A Guide to Burn Calories Without Exercise and Gym

Most of us check our calorie intake to avoid gaining unnecessary weight. Also, overeating or overindulgence in high-calorie food can harm the body. However, our body breaks down food to release energy which powers our body to perform various functions. Therefore, when we over-eat food with high calories, the excess calories get stored in the body as fat. This fat, in turn, contributes to unhealthy weight gain. According to research, excess calorie intake and unchecked fat accumulation can have health risks. Fat accumulation causes many diseases and severely damages the liver and the heart. It then becomes necessary to burn calories to avoid future health complications and diseases. 

Exercise is a common way to burn calories and excess fat. However, many of us are unable to exercise for different reasons. It is possible to burn calories without exercise in and out of your home. You can follow some simple methods and lifestyle changes to help lose calories and avoid unhealthy weight gain.

Change Your Diet and Food Habits

Changing food habits is the easiest to be in a calorie deficit without exercise. Following a strict diet and getting rid of bad eating habits can help lose a lot of excess calories. When people switch to a healthy diet, they avoid consuming too many calories, which may harm their health. 

Studies show that consciously choosing a diet plan will allow people to burn calories without extra exercise. Here are some fundamental changes to one’s diet that can help one avoid eating too many calories:

• Replacing flour-based products with wheat-based alternatives.
• Avoid white rice and replace it with brown rice or quinoa.
• Avoid sugary food. Jaggery, stevia and honey can be suitable replacements when cooking desserts at home. However, please note the alternate consumption should also be moderated. Overconsumption of honey and jaggery can derail you from your weight loss journey. 
• Deep-fried food and junk food must be eliminated or be at a negligible level. 
• Avoid processed food and ingredients in favour of fresh and organic food.
• Avoid alcoholic beverages or take them in moderation.
• Try to include foods that are low in fat.
• Opt for low-carb or keto diets to burn fat and limit calorie intake after consulting a nutritionist. 

Studies show that eating smaller portions of food every two hours can be the best way to reduce calories. It is recommended not to overeat during meals and fill up the stomach.

Chewing slowly can also satiate you and control over-stuffing. Mindful eating is a popular phrase. It would help if you ate without any distractions, away from gadgets like mobile phones or television. If you are at work and eat with coworkers, try and stick to your lunch portion. Pack yourself a healthy lunch and limit yourself to It. It should have the right carbs, protein, fibre and good fat. If in doubt, you can get quick lunch ideas from the team of nutritionists at HealthifyMe. 

The HealthifyMe Note

The two principles of losing weight are consuming limited calories and burning as many as possible. The mechanism is to stay on a calorie deficit if you wish to lose weight. Hence, consuming only adequate calories through your meals is vital. So, make changes to your dietary habits, be more informed about the food you consume and ensure that you stay within your calorie limits.

Try Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent practice refers to skipping meals or having a stipulated eating and fasting window to limit calorie intake. It is a highly trending method to burn calories without exercise.

Controlling one’s calorie intake through a balanced diet may not be enough to burn excess calories. Skipping meals and practising intermittent fasting can be extremely helpful in this case.

Our body metabolism is always at play, even when we sleep. It needs calories or energy to survive. Without calorie intake, the body and its organs will stop working altogether. When people consume too many calories, the body stores them as body fat for future use.

Research suggests that intermittent fasting helps the body use excess fat for metabolic functions. When people practice intermittent fasting, the body’s energy gets replenished by burning the fats stored in the body. Opt for intermittent fasting if you are overweight but are medically fit and need to burn calories without exercise. 

Intermittent fasting does come with some guidelines:

• Do not overeat on meals taken after the fasting period.
• Avoid intermittent fasting before attempting to do manual labour or any energetic activity. 
• Always consult a nutritionist before trying to follow intermittent fasting.
• If you are on medications, please avoid taking medicines on an empty stomach.
• Finally, limit the time and frequency of intermittent fasting if side effects like dizziness and nausea occur repeatedly.

Here’s an extensive guide on the methods and benefits of intermittent fasting for weight loss. 

Become Physically Active At Home

An easy replacement for exercise will be to become more active at home. Studies show that people who do household chores burn calories without exercise. Simple tasks like cleaning, cooking, and redecorating can help burn fat and avoid storing excess calories in the body. 

People who have a lot of leisure time at home and usually end up lazing around should pick up household chores. Eating four meals a day and not working to burn off the calories can lead to weight gain and obesity. To balance one’s calorie intake and burn calories without exercise, you can perform the following household chores.

Cooking 

Cooking all meals at home has several advantages. Every step of cooking, from cutting and prepping vegetables or fruits to stirring the pots and serving them to people, can be helpful to burn calories without exercise. Home cooking meals would also mean using healthy ingredients and adopting healthy cooking methods to avoid calorie-laden food at every meal.

Cleaning 

Cleaning the house can also be a strenuous task that burns a few calories. Daily vacuuming of the house itself leads to a significant amount of energy consumption. Dusting the house and cleaning the furniture can help you have a clean house and burn fat. If you cook by yourself, cleaning up is also a good habit. Washing your laundry by hand can also help burn some calories daily.

Redecorating

You can redecorate your house from time to time to burn calories without exercise. Moving the furniture around can be strenuous and require you to burn many calories. Additionally, suppose you decide to make some renovations or paint your house. In that case, you will burn a significant amount of calories. 

