The overall benefits of regular exercise are well-known, but when it comes to working out three to four times a week, we often find an excuse why we can’t do it. The main excuse is always lack of time, but the reality is that most of us are not motivated enough to make a change in our daily routine.
Although it is human nature to complain about how much we need to do during the day, you can still manage to burn extra 500 calories without sacrificing a single hour in your day to visit the gym or go for a run in the park.
It is scientifically proven that if you want to lose one pound of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories. There are many ways to burn around 500 calories on a daily basis with small changes in your everyday activities.
This means that you will lose around one pound of fat weekly or four pounds monthly, and the best thing is that it will be a slow and natural process, so you won’t have to worry about the yo-yo effect.
You will feel many benefits from these small lifestyle changes. You will boost your metabolism, define your muscles and feel more energized than ever. So, stop making excuses and start making changes.
Walk whenever you can
Whenever you can go somewhere by foot, do it! If you live close to your office, walk to work and back home. Did you know that by walking five miles a day, you will lose roughly 500 calories without a sweat?
An average person walks around one and a half miles a day in a regular day. So, if you give yourself a little push you can easily achieve this goal. The best way to keep track of how much distance you cover in a day is to buy a smart band.
We highly recommend buying one because it will not only help you to keep track of the distance, steps and calories you burn, but will also raise your motivation.
The 10,000 steps daily routine is very famous nowadays because many people can’t cut 500 calories daily from their meals. This routine guarantees that you will burn 3,500 calories weekly because 2,000 steps equal one mile of walking (100 calories burned). So, stop using the elevator and start taking the stairs whenever you can!
Dance, dance, dance!
Dancing is one of the most fun activities for slimming down. You will have fun, spend time with your partner or a friend and be surrounded by positive people.
You can burn up to 500 calories with an hour and a half of dancing. Yes, this can be exhausting, and it takes time from your day, but if you combine half an hour of dancing with walking plus other activities, you will still reach your daily goal! The best thing about dancing is that you will increase your flexibility and tone your muscles as well.
Do some gardening
With just one hour of gardening, you can lose up to 300 calories. You can mow the lawn, water the plants, dig, plant, rake leaves, chop wood and more. With these activities, you will utilize all major muscle groups. Plus, you can enjoy your morning coffee and Sunday family lunch in a wonderful natural environment.
Clean the house
You can also burn a lot of calories by cleaning your house. Studies have shown that you need to do around two hours of dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing, etc. to burn 500 calories. This is a great way to slim down, right?
If you have a dog, take it out for a long walk; if you have kids run and play with them; if you have a big yard, plant some flowers and mow the lawn. Try to stay active at all time. Other fun ways to burn 500 calories daily, include:
– 1.5 hours of horse riding
– 1 hour of shoveling snow
– 1 minute of hula hooping burns 10 calories, so you can burn 500 calories in 50 minutes
– 1 hour of surfing
– 2.5 hours of shopping
– 6 hours of kissing
– 50 minutes of ice-skating
All of these activities will be helpful in your mission to burn extra calories, but the first thing you have to do is get up from the chair, turn off the TV/laptop and get yourself moving. You should be aware that if you make a change in your diet as well, you will achieve even greater results in your weight loss goal. Eating healthily should be your number one priority.
Do you know some other interesting ways to burn extra 500 calories every day? Please let us know in the comment section below!