At this point, it's almost common knowledge that sitting is the new smoking. Study after study has shown that sitting for an extended period of time each day can make us fat and increases our risk of premature death.
So what can we do when a quarter of our lives are spent at the office with our butts glued to a chair? The answer: figure out a way to get up and get moving. And according to an expansive new study, you don't have to step into a fitness studio to do it.
The research, published in The Lancet, found that just two and a half hours of weekly exercise can help extend your life and decrease your risk of heart disease!
And get this: it doesn't matter how you choose to spend those 150 weekly minutes exercising. Whether you sign up for a spin class or take up walking around your neighborhood, any physical activity counts.
"I would dispel the notion of having to put out money to be active," Dr. Scott Lear, the study lead author and a professor at Simon Fraser University's Faculty of Health Sciences in Canada, said in an email to Vox. "Our findings indicate that nonrecreational activity—work, housework, active transportation—is just as beneficial in reducing the risk for premature death and heart disease."
Since we can't stick a straw into the fountain of youth, we've put together the next best thing: a guide to becoming more active right now. Below are some of the easiest ways to start burning more calories today! And if these everyday activities inspire you to hit the gym, then you don't want to miss learning more about the mistakes people make the first time they work out.
Go Exploring
Lace up your sneakers and play tourist in your own city! Check out historic walking tours in your area or find a nearby nature path with a killer view. Walking is easy on the joints, burns a fair number of calories and is a great way to take in new sites and sounds.
Climb Stairs Over the Escalator
Next time you hike out of the Subway system or walk around the mall, you'll torch an insane amount of calories if you skip the escalator and opt for the stairs instead. Tourists take note: All those stairs can help balance out those indulgent vacation meals.
Bike To Work
Water is the best beverage for quenching thirst and staying hydrated.
Drinking water has also been shown to temporarily boost metabolism in normal and overweight adults and children. Some studies even suggest that you may be able to maximize this effect by drinking cold water.
One group of researchers reported that 40% of this increase in metabolic rate is a result of your body warming up the water to body temperature
Two studies in young adults found that drinking 17 ounces (500 ml) of cold water increased calorie burning by 24–30% for 90 minutes
However, the study was fairly small, and additional research suggests that water’s effect on metabolic rate may vary from person to person.
For instance, another study in healthy young adults noted that drinking 17 ounces (500 ml) of cold water increased calorie expenditure by only 4.5% for 60 minutes.
Chewing gum has been shown to promote feelings of fullness and reduce calorie intake during snacking.
Some evidence suggests that it may also help speed up your metabolism.
In a small study, normal-weight men consumed meals on four separate occasions. They burned significantly more calories following meals after which they chewed gum.
In another study in 30 young adults, chewing gum for 20 minutes after each meal increased metabolic rate, compared to not chewing gum. In addition, the rate remained higher after an overnight fast
If you want to give this method a try, make sure to choose sugar-free gum to protect the health of your teeth.
It’s often said that laughter is the best medicine.
Indeed, research has confirmed that laughter may improve many aspects of mental and physical health, including memory, immunity, and arterial function.
What’s 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%.
Although this isn’t very much, laughing on a regular basis is still a great way to improve your overall health and make you happier.
Calculate BMR
To calculate your BMR, use your sex, age, and weight to adjust the formula.
The original formulas for calculating this number are as follows, using pounds for weight, inches for height, and years for age.
For males, use the following equation:
- 66 + (6.2 x weight) + (12.7 x height) – (6.76 x age) = BMR for males
For example, a 40-year-old, 180 pound, 6-foot-tall man has a BMR of 1,829.8. This means that, at rest, they’ll burn approximately 1,829.8 calories in a day (equation: 66 + (6.2 x 180) + (12.7 x 72) – (6.76 x 40) = 1,829.8).
For females, use the following equation:
- 655.1 + (4.35 x weight) + (4.7 x height) – (4.7 x age) = BMR for females
For example, a 40-year-old, 150-pound, 5 foot 6-inch-tall woman has a BMR of 1,429.7 (equation: 655.1 + (4.35 x 150) + (4.7 x 66) – (4.7×40) = 1,429.7).
Drink Coffee
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide.
It’s a great source of caffeine, which can enhance mood and improve mental and physical performance.
Moreover, it can help you burn fat.
In a small study including nine people, those who took caffeine an hour before exercise burned nearly twice as much fat and were able to exercise 17% longer than the non-caffeine group.
Research has shown that caffeine increases metabolic rate by an impressive 3–13%, depending on the amount consumed and individual response.
In one study, people took 100 mg of caffeine every two hours for 12 hours. Lean adults burned an average of 150 extra calories and formerly obese adults burned 79 extra calories during the study time period.
To get the fat-burning benefits of caffeine without the potential side effects, such as anxiousness or insomnia, aim for 100–400 mg per day. This is the amount found in about 1–4 cups of coffee, depending on its strength.
Apple cider vinegar is an ancient folk remedy with evidence-based health benefits.
It’s been credited with reducing appetite and lowering blood sugar and insulin levels in people with diabetes.
What’s more, vinegar’s main component, acetic acid, has been found to increase fat burning and reduce belly fat storage in several animal studies.
Although there isn’t much research on vinegar’s effect on fat loss in humans, the results from one study are pretty encouraging.
In this study, 144 obese men who added 2 tablespoons of vinegar to their usual diets every day for 12 weeks lost 3.7 pounds (1.7 kilograms) and experienced a 0.9% reduction in body fat.
Including apple cider vinegar in your diet may help you lose body fat. Start with 1 teaspoon per day diluted in water and gradually work up to 1–2 tablespoons per day to minimize potential digestive discomfort.
Olive oil is one of the healthiest fats on earth.
Olive oil has been shown to lower triglycerides, increase HDL cholesterol and stimulate the release of GLP-1, one of the hormones that helps keep you full.
What’s more, some studies have shown that olive oil may boost metabolic rate and promote fat loss.
In a small study in 12 postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity, eating extra virgin olive oil as part of a meal significantly increased the number of calories the women burned for several hours.
To incorporate olive oil into your daily diet, drizzle a couple of tablespoons on your salad or add it to cooked food.
Eggs are a nutritional powerhouse.
Although egg yolks used to be avoided due to their high cholesterol content, whole eggs have actually been shown to help protect heart health in those at increased risk of disease.
Additionally, eggs are a killer weight loss food.
Studies have shown that egg-based breakfasts reduce hunger and promote feelings of fullness for several hours in overweight and obese individuals.
In a controlled eight-week study in 21 men, those who ate three eggs for breakfast consumed 400 fewer calories per day and had a 16% greater reduction in body fat, compared to the group who ate a bagel breakfast.
Eggs are also a great source of high-quality protein, which increases metabolic rate by about 20–35% for several hours after eating, based on several studies,
In fact, one of the reasons eggs are so filling may be due to the boost in calorie burning that occurs during protein digestion.
Eating three eggs several times a week can help you burn fat while keeping you full and satisfied.
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