How to Burn Calories
Without Breaking a Sweat
Weight-loss exercises you’ll actually look forward to doing
Whether you’re on a tight deadline, travelling, or having couch-separation anxiety—we get it. Sometimes pushing your limits on a treadmill is the last thing you’ll feel like doing even if you have the time for a home workout.
The good news is you’re probably still burning pesky calories without even realizing it. But how?
The answer is non-exercise activity thermogenesis (or NEAT), the energy
we burn from doing seemingly trivial tasks outside of sleeping, eating or traditional exercise. These activities allow your body to reap the benefits of a sweaty workout without actually working out. By simply moving more, you can increase your metabolism and potentially burn about 350 calories a day (that translates to roughly 10-30 pounds a year!). Here are a few creative ways to integrate more NEAT exercises into your daily routine.
Take a belly breather
Breathe deep. No, even deeper. By engaging your abdominal muscles and breathing from your diaphragm rather than from your chest, you'll get into the habit of adopting a slower breathing pattern. This improved way of breathing not only relieves stress, but also promotes fat loss by curbing fat-storing stress hormone cortisol. Plus, you'll have more momentum to power through your daily tasks, allowing you to burn more calories. Try this simple 4-7-8 deep breathing exercise: Slowly inhale through your nose for a count of 4. Pause your breath at the top for a count of 7. Then, open your mouth slightly, and exhale for a count of 8.
Burn more calories by shopping with a basket instead of a cart
Shop and stroll
Sometimes it pays off to take the old-school route and shop in store (hint: save Schnäppchen online shoppen). While you may not exactly be working up a sweat to grab groceries for meal prep or to hunt down a sweet pair of jeans, shopping is mainly a walking exercise (a.k.a cardio). Depending on your weight, the route you take, and your speed – you can expect to shed anywhere between 148 and 558 calories for an hour of retail therapy. To max the burn, save the shopping cart and use a basket that can act as weight for your “workout.” Pro tip: Throw on a wearable like the Galaxy Watch Active2 before your shopping trip to view your step count and calorie burn as it happens.
Keep track of stress using your smart watch.
Far more than a mere timekeeping device, health watches are unique in that they can help you combat one of the biggest dangers to wellbeing: stress. Left unchecked, stress can cause headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, arthritis, depression and anxiety. Got a Samsung smartwatch? Check in on your wellbeing by swiping to Stress on the Samsung Health app. It measures stress levels and helps you identify if you feel particularly anxious or overwhelmed. If you don't know what a smartwatch is and does, we've created a helpful guide were you can read all about them.
Deep breathing is one of the best ways to control stress on the body, so use the Breathe feature to help you control how you inhale and exhale. This will send a message to your brain to calm down and relax.
Clean up your house and your dance moves for extra burn
Clean it like you mean it
Cleaning doesn’t have to feel like a chore – after all, you’re blasting some serious calories in the process. In need of a deep clean? Try an afternoon power combo of dusting, floor sweeping, and window washing. While it might not sound too taxing, you're actually burning more calories than you would from an hour of running or kickboxing (more than 650 calories!). Bonus burn points: Bluetooth earbuds like the Galaxy Budsmake it easy for you to jam out to your favourite tunes, hands-free, as you give your room a makeover.
Cut calories by standing while you commute
Give up your seat
Aside from being a polite gesture for fellow passengers, a simple switch from sitting to standing during your commute may help you burn 20 to 50 more calories per hour (not to mention, contribute to better health and well-being). While the number may not sound like much at first, consider how much of your day, every day, is spent on public transport. Trust us, it adds up. Extra credit: Work your core muscles and challenge your balance by seeing how long you can go without holding onto the pole (but remember, safety first!).
Ready to rev up your metabolism?
Wearables like the Galaxy Buds and the Galaxy Watch Active2 can help you turn up the burn and track your progress, even on days where hitting the gym isn’t an option.
Galaxy Note10 | 10+
Galaxy Buds
Galaxy Watch Active2
