NEW YORK - JULY 03: Children swim in a new floating pool dubbed the 'Floating Pool Lady' following a press conference announcing its opening July 3, 2007 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The pool is anchored at the new Brooklyn Bridge Park Beach and will be free and open to the public from July 4 through Labor Day. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (2007 Getty Images)
You don’t have to be a slave to the gym to burn off extra calories. Here are five easy ways to burn 500 calories.
Dance:
An intensive dance workout releases a flood of feel-good endorphins while also torching hundreds of calories. Studios like 305 Fitness and Zumba mix dance moves and resistance techniques that burn calories and help build metabolism-boosting lean muscle.
Eat more fiber:
Foods such as whole grain cereal, raspberries, apples, and spinach are rich in dietary fiber. Our body lacks the necessary enzymes to digest fiber, but it tries anyway and burns calories just the same. To burn 500 calories you could run for an hour a day or simply swap out your morning bagel for a bowl of high-fiber cereal with fresh berries.
Go for a swim:
Swimming is a major calorie burner! A study by Harvard Medical School found that a 125-pound individual can burn upwards of 180 calories in just thirty minutes of leisurely swimming. If you weight more or swim longer, you’ll burn even more.
Fidget:
There’s an upside to nervous fidgeting. Small, unconscious movements like tapping your feet, walking while on the phone, using hand gestures, really add up – burning 350 calories or more per day.
Keep moving:
Who knew ordinary chores could be good for your waistline? Sweeping burns 89 calories, mopping the kitchen floor burns 129 calories on average, food shopping burns around 82 calories and if you carry your groceries you’ll burn another 89 or so calories every ten minutes. In combination, all the walking, bending, and lifting you do while puttering in the yard easily adds up to hundreds of calories burned.
For delicious high fiber meal plans, recipes and tips on healthy eating, drinking and losing weight, check out my latest book, The Miracle Carb Diet: Make Calories and Fat Disappear – with Fiber!
Tanya Zuckerbrot MS, RD, is a registered dietitian in New York City and the author of two bestselling diet books: The Miracle Carb Diet: Make Calories and Fat Disappear – with fiber and The F-Factor Diet. Subscribe to Tanya’s free weekly newsletter and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn
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