Burn Calories Without Trying

Sneak In Stair-Climbing

Take the escalator- but climb the stairs while you ride. You’ll get there faster and use your muscles while you’re at it. Just 5 minutes of stair climbing burn 144 calories.

Do One Thing at a Time

Instead of piling items on the stairs so you can take all of them upstairs at once, take them one at a time.

Stand, Don’t Sit

When cooling your heels while waiting at the doctor’s office, drugstore, or airport, stay on your feet- standing burns 36 more calories per hours than sitting.

Be Retro

Rake leaves instead of using a leaf-blower: You’ll burn 50 more calories every half hour.

Clean Compulsively

Scrub your floors more often. Putting some elbow grease into cleaning your floors is more intense exercise than vacuuming—and it makes your floors look better to boot.

Work Your Jaw

Chew sugarless gum. Research has found that the action of jaw muscles alone burn about 11 calories an hour.

Skip the Carwash

Wash your car by hand instead of taking it through the automatic carwash. You’ll burn an extra 280 calories in an hour.

Play with Kids

Impromptu games of basketball, touch football or tag—or just jumping rope or throwing a ball—will help you use energy and set a good example of active play for the children. Calories burned: 80 to 137 every 10 minutes.

Talk and Walk

Want to catch up with an old friend? Instead of settling down on the couch for a long chat, grab your cellphone and head out of the door. You can walk while you talk…they don’t call them mobile phones for nothing!

Be a Good Samaritan

On your next trip to the supermarket, don’t fight for parking. You can avoid the aggravation of jockeying for a space by the door, park farther away, and enjoy the walk. Add even more walking, and be even nicer by returning your grocery cart back to the front of the store instead of leaving it in the parking lot after having unloaded the groceries.