Dancing is a universal form of expression and communication used by humans for centuries. Various forms of dance are part of several cultures, societies or ceremonies. Dance has numerous forms, each with its movements and expressions that vary from one another. There is a form of dance for every age and ability ranging from elaborate classical dancing to just grooving to the music. 

Dancing has countless physical and psychological benefits. There is a reason people like to dance away the night when they are having a hard time at college or work. This physical activity also appeals to people who might find regular workouts hard, typical and boring. 

Dancing has been recommended as an alternate treatment modality by physicians worldwide for quite some time. As a result, it has become a known remedy to prevent and treat many physical and psychological conditions. In this article, we try to explore the various dance forms and how we can use them to lose weight. 

Dancing to Combat Physical Inactivity 

Regular physical activity is proven to help prevent and manage chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers. It also helps prevent hypertension, maintains healthy body weight, and improves mental health, quality of life and well-being.  

Despite the numerous benefits, the levels of physical inactivity are very high globally. According to WHO, current global estimates show that one in four adults and 81% of adolescents do not do enough physical activity. Unfortunately, as the countries develop further, the levels of inactivity keep increasing. 

The comfort and ease of modern lives have led to growing sedentary behaviours and lifestyles. Increased levels of physical inactivity negatively impact health and quality of life. Also, the convenience of having everything at your fingertips has led many of us to let go of the necessary amounts of exercise our body needs to function correctly.

Dancing is one of the alternate modes of exercise, and you can use it as a way to stay fit. It is for people of all ages, shapes and sizes. According to research, undertaking structured dance of any genre is equally and occasionally more effective than other types of exercise.

Benefits of Dancing 

Dancing has a wide range of positive outcomes on physical and mental health. It improves the condition of the heart and lungs and increases muscular strength, endurance and motor fitness. It also increases stamina and balance. Dancers are also reportedly more flexible than their non-dancer counterparts. If you have a friend who used to be a dancer, you will notice that performing some yoga poses is much easier for them compared to you. It also helps build stronger bones, which correlates to a lower chance of osteoporosis. 

There is increased coordination and improved balance, along with greater spatial awareness. Finally, you will notice that letting go of your self-consciousness is easier once you start dancing. That is because dancing also enhances self-confidence and social skills. 

Research indicates that dance as a participation-based physical exercise reduces anxiety and depression by increasing dopamine and serotonin levels. These are feel-good hormones that help you feel good after the session.

Dancing to Lose Weight

Losing weight can only be achieved by being in a calorie deficit. Therefore, the number of calories burnt should be greater than the number consumed. Most forms of dancing are a form of aerobic exercises or what is known as cardio. In general, faster dance forms like hip hop and jazz will burn more calories than slow dances like contemporary dancing.

Zumba

Zumba is a dance that involves Cardio and Latin-inspired dance. There is no right or wrong way to do Zumba.  The motto of Zumba is  “Ditch the workout, join the party” and emphasises moving to the beat of the music. The music combines the dance styles of cumbia, salsa, merengue, mambo, flamenco, chachacha, reggaeton, soca, samba, hip hop music, axé music, and tango.

A study indicates that Zumba burns around 9.5 Kcal/min of energy. The typical session of Zumba lasts for about 40 minutes and averages around 369 Kcal of energy expenditure. The energy burned will also depend on the intensity of the workout. Thus, regular participation in Zumba can positively affect body composition and aid in weight loss as long as you mind your calories. It also shows some degree of positive effects on strength and flexibility. 

Zumba offers many different options and is generally considered safe for individuals of every age. However, trainers specifically aim some classes at elderly individuals as the courses for younger people tend to be more high-intensity. According to a study, besides its high calorie-burning benefit, Zumba can also help lower the risk of heart disease. Research also shows its effects on reducing blood pressure. In addition, it also positively influences your lipid profile as it decreases the bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol. 

Freestyle Dancing

Freestyle is a way of dancing in which the dancer improvises their moves on the spot as they dance instead of having them planned. It is a free and raw dance form where you express yourself with your entire body. It can be freeing and helps unwind after a long work day. You can include various basic movements of structured exercises like squats to work your body more. As long as you are moving your body, you are burning calories. However, restrict yourself from trying extreme moves that are incompatible with the level of your fitness. It may lead to injuries and other problems.

Hip Hop Dancing

Hip hop is a range of street dance styles, including breaking, locking and popping. It has evolved along with hip-hop music and has become a part of hip-hop culture. It is perfect for every age group and can be incredibly vigorous. Furthermore, it is a fast dancing form and burns many more calories when compared to other dance forms. Hip-hop is an entertaining dance form. You can practise it by attending studio sessions or online classes. In addition, it is highly intensive, so one needs to be careful and do proper warm-up exercises beforehand.

Pole Dancing

Pole dancing concentrates around a pole and focuses on acrobatics and dancing. As per ACSM guidelines, you can classify an advanced-level 60-minute pole dancing class as a moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise. When completed for ≥30 minutes, ≥5 days a week (total ≥150 minutes) satisfies the recommended level of activity for improved health and cardiorespiratory fitness. Pole dancing builds upper body and core strength. It also helps in building muscular endurance and coordination. You can use pole dancing as both an aerobic and anaerobic workout. It is also an empowering dance form for women.

