Trying to burn calories to lose weight is a difficult project for most people. We all need a little extra help to succeed at a difficult project.
That help can come through words of encouragement from family or friends or from somebody offering to help carry some of the load. Whatever the form, a little help can help you cross the finish line of whatever it is you are doing.
The same is true when it comes to weight loss. Burn calories here and there and soon the weight will start coming off. And there is no greater motivation for success on a diet than stepping on the scale and seeing the dial moving closer to your goal rather than farther away.
The bottom line (pun intended) when it comes to losing weight is that you’ve got to burn calories – 3500 calories to lose one pound!
So it stands to reason that any activity that burns calories helps achieve the goal.
After all, if a dieter sees the extra pounds coming off, that person is more likely to stick to their diet plan. Dr. Sejal Shah, Medical Director with Medi-Weight Loss Clinics, a doctor supervised weight loss program, put together this list of easy ways to burn calories.
For an average 155 pound woman to burn 100 calories, it would take about…
- 10 minutes of jumping rope quickly: jump rope during commercial breaks during your favorite show to add up the burn
- 11 minutes of jogging in place: set your alarm early and do this each morning- in 1 week you’ll have burned 700 calories!
- 15 minutes of shoveling snow: instead of hiring someone, bundle up and try it yourself or make it a family activity
- 30 minutes of cleaning/house work: get your home ready for guests
- 38 minutes of shopping: hit the mall and window shop
- 43 minutes of driving: visit a friend or family member
- 60 minutes of browsing the internet: upload new pictures to Facebook and check your newsfeed
- 80 minutes of writing: write thank you notes or hand address invitations
The key to burn calories is to keep moving.
It’s also important to note the movement doesn’t have to be at the same time. Here’s an idea while at work.
- MOVE EVERY HOUR
Most of us are tied to a desk for the majority of the day. By setting an alarm to go off every hour and taking two to three minutes to walk around, grab a drink of water, or stretch we can increase our goal to burn calories.
Make a schedule early in the day so you know what exercise you will do when the alarm sounds. For example: 9am stand up and do 20 calf raises, 10am walk around the building, 11am do 2 sets of 12 squats, etc.
Other exercises that are easy to do at work are lunges, sit ups, jogging in place or even bringing in resistance bands to do arm and leg curls. And of course, it’s always better to park far from your building so you must walk through the parking lot and always take the stairs while at work rather than the elevator.
Good luck and get ready to burn calories!
Dr. Sejal Shah, MD, FAAP, serves as the Associate Medical Director of Medi-Weightloss Clinics® and the Medical Director of PowerPlay™, an adolescent weight management program which was developed for Medi-Weightloss Clinics by a team of experts in pediatrics, nutrition, bariatrics, and public health.
Dr. Shah is a graduate of the University Of Alabama School Of Medicine and did her residency training at Miami Children’s Hospital. She is a Board Certified Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a Member of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, the Florida Medical Association, and The Obesity Society.
An accomplished pediatrician with years of experience in private practice, she is helping lead the battle against overweight and obesity among adults and adolescents.
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