6 Sneaky, Low-Impact Ways to Burn Calories

Let’s be honest. As summer approaches, we’re all looking for quick ways to burn calories. Life gets busy, and it’s tricky finding the time to exercise. But with some minor adjustments and additions to your daily routine, you can burn extra calories throughout the day.

What are Calories?

At its core, a calorie is a unit of energy. Simple enough, right? Well, yes and no. A calorie, defined in scientific terms, is the measurement of the energy required to heat a kilogram of water by 1ºC. 

Calories provide your body with the energy it needs to function properly. What may be calorically adequate for one person may not be for another. As with anything else, moderation is your friend, but sometimes that can be difficult. The key is to find a balance.

How to Burn Extra Calories

Burning calories doesn’t have to be difficult. With some minor lifestyle changes, you can burn more calories than you think. Here are some surprising ways you can burn calories that are low-impact and productive.

Park Farther Away 

We often think of errands as a chore, but what if you saw them as an opportunity to improve your health? When you go to the grocery store, where do you park? Do you try to park close to the entrance so you don’t have to walk very far? One easy way to burn calories is by parking farther away from the store. This will make you walk a bit farther, but won’t take that much longer. The average hour-long walk burns 210 to 360 calories. So, over the course of a week, just by parking farther away, you could burn more calories easily. 

Bike Instead of Drive

Depending on how far away you live from work or the store, replacing your car with a bike to commute can burn a significant amount of calories each day. The average hour of biking burns anywhere from 450 to 750 calories per hour. 

Take the Stairs

If you work, live, or do anything upstairs, opt for the staircase instead of the elevator. Stairs are a great way to burn extra calories and improve your cardiovascular health. A little cardio goes a long way!

Clean Your Home

Many household chores burn extra calories—the walking, scrubbing, and reaching that take place during cleaning are all great ways to exercise your whole body and burn those calories. If you want to burn additional calories, try doing a deep clean of your bathroom. 

Drink Cold Water

Believe it or not, drinking a glass of cold water will burn more calories than room temperature water. As the cold water cools you off, your body will work to warm back up and burn around 7 calories. So, cool off and burn those calories!

Take a Hot Bath

Now that you’ve embarked on your calorie-burning mission, you’ve probably worked up a good sweat. It’s time to take a bath and relax. In fact, a hot bath can burn as many calories as a 30-minute walk—around 150 calories. So, kick back, relax, and feel those calories soak away.

Your Sanctuary 

A long, relaxing soak offers mental and physical health benefits you won’t find anywhere else. Comfort and luxurious design are waiting for you in a KOHLER_® Walk-In Bath. Request a free quote today.