Tap Dancing

Tap dance is a form of dance characterised by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. They use a special kind of shoes that produce metallic sounds. It helps in building lower body strength and coordination. However, the number of calories lost is lesser than in other dance forms. Nevertheless, you can still use this form of dancing to lose weight if you enjoy it, as the love for the form will motivate you to practice it daily. 

Ballroom Dancing

Ballroom dancing has been considered a sport more than a dance form due to the immense amounts of stamina required for this dance form. You do this in pairs, with one individual leading while the other follows. It takes high levels of spatial awareness and allows you to develop the same. It also requires proper posture; practising this dance form can help you maintain a good posture. You can try out ballroom dancing if you have a desk job and tend to sit in front of a screen all day. 

Ballroom dancing includes four significant styles: waltz, tango, foxtrot and quickstep. Waltz is the most traditional type of ballroom dancing which is better for beginners as this style forms the base for ballroom dancing. Tango is an animated version with a lot of expressions and vibrant music. On the other hand, quickstep is the faster variation which requires efficient and neat movements. It is quite an advanced dance form.

Ballroom dancing is an excellent workout as it increases stamina, flexibility and posture. In addition, you can join beginner classes and slowly build up your fitness level.

Dance Workouts 

Dance Workouts have become incredibly popular with various fitness channels. These dance workouts are primarily cardio-based exercises carefully choreographed to have a flow. They include various forms of structured body exercises like squats and jumps. Dance workouts increase flexibility and allow better coordination. They are fun, and you can do them in the comfort of your home. These dance videos have a duration ranging from 10 to 30 minutes. Choose videos based on the intensity level required and your mood. Therefore, this is the perfect choice if you enjoy the privacy of your home and don’t like to join classes where you have to interact with people.

The HealthifyMe Note

All forms of dancing can help you stay fit. Even classical Indian forms like Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Mohiniyattam and Odissi are extremely good for staying graceful and fit. Also, the beauty of these dance forms is that you keep learning emotionally satisfying skills with practice. On the other hand, pop forms are essential to de-stress and stay in shape. So, if you are not into gymming, pick up a form that appeals to you and see your body changing. 

Important Points to Consider Before You Start

If you are planning to lose weight by dancing, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. 

Understand Your Fitness Level

First things first, it is crucial to understand the fitness level of your body. Jumping into intense dances from the get-go can cause injuries. According to studies, injuries are extremely common in dancers. It is often difficult for individuals without prior experience to try ballet or traditional dance forms. Zumba is a versatile dance form that caters to individuals of every fitness level. Dance Workouts are also divided into light, moderate and intense. So choose accordingly to avoid injuries.

Understand Your Goals

Each form of dance allows change in body composition and can help reduce weight. However, few dance forms help you in burning more calories than others. For example, hip-hop can help you burn more calories than dance workouts. Some dances have bonus advantages. For example, ballet enables you to gain balance, while Zumba allows flexibility. Latin dances are very useful for gaining spatial awareness. Depending on your goals, go for the dance form you like. 

Stretch Before You Dance

Dynamic stretching or warming up is a must before dancing. Never do static stretching before dancing. It reduces the heart rate and decreases the intensity threshold you can reach. Dynamic stretching is a stretch that is an active movement as a result of muscle contraction—for example, circling the ankle or shoulders or controlled leg and arm swings. Lighter versions of other exercises are also acceptable for warming up. 

How Much Time Should You Dance to Lose Weight?

The amount of calories burnt through dancing depends on the intensity and style. It also depends on the weight of the person. Therefore, the greater the person’s weight, the more calories are burnt. The average person will burn 300-800 calories per hour while dancing. 

The formula used for calculating the number of calories burnt per minute is

Calories burned per minute = (MET x body weight in Kg x 3.5) ÷ 200

“MET” measures the energy cost of physical activity for a particular period. 

Below are the number of calories burnt per hour of dancing for different dance forms.

• Ballroom, slow: 215 calories
• Tap Dance: 344 calories
• Aerobic dance, low impact: 358 calories
• Aerobic, general: 523 calories
• Freestyle Dancing: 558 calories
• Kathak: 300-400 calories
• Bharatnatyam: 400-500 calories

Please note these are an approximation based on an hour-long session. 

The HealthifyMe Note

Dancing is a creative form of self-expression. It works at several levels. Syncing your movements with rhythm and music enhances coordination and agility. It improves your lungs and heart health. Dancing strengthens muscle tone and helps in weight management. 

Summary

Dancing is an excellent way to lose weight. It can be helpful for individuals who find routine workouts boring. It is a perfect way to introduce physical activity to people with a sedentary lifestyle. Research has proven that dance routines are as effective as workout routines for losing weight. Dancing is also suitable for individuals of all ages and abilities. It has also been proven to affect cardiovascular and mental health significantly. It is a good option for de-stressing. Dancing strengthens muscle tone and helps in weight management. 

You should choose the form of dancing based on interest and physical capability. For example, it is difficult for a person with no physical training to jump into ballet, one of the most complex forms of dance. It is also essential to decide on the duration of your sessions based on your goals, as different forms burn different levels of calories. You can also mix and match the forms. For instance, you can alternate between Zumba and freestyle. To conclude, dancing is an excellent method of losing weight while having fun.

