Top 9 ways of burning off calories without going to the gym

Fitness experts at BarBend collaborated with Personal Trainers Anthony Mayatt and Eliza Flynn to reveal the best routine activities to stay active and burn calories. Here the experts also share tips on how to integrate fitness into our routines.
Green-fingered people burn a lot of calories taking care of their garden. For example, planting fruit and vegetable seeds or plants for 20 minutes burns 105 caloriesGreen-fingered people burn a lot of calories taking care of their garden. For example, planting fruit and vegetable seeds or plants for 20 minutes burns 105 calories
Green-fingered people burn a lot of calories taking care of their garden. For example, planting fruit and vegetable seeds or plants for 20 minutes burns 105 calories

Did you know that you are burning calories every day, just by doing everyday things?

Personal trainer Eliza Flynn said: “You do not need to go to the gym or get a workout in to burn calories. Even things such as digesting food or standing burn calories. You are even burning calories while you sleep.

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The exact number of calories a person burns is affected by many things such as intensity and weight, so you can only get a rough estimate. Here seven routine activities and the calories burnt, based on a person weighing 11stone – that’s 70kg – and engaging in these activities for 20 minutes.”

Washing up

Twenty minutes of doing the washing up standing up, burns an estimated 44 calories. To increase this, be more vigorous with your washing up and do more of it.

Carrying and storing shopping

The next time you head to the shops, know that if you are taking 20 minutes to walk back to your house and put the groceries away, you will be burning 61 calories. To increase this, carry heavier bags and put things away which require you to stand on a stool.

Cooking and preparing food

You might be tempted to do more cooking which involves chopping up veg and herbs for 20 minutes when you know you can burn 49 calories. If there is more hard work involved, such as filling several heavy pots with water or whipping cream by hand, this increases the number of calories burnt to 86.

Redecorating the house

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Trying to upcycle that chest of drawers by giving it a new lick of paint? Or to add an accent wall to your lounge? Only 20 minutes engaged in these activities burns 81 calories. Imagine if you were painting the whole house.

Gardening

Panting fruit and vegetable seeds or plants for 20 minutes burns 105 calories. If you are hoeing the soil, that is 123 calories burnt. Even pottering about the garden or even your house, watering the plants for 20 minutes burns 37 calories.

Walking to work

Anthony Mayatt said: “Since Covid started, I think more people have tried to avoid public transport and walk a bit more. Lockdown has allowed us to appreciate getting outside for our daily activity, so a lot of people go into the office by walking or cycling, rather than just jumping on a train or bus. Whether cycling in a gym or on the street is still a workout no matter the location.”

Sightseeing

To take a break from computer work, sightseeing is also a good option to get out and explore where you live – coast, city, town or village.

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You can burn up to 150 calories every 30 minutes of walking.

“NEAT – (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis – refers to the energy expended for everything which is not related to sleeping, eating, or exercising.

"So, for example, the energy you expend while brushing your teeth,” said Elizabeth.

“By increasing your NEAT, you can burn more calories each day. And it all adds up quickly.

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“If you spend more time sitting on the floor, you move more and change positions. Y ou burn more calories by getting up from the floor than from a sofa.

"If you are burning an extra 10 calories with this activity a day, that is an extra 70 calories a week, which is an extra 2100 calories a month. ”

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