Other Chores and Activities

Sometimes you need to adapt and change some habits in your house to help yourself lose some calories. For example, consider using the stairs instead of the elevator if you live in an apartment. You can also try grocery shopping instead of eating out or ordering your supplies online.  You will save money and burn calories while eating healthy and balanced meals.

The HealthifyMe Note

Any activity that requires you to apply your body and work towards it can help burn calories. Hence, it is better to avoid lazing around when at home. Instead, stay active and engage in day-to-day activities that require physical involvement. That way, you will see some improvement in your health.

Spend Time with Kids and Pets

People with children at home should make the extra effort to entertain them and help them follow a good schedule. Since children tend to be overly active, keeping up with them and accompanying them in activities will help you burn calories without exercise. You can take your children to their practices and classes by yourself. Try to help them stay active at home by engaging in fun activities and sports like treasure hunts, indoor games, arts and crafts, etc. 

People who have pets at home like dogs and cats can also burn calories by playing and engaging with them. Take your pets on walks and to parks to socialise and burn calories. You can keep them entertained and active by training them at home and playing with their favourite toys. Pets can be the perfect partner to burn calories without exercise since they are equally energetic as children.

Adopt Healthy Habits at Work

You must follow healthy habits at home and in the workplace. Most of us spend a minimum of 6 hours at our workplace. Suppose you do not make necessary changes in your work life. In that case, we may accumulate a lot of calories instead of burning them. 

Here are some easy and simple hacks to burn calories at the workplace:-

• Avoid taking private or public transport if the office is nearby. Instead, try to walk or cycle to your workplace if possible.
• Avoid eating junk food from cafeterias and carry a homemade lunch instead.
• Park far away from the main gate and take a short walk to and from your office.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevators
• Go out and take a stroll post lunch. 
• Plan walking meetings 
• Instead of emailing, walk up to your colleague’s desk and move around when you are free.
• Avoid sitting in one place for too long.
• Join coworkers in social activities. 

Get a New Hobby

There are specific ways to trick yourself into exercising without actually doing it. Many activities and hobbies require a lot of energy consumption. To burn calories without exercise, you can take up these hobbies to help lose weight and extra fat. A new hobby will significantly improve your mental and physical health in different ways.

If you want to take up some fun hobbies to burn calories without exercise, take a look at this list below:

Dancing 

Various studies have shown that dancing can burn a lot of calories. Dancing, while fun to do, is also a form of physical exercise which does not bore people. To further boost your interest, you can have a dancing partner or join a dancing club which will ensure you stay regular. 

Gymnastics and Aerobics

Gymnastics and Aerobics are other forms of exercise disguised as fun activities and hobbies. It will make you feel refreshed and lively while also burning unwanted fat. You can follow online tutorials or join clubs to get onto this hobby.

Gardening

Studies show that gardening activities can contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Gardening can be a time and energy-consuming activity requiring much effort. Maintaining a healthy garden and taking care of numerous plants can be a tough job. A gardening hobby will consume a lot of energy and help you burn calories without exercise.

DIY and Crafting

People value handmade products and services because of the hard work behind them. However, any DIY or crafting activity will require you to burn calories to complete the job. 

Socialise and Volunteer at the Local Community Centres

Plan leisure days at home to stay active and burn calories even when not working. For example, you can sign up for volunteer work at your local NGO and community centres to help your neighbours and burn some calories simultaneously.

Volunteer work usually requires people to travel and perform physical activities, which results in burning calories. You can compensate for a Sunday night binge to some extent by signing up for beach-cleanup work in the morning. You can also include car wash, yard cleaning, grocery shopping etc., for friends and family.   

Socialise with your friends and family by hosting games and activity nights to share and exchange hobby ideas. Even group cookouts and barbecue nights can help burn calories if you make healthy food and eat controlled portions.

Adventure Out on Off Days

An exciting alternative to staying in on off days will be to seek adventures out in nature. Exercising doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym or following a daily schedule. Instead, you can burn calories without exercise through adventure sports and outdoor activities in your free time.

Studies suggest that some activities like hiking can be an excellent way to burn calories while exploring new and old places. Trekking and hiking can help build stamina and help lose fat and excess calories. In addition, climbing up a steep slope can be strenuous, making the body use up the stored fat that has accumulated and caused weight gain.

If hiking or trekking seems too much, you can try cycling instead. Cycling is an excellent alternative to motorbikes and cars. You can go on short weekend tours around your city or even further if your body permits. Cycling can help burn calories without exercise while taking you to unique places. You can even invite your friends to make it an impromptu trip nearby.

Summary

It is entirely possible to burn calories without exercise. A few changes in our daily lives and routines can significantly help reduce fat accumulation and overconsumption of calories. However, you must remember that a single method cannot help burn calories if our overall lifestyle is unhealthy. Instead, combining several things to burn calories without exercise successfully is necessary. 

Following a balanced diet is one of the essential parts of losing weight. Watching your calorie intake will allow you to go slow on physical exercises since you are not adding unnecessary calories to your diet. Some forms of exercise like domestic chores and hobbies are also necessary for burning calories. Make sure to consciously choose your combination and follow all guidelines while implementing these particular methods to burn calories without exercise.