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Picture a pot of soup simmering on a stove. It’s not cold, and it’s not boiling. It’s simmering. This is akin to your metabolism right now while you’re sitting or standing and reading these words on your device.

Your metabolism is your body burning calories to energize all of its functions. Everything from breathing, digesting, and circulating blood, to growing hair, propelling you up a flight of stairs, and repairing cells after injury. It simmers even while you’re sleeping. This slow-burn remains mostly constant throughout your day. Body size, muscle mass, and age play a part in the speed of your metabolism, but it’s mostly set by your genes. You can pick up the pace of your metabolism to burn off calories throughout the day, calories that might otherwise end up stored as fat, including belly fat.

“The belly is one of the body’s primary areas of fat storage,” says Robert Herbst, a 46-time powerlifting champion and Olympic official, who recently broke a world record in the Yoke Carry (556 lbs.) at age 63. “Fat is stored there first and burned from there last, and unfortunately, despite what infomercials claim, we can’t spot reduce.  The only way to lose belly fat is to lose overall body fat.”

What works for your overall body, then, works for your belly, and in more ways than one. Most of the things you can do to speed up your metabolism can also improve your health, fitness, energy levels, mental sharpness, and self-esteem.

So, let’s turn up the heat and look at some ways you can speed up your metabolism and burn fat! And while you’re doing that, check out the 11 Worst Foods for Your Metabolism.

“Think of fat cells as hibernating,” says Ellie Busby, a registered nutritionist in the United Kingdom and founder of the nutrition website Vojo Health. “They require very little energy to maintain because these cells are not very active.”

Exercise reduces these sluggish cells and replaces them with muscle cells, which are more active in boosting metabolism.

“Studies show that even people with a gene called ‘FTO’ that’s associated with a slower metabolism lost as much weight as people without the gene when they engaged in regular exercise for four weeks,” Busby says.

Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so the more you have, the more calories your body will burn even at rest.

“The best way to elevate your metabolism is through resistance exercise, such as lifting weights, which raises your metabolism for 48 to 72 hours after as your body recovers from the workout,” says Herbst.

Strength training becomes even more critical to keeping your metabolism revving as you age. This is because inactive adults can experience a 3% to 8% loss of muscle mass every 10 years, accompanied by resting metabolic rate reduction and fat accumulation, according to a study by exercise physiologist Wayne Wescott, PhD, in Current Sports Medicine Reports.

This study also found that 10 weeks of resistance training may increase resting metabolic rate by 7%.

To make metabolically active muscle, the key is consistency (working out 2 to 3 times a week) and compound lifts, says Joe Johnson, owner of 9 to 5 Nutrition, a fitness coaching service for busy office workers.

Compound lifts are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time, making workouts more efficient and productive.

“Focus on basic compound exercises like bench press, pull-ups, squats, deadlifts, and shoulder presses, and try to lift a little more weight or do 1 extra rep per week,” he says. Lifting this way keeps your muscles challenged for greater growth.

If you are constantly consuming calorie-rich foods and beverages, you’ll take in more calories than your metabolism can burn off. This can lead to weight gain and belly fat.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

To counter that, weight-loss surgeon Jessica Cutler, MD at The Maryland Bariatric Center at Mercy in Baltimore recommends drinking unsweetened beverages, abstaining from snacking, and “allowing your pancreas and storage hormones a chance to rest between meals.”

“Eliminating any food intake after dinner until breakfast or lunch the next day allows your body a chance to use the energy it has already stored in the form of fat,” Dr. Cutler says.

By dieting and essentially starving yourself, you are forcing your metabolism to slow down and go into survival mode. That’s counterproductive.

“Constantly dieting will wreck your metabolism,” warns Lara Days, a certified personal trainer and owner of Lara Elizabeth Coaching. “When we eat more food, we support an efficient system, we have more energy to work harder in the gym, we can build more muscle, and we can burn more through TEF (thermic effect of food).”

In other words, digesting, absorbing, storing, and excreting the food you consume burns calories. About 10% of the calories from the carbohydrates and proteins you eat are used up processing what you eat and that’s part of your overall metabolism. So, eat to boost your fat burn. And make sure to increase your protein intake.

“Protein uses more energy in the digestion process,” says Days. “It also helps us retain muscle mass, which we just learned uses more energy than fat.”

While restrictive diets tend to lower metabolism, intermittent fasting can elevate metabolism. One type of intermittent fasting is limiting eating to a window of time, say, the eight hours between your first meal of the day and the last, and fasting for 16 hours, mostly overnight.

“Intermittent fasting lowers insulin levels so our bodies can tap into stored sources of fats and boost fat oxidation,” says nurse practitioner Cynthia Thurlow, founder of the Everyday Wellness Project and author of Intermittent Fasting Transformation.

Fasting can also boost growth hormones in the body, helping to build more muscle if you strength train.

“Muscle is the organ of longevity,” Thurlow says. “We want to view our muscles as glucose reservoirs, so strength training and intermittent fasting can help us balance blood sugar and insulin and contribute to fat loss.”

