walk those extra few blocks. Fresh air and sunshine first thing will also make you feel oh-so-good. It helps you wake up and will help you get that critical vitamin D from the sun. Staying active does not need to be complicated.

4. Park in the Back of the Lot

If you sit at a desk all day, you can walk those few hundred metres to the door. Save the closer parking spots for people that really need them. You probably don’t.

5. Hand Wash Your Car

Automated car washes are great. I’ll admit it - I enjoy just sitting back and letting the machine do its job. Yet, it doesn’t necessarily get into those hard to reach spots. But cleaning it by hand, you can. By doing so, you could get in some serious physical activity while getting your car cleaned. It’s a win-win.

You burn calories. Your car looks great. You didn’t have to pay for a car wash or an expensive gym membership. You’ve got nothing to lose.

6. Clean Your Home

This is something that has to be done at least every few weeks. It doesn’t have to feel like work and it can help you stay active. Here’s what you do: Throw on your favourite playlist. Put on a uniform of comfy clothes. Grab your cleaning gear. Hit play. Dance around and clean. Time will fly.

Not into dancing? Even light cleaning burns about 170 calories every hour. Get scrubbing!

7. Redecorate Your Home

Or renovate your home yourself. It takes work but you’ll also burn major calories. Redecorating or revamping your home can be fun. You’ll get to choose out new combinations, furniture, decor, and more.

Moving furniture further takes serious muscle. Start planning, then executing. You’ll build muscle and burn calories.

8. Have a Phone Meeting? Take a Walk While You Talk

It won’t only make your meeting fly by faster, you get to exercise for free! The blood flow will help you come up with creative ideas and quicken your thinking. No more nodding off during the middle of a call or zoning out and wondering what you missed.

9. Utilize Your Kitchen Counter When Cooking

You know those 5-10 minutes where you’re cooking dinner but you’re waiting on something? Use it to your advantage!

Hold the counter and squat down. Double check your area to make sure it’s safe (i.e. there’s no knives or hot pots that you could knock over). Or use the counter to perform angled push-ups. If you have enough room, you could even perform a few jumping jacks. Whatever works.

If you walk earlier for two 10-minute bouts and do 10 minutes while cooking, you’ve done a total of 30 minutes of exercise that day - not bad!

10. Carry a Basket Instead of Using a Grocery Cart

Work those biceps and shoulders! A basket requires a little more muscle than just leisurely pushing a cart. If you walk around with a fairly heavy basket for 15-20 minutes, you could burn about 60 calories.

11. Start Washing Your Dishes - Without the Dishwasher

The dishwasher uses up a ton of water. And you might not need to be using it. If you haven’t got a full house (and even if you do), washing the dishes by hand can prove to be a fairly exceptional physical activity option.

Find Your Options!

Staying active is easy if you keep your eyes peeled for opportunities. No, you don’t need an expensive gym membership. And yes, you can still stay active even though you feel tight for time.

Every little bit counts. Some movement is always better than no movement. You’ll feel better too. Find your options. They’re there. You just have to look.

Related Article: Our Top 5 Sports-Inspired Workouts