Not only does eating breakfast jumpstart your metabolism for the day, but studies also suggest you may consume fewer calories the rest of the day, especially if breakfast includes satiating protein.

“If weight loss is your goal, it’s important to eat a nutritious breakfast that is going to fuel your morning,” says registered dietitian Rima Kleiner, MS, RD, a blogger at Dish on Fish.

Aim to include protein, fiber, and a little heart-healthy fat, a combination that helps to keep you feeling fuller longer.

“My Turmeric Smoked Salmon Breakfast Bowl is a great way to ensure you’re getting the ideal amounts of these key macronutrients and a host of other important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, including turmeric, which is known for its anti-inflammatory properties,” she says. “The salmon provides protein and omega 3’s for brain and heart health, and gets you one serving closer to meeting the recommendation for 2 to 3 seafood meals each week.”

Eating foods like protein that increase your resting metabolic rate can help you burn more calories and ultimately tap into the fat stored in your belly. One type of food that works particularly well for this is anything spicy.

“I recommend all my clients to add spicy foods to their menu in order to take full advantage of this opportunity to burn additional calories outside of daily physical activity,” says certified personal trainer Ryan Ernsbarger, fitness editor of Zenmaster Wellness.

A study in PloS One demonstrated that capsaicin, the active compound in chili peppers that gives spicy foods their heat, promotes fat oxidation and provides a short-term boost in metabolism.

Another piece of the metabolism puzzle is nicknamed N.E.A.T. for non-exercise activity thermogenesis, which encompasses all the physical activity you do in a day that isn’t planned exercise.

This can include pretty much anything, from washing dishes, mowing the lawn, tapping your foot to an upbeat tune, fidgeting in your seat in economics class, and even sex.

To boost your daily N.E.A.T., simply “move more,” says David Smithey, a Level 1 Certified Nutrition Coach and owner of Resolve Nutrition.

“My favorite metabolism booster is recommending 10-minute walks after each meal, which also improves insulin sensitivity,” he says.

As long as you don’t load it up with cream, tons of sugar, and squirts of those sweet flavorings that are popular at coffee shops, your coffee cup can deliver a daily boost to your metabolism, too.

“Caffeine elevates metabolism by increasing thermogenesis via its effects on brown adipose tissue,” says Busby of Vojo Health.

If you want an even greater metabolic response, she says, drink caffeinated green tea. Studies show that a green tea-caffeine mixture improves weight maintenance through thermogenesis and fat oxidation. And powerful antioxidant compounds in green tea called catechins may stimulate the body to burn more fat, studies suggest.

“Your body is 80% water; if you don’t drink enough, your cortisol levels (a stress hormone) will be raised, which will keep you from being able to reduce tummy fat,” says doctor of chiropractic Susan Wong, DC, co-founder of Twin Waves Wellness Center. Wong recommends women consume 2 to 3 liters per day, and 3 to 4 liters daily for men.

Exercise is good for boosting your metabolism, and vigorous exercise is even better because you use more oxygen while huffing and puffing, and your metabolism stays at that higher-rate state long after you hit the showers.

The technical term for this phenomenon is EPOC, which stands for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which is characterized by short bouts of very rigorous effort interspersed with intervals of resting/recovery activity, has been shown to boost EPOC.

A 2021 study in the International Journal of Exercise Science found that both vigorous strength training and HIIT sessions significantly increased energy expenditure for 14 hours after the exercise sessions were complete.

“Getting enough sleep each night is essential to maintaining your metabolism and keeping belly fat away,” says Janet Coleman, RD, a registered dietitian with The Consumer Mag.

One study in the research journal Obesity showed that sleeping only 4 hours per night for 5 nights significantly reduced morning resting metabolic rate in healthy adults.

“Aim for at least seven hours a night and try to get your last meal of the day at least three hours before bedtime so your body has time to fully digest it,” Coleman recommends.

For more strategies that may help you lose your belly, check out these Abdominal Fat-Shrinking Secrets that Actually Work.

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Finding easy ways to burn abdominal fat has been a quest that many of us have been on for many years. From “fat-burning” pills to following complicated diets, the goal to reduce belly fat is one that many people have been trying to accomplish for ages.

Unfortunately, to truly burn abdominal fat, you will have to do a bit more than simply pop a supplement or include one specific food in your diet. Reducing your belly fat involves embracing a healthy lifestyle that includes participating in physical activity, following a healthy diet, and limiting alcohol and added sugars.

Once you get those habits down, you can start making a point to include foods that may help take your abdominal fat-reducing mission to the next level. And one food that may do just that is the juicy and tart-sweet grapefruit.

Read on, and for more on how to eat healthy, don’t miss The #1 Best Juice to Drive Every Day, Says Science.

Grapefruit is the best food to help reduce abdominal fat.

Made famous by the old-school grapefruit diet, the humble grapefruit has been theorized to be a fat-burning fruit that can help you get a flat tummy simply by including it in your daily life.

While no clinical data confirm that eating grapefruit will literally burn off your belly fat to the point that you will be blessed with a svelte physique within days, some studies show that eating this fruit may naturally support your weight loss goals, and in turn, help reduce your abdominal fat.

Grapefruits are a source of nutrients that help support weight loss, including satiating fiber. And data published in the Journal of Medicinal Food shows that eating half of a fresh grapefruit before meals is linked to significant weight loss.

According to observational data published in Food and Nutrition Research, body weight, waist circumference, and BMI were lower among female grapefruit consumers compared to grapefruit non-consumers.

And when evaluating the effects of eating specific varieties of grapefruit on weight, data from a small study shows that eating one-half of a Rio Red grapefruit before each meal for 6 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in waist circumference.

Can eating grapefruit burn abdominal fat? While animal data suggests that consuming naringenin, a flavonoid present in citrus foods like grapefruit, can reduce fat mass, more clinical trials conducted on humans are needed for us to make that claim with confidence.

The health benefits of grapefruit.

Although more research is needed to confirm the fat loss benefits of grapefruit in your diet, including this juicy fruit in your overall healthy diet may help give your body the boost that it needs to see the results you crave.

This fruit has few calories, is fat-free, and contains no added sugars, making it a fantastic addition to any diet that focuses on burning abdominal fat.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

And since eating grapefruit also fuels your body with good-for-you nutrients like vitamin C, folate, and vitamin A, making a daily habit of eating this fruit comes with little downside.

Just keep in mind that this fruit can interact with certain medications, so you should make sure eating this fruit frequently is ok with your health care provider before you jump on the grapefruit bandwagon.

Takeaway

Whether you are enjoying your grapefruit sliced, diced, or even juiced, know that enjoying this classic citrus fruit may help you reach your weight loss goals in a hydrating, natural, and enjoyable way.

READ MORE: The #1 Best Juice To Drink Every Day, Says Science

Since losing weight often means reducing visceral fat mass, including grapefruit in your healthy diet may indirectly help your body burn that stubborn belly fat while you are on your weight loss journey.

So, when you are trying to reduce your belly fat, feel free to slice open a fresh grapefruit to accompany your morning breakfast meal— it may just be the missing link your body is needing.

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At this point, it’s almost common knowledge that sitting is the new smoking. Study after study has shown that sitting for an extended period of time each day can make us fat and increases our risk of premature death.

So what can we do when a quarter of our lives are spent at the office with our butts glued to a chair? The answer: figure out a way to get up and get moving. And according to an expansive new study, you don’t have to step into a fitness studio to do it.

The research, published in The Lancet, found that just two and a half hours of weekly exercise can help extend your life and decrease your risk of heart disease!

And get this: it doesn’t matter how you choose to spend those 150 weekly minutes exercising. Whether you sign up for a spin class or take up walking around your neighborhood, any physical activity counts.

“I would dispel the notion of having to put out money to be active,” Dr. Scott Lear, the study lead author and a professor at Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences in Canada, said in an email to Vox. “Our findings indicate that nonrecreational activity—work, housework, active transportation—is just as beneficial in reducing the risk for premature death and heart disease.”

Since we can’t stick a straw into the fountain of youth, we’ve put together the next best thing: a guide to becoming more active right now. Below are some of the easiest ways to start burning more calories today! And if these everyday activities inspire you to hit the gym, then you don’t want to miss learning more about the mistakes people make the first time they work out.

Cleaning doesn’t just make your house look spick-and-span, but can make your body look better while you’re at it. All you have to do is stay mindful about your movements as you move from room to room. Clench your core while you bend over the tub or a dustpan, then stand on your toes when you scrub some dishes.

“Balance on one foot while wiping down counters, sinks, and walls—just make sure to do both sides,” Michelle Opperman, Group Fitness Manager of Crunch in New Montgomery, says. With doable tips like these, you can tone up while tackling that to-do list. Cleaning for just 25 minutes can burn 100 calories. P.S. Did you know your home could be making you fat?

“Keeping ankle weights in your car are a great way to make grocery shopping and picking up dry cleaning a little bit more challenging. Other options include a weighted vest that allows you to increase and decrease the weight from day today,” recommends Fitness coach Nadia Murdock. “Feeling bashful? Camouflage these fit essentials with a stylish zip-up hoodie or a pair of slouchy activewear bottoms.”

If you have the convenience of living close enough to work (and don’t have an important meeting where you have to dress up), consider biking to the office. And if the entire commute would be too far, split it up! Take the bus, subway, or train to a near point and then bike the rest of the way.

Start multitasking by cutting calories on your commute. Zuta Gilchriest, Regional Group Fitness Director of NY CRUNCH gums, suggests that an easy way to start moving earlier in the morning is to park your car a few blocks away or at the farthest spot in the parking garage to extend your short walk inside the office.

Your pooch’s playfulness is also a great calorie burner for you! “Running around with the dog can be a great way to burn calories and get in a great workout without going to the gym. As long as you are moving, your muscles are contracting and burning calories,” says Derek Mikulski, BS, CSCS, CPT, Founder of ActivMotion, “Just be sure to set aside some dedicated time each day. Just ten minutes per day of playing with your dog at a moderate level of intensity can burn more than 15,000 calories in a year! This equates to roughly five or six pounds of fat!” If you’re already outside walking your pup, why not take an extra lap or two? The extra steps will aid your weight loss efforts and will benefit your four-legged friend, too!

Turns out it is possible to type just as easily when you’re standing as when you’re sitting—and you’re burning a lot more calories while you’re at it. That’s why Dave Colina, certified CrossFit trainer, Krav Maga instructor, and founder of formula O2, says, “If you work in front of a computer all day, I highly recommend experimenting with a standing desk.” If your office doesn’t allow for a standing desk, DIY one by propping your monitor and keyboard up on a stack of books. Up the ante even more with a pedal or treadmill desk.

What if we told you it was possible to lose weight without even getting out of bed? According to University of Montreal researchers, women burn off 69 calories during the average sex sesh, while men burn off 100. You probably didn’t need any excuse to get busy in the bedroom, but as far as reasons go, you have to admit that this is a good one. Send the scale down by getting turned on. Not sure you can go that long? Add these foods that increase sexual stamina to your weekly diet.

If you do find that you’re sitting quite a bit throughout the day, there’s an easy way to take advantage says Alanna Zabel, star of the Element: Beginner Level Yoga DVD. “I use thigh bands while I am working and writing on my computer,” she reveals. “Seize every moment because they all add up!” Speaking of things that add up, sometimes they’re not so good—like these little things making you fatter. You’ve been warned!

This is an obvious one, but you may be surprised how much weight you can lose by doing it. You have a file you need to deliver to the 15th floor, but your office is on the 10th. Use the stairs instead of the elevator, and you’ll burn twice as many calories as you do walking. According to the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, a 150-pound person could lose about 6 pounds per year just by climbing up two flights of stairs every day! Bump that up to six, and you could drop 18 pounds without ever hitting the gym.

Did you know you could burn 100 calories by giving gardening a go for just 22 minutes? And that’s if you weigh 175 pounds. If you weigh more than that, you’ll burn calories at an even faster pace. And while you’re digging in the dirt anyway, make sure you give yourself a double dose of the good stuff by planting produce in addition to all your pretty flowers. That way, you’ll have fresh veggies and herbs to help with your healthy meal preps.

Swapping out your desk chair for a stability ball will help you strengthen your core and burn more calories at the same time. According to Jill Koegel, RD, a sports-certified registered dietitian, sitting on one of those big sports balls during your workday can burn up to an extra 100 calories a day. If you work 300 days in a year, that could add up to an extra 30,000 calories—or about 8.5 pounds!

Checking out the latest fashions and gadgets at the mall will fry 100 calories in a mere 33 minutes!

That mom of three who also teaches spin class and always looks fanfreakintastic? Awesome. But that’s not attainable for everyone, which can leave you feeling frustrated that you can’t be a workout god or goddess, too. The good news: You only need 2 and a half minutes to boost your metabolism and start burning calories, too. Research from the American Physiological Society showed that people who did five 30-second bursts of max-effort cycling, followed by 4 minutes of rest, burned 200 extra calories that day and boosted their metabolism for the next 24-48 hours. It’s highly unlikely you have a stationary bike handy at your place of work, but a similar result could be achieved by running up the stairs and doing jumping jacks.

Stay warm and stay slim this winter by knitting a one-of-a-kind sweater. Just 50 minutes with your knitting needles and yarn will incinerate 100 calories.

This is a surprising one. Turning up the radio and singing along to your favorite tunes might annoy your kids, but it’ll help you burn calories during your morning commute! If you spend 40 minutes belting it out, you’ll burn off about 100 calories. For more surprising ways to burn calories, check out these overlooked ways to lose weight.

Typically order in? Don’t. You’ll only have to spend 30 minutes cooking to burn 100 calories. Now that’s a diet dinner!

So long as you steer clear of the concession stand, a round of bowling (which lasts only 25 minutes) will kick 100 calories to the curb.

You think you may walk a lot at work, but very rarely is anyone walking through their office for more than 20 seconds. Try timing yourself the first couple of times you walk for one minute (so that it’s a two-minute round-trip back to your desk) to develop a couple options for your “walking routes.” Here’s why it’s worth a try: A recent study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found that a two-minute walk every hour can offset the effects of too much sitting, one of the habits that make you sick and fat.

Whether you bust a move in your living room or at the club, shaking your tail feather for just 17 minutes will burn off 100 calories. Whether you’re heading to the club, taking a class, or breaking out your best moves in your living room, start dancing! Moving to music is a great way to get your heart pumping because it’s one of those workouts that doesn’t feel like a workout. Don’t believe us? A study by the University of Brighton found that certain kinds—think swing or contemporary—can actually burn more calories than a run.

You might think of yourself as lucky if your transit option drops you off close to work, but it’s not doing your body any favors. If it’s possible, consider getting off at an earlier drop off point and walking the rest of the way to burn extra calories.

As long as you’re shopping for healthy foods, the supermarket can help you slim down in two ways. Lifting and pushing movements you make while collecting everything you need around the store work your shoulders and core. In fact, spending 22 minutes shopping for these food staples for a flat belly to burn off 100 calories.

Spend the first third of your lunch hour strolling around outside. It’s an easy way to squeeze in some daily exercise and works off about 100 calories.

RELATED: Over 60? These 5 Walking Tips Will Help You Lose Weight

We know it’s ironing is an annoying chore, but setting aside time to catch up on all of your wrinkled clothing can benefit your waistline and your wardrobe. Sixty minutes is all it takes to blast away 100 calories.

You and your co-workers can easily burn 100 calories in just 38 minutes by taking your meeting outside the conference room.

A 37 minute game of putt-putt will incinerate 100 calories.

Spend 51 minutes at your favorite bar playing a fun game of darts with friends. So long as you steer clear of the booze, you’ll burn off 100 calories. And next time you indulge in some alcohol, stick with one of these wines for weight loss.

Take in the sights and sounds of nature all while burning off mega calories. Just 15 minutes into your hike, you’ll have burned off 100 calories—and most trips last far longer than that!

Lace up your sneakers and play tourist in your own city! Check out historic walking tours in your area or find a nearby nature path with a killer view. Walking is easy on the joints, burns a fair number of calories, and is a great way to take in new sites and sounds.

Volunteering at a dog shelter or lending a hand at a park clean-up is an engaging way to meet others, give back to your community and add some extra activity to your day.

RELATED: 3 Major Secrets to Living to 100, According to Experts

Instead of grabbing drinks or dinner with your friends, head to the park with a frisbee or a football and log some playtime. In the cooler months, hit a ping pong or pool hall for a bit of friendly, active competition—just steer clear of the beer and caloric cocktails.

Have kids? They’re surely in needing of burning off a ton of energy so take advantage and get in on the action with them. Not only are backyard games like tag, hopscotch, and catch, enjoyable and fun, they can actually burn off a fair share of calories. “Create an obstacle course for your kids and race them! Run, jump, crawl, race! ” says Diana Newton, co-owner and trainer at Fitmix Studio in LA. “Don’t have kids? Borrow your friends’ kids and let their parents go on a day date while you babysit.”

RELATED: The #1 Best Place to Exercise, New Study Says

Next time your cell phone rings, stand up to answer it and don’t sit back down for the whole call. Katy Fraggos of the boutique fitness studio, Perspirology, has a way to make it even more challenging. “Try balancing on one leg throughout the duration of the call. Alternate to balance on the opposite leg when the next call comes in.”

Next time you’re stuck in traffic or at a red light (as it’s important not to let yourself get distracted driving), you can easily take advantage of the time to work your core muscles and improve posture. “To do this, hold the steering wheel at ten and two. Sit with your back as straight as possible, ears stacked over the shoulders also allowing you to relax the back of the neck. Glide shoulder blades down the back and squeeze shoulder blades slightly inward,” says Jessica Diaz, Barre instructor and certified personal trainer. “Start to breathe your belly button in towards your spine, towards the lower back, toning the core muscles. Focus on taking deep calming but forceful belly breaths. You can do what I do to have fun with this and blast your favorite song, exhaling sharply to the beat!”

Just because you don’t have extra time to drive to the gym and back on a regular basis doesn’t mean you don’t have time to squeeze in a few walks this week. Whether you partner up, put a leash on your dog, or lace up your sneakers on your own, taking a walk can burn more calories than you think. Instead of simply strolling, put some pep in your step; by speeding up your walk from 3.5 MPH to 4, you’ll end up burning an extra 1,200 calories a month. Just get going every day for only 20 minutes.

RELATED: Walking This Many Steps Every Day Can Help You Live Longer, New Study Finds

While we would never want to distract you from your favorite show, commercials are a prime time to workout. “Focus on one exercise each commercial break, doing as many as you can. Work your way through the body moving onto the next exercise at the next commercial segment,” recommends Opperman. “An example would be squats, push-ups, reverse lunges, crunches, jumping jacks. To increase the intensity you can add speed or add plyo to the moves. The show segment becomes your recovery.” Watching a show on say Netflix with no commercial break? You’re not off the hook. “Pick a word before the show starts and every time you hear it do five burpees,” says Opperman. “This could quickly get real fun and challenging.”

Vacuuming probably isn’t the kind of thing you want to postpone any longer than you have to—or is it? Walking lunges are a great way to work on your abs, hips, and thighs, and you can do them while you vacuum. “While holding the vacuum, take a big step forward with one leg while lifting the heel of the other foot,” suggests Dr. Robert G. Silverman, nutritionist and HardStyle Kettlebell Certified instructor. “Bend the knees and drop your hips down. Don’t let the back knee touch the ground. Come back up and bring the back foot forward in another big step. Repeat until the carpet is clean.”

Yes, you can burn calories on your night out on the town. Simply relocate the group outing to a bar with a pool table. For every couple games of pool you shoot, you’ll burn almost the same amount of calories as there are in a 12 oz. bottle of Budweiser—that’s 111.

RELATED: The Best Bar Food in Every State

Next time you hike out of the Subway system or walk around the mall, you’ll torch an insane amount of calories if you skip the escalator and opt for the stairs instead. Tourists take note: All those stairs can help balance out those indulgent vacation meals.

Friend moving? Or you’re looking to redecorate? Moving furniture around for 30 minutes will burn a staggering 167 calories.

Car looking a little dusty recently? Why not skip the drive-through carwash, save some cash, and do the sudsing yourself. Delegating an hour to hosing down and buffing up your vehicle will burn roughly 140 calories if you weigh 150 pounds.

Read more:

This Diet and Exercise Combo Helps Uncontrolled High Blood Pressure, New Study Says

The #1 Best Exercise for Slimming Down After 60, Trainer Says

New Study Reveals the Exercise Trick for Erasing the Effects of Sitting

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From checking email first thing in the morning to watching TV before bed at night, our devices are an integral part of our everyday life from the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep. Unfortunately, that may mean that we’re doing ourselves a disservice in terms of not only our sleeping habits, but our overall health—and weight.

In a June 2021 study published in Scientific Reports, a group of 10 adult males were exposed to light-emitting diode (LED), organic light-emitting diode (OLED), or dim light four hours prior to falling asleep inside a metabolic chamber, in which they were monitored by researchers.

The researchers found that the study subjects who’d been exposed to LED light experienced a significant reduction in their ability to burn fat while they slept.

“Although no effect on sleep architecture was observed, energy expenditure and core body temperature during sleep were significantly decreased after OLED exposure. Furthermore, fat oxidation during sleep was significantly lower after exposure to LED compared with OLED,” said Kumpei Tokuyama, Ph.D., a professor in the school of Health and Sports Sciences at the University of Tsukuba and senior author of the study, in a statement.

According to Tokuyama, this may mean that using your devices before bedtime could make it harder to lose weight—or may even lead to weight gain over time. While exposure to OLEDs versus LEDs may have a lesser effect, the reduction in energy expenditure during study subjects’ sleep was still significant enough that it could lead to physiological changes in the long run.

This isn’t the first time artificial light has been linked to the potential for weight gain, though. According to a 2019 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, among a study population of 43,722 women between ages 35 and 74, those who slept with either a light or television on in their room had higher rates of obesity at the beginning of the study and were 17% more likely to have gained 11 pounds or more after the study’s conclusion.

While the JAMA Internal Medicine study’s authors admitted that the precise link between light exposure and weight gain wasn’t clear from their research, other scientists have their theories: For instance, a 2019 review of research published in Chronobiology International found a link between exposure to blue light and shorter REM sleep—which has been linked to weight gain.

So if you want to improve the quality of your sleep and improve your health along the way, try turning off those devices—and the lights—before you turn in at night.

If you want to improve your sleep, start with these 7 Healthy Diet Changes That Help You Sleep, and for more healthy living news delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter!

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Calling all chocoholics! In addition to the antioxidants and other health benefits of eating chocolate, a new study suggests that a particular type of chocolate may actually help you slim down, along with when you eat it. And, if you think you’ve guessed which type of chocolate these scientists are shouting out, then so much about these findings is likely to blow your mind.

Check out the chocolate that researchers found to support weight loss efforts, and read One Major Effect Coffee Has on Your Metabolism, Expert Says.

A study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital published this week in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology set out to examine whether eating 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of chocolate at different times of day affected metabolism in postmenopausal women.

To start, 19 women were divided into three groups: one group ate chocolate in the morning, while another ate at night. The third group ate no chocolate at all. Otherwise, the participants weren’t required to change their usual diet habits. This experiment was carried out for 14 days.

One key factor? The choice in chocolate. The researcher state that dark chocolate is often credited with its health effects. For that reason, these researchers opted to see what happened by administering milk chocolate.

The first observation the researchers state in their abstract is: “Our results show that 14 days of chocolate intake did not increase body weight.” If you think that’s compelling in and of itself, just keep reading…

RELATED: This Simple Walking Workout Is an Amazing Fat Burner, Says Top Trainer

Both morning and evening chocolate-eating groups of women saw decreased hunger and fewer sweets cravings over the 14-day study.

RELATED: Side Effects of Giving Up Chocolate, According to Science

Both the morning and nighttime chocolate eaters burned increased calories than a baseline measure, but the nighttime group burned twice the calories (300 on average) than the morning group’s average 150. Further, the nighttime chocolate eaters experienced an increase in physical activity of 6.9 percent, increased metabolism, and even a reduction in waist circumference by 1.7 percent. Their sleeping rhythms are also said to have been more regular. Why? The reason is very scientific—read to find out.

The researchers explain that eating chocolate seemed to alter “the composition and function” of microbiota in the gut, which they believe played an important part in the hunger, activity, and metabolic shifts for the participants.

RELATED: The Secret to Avoiding Obesity May Lie in Your Gut, Says New Study

There’s a key caveat to point out before you incorporate this amount of chocolate into your everyday diet: While the consumption of chocolate seemed to increase women’s calories burned in this study, the calories in the chocolate, about 542, significantly outweighed the increase in calories burned. So, while it may be worth eating more chocolate to see how this serves you, opting for a whole 3.5 ounces might be a little excessive on the regular.

Sign up for the Eat This, Not That! newsletter, and keep reading:

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In 2013, Chris Jordan, MS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, ACSM EP-C/APT, an elite exercise physiologist with experience training armed forces who is currently the director of exercise physiology at the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, created a simple bodyweight exercise routine that instantly took the fitness world by storm. It was called the “7-Minute Workout,” and the instructional app containing variations of the routine—complete with videos of Jordan himself offering stern instruction and demonstration—swiftly became one of the most-downloaded fitness apps on the market.

The 7-Minute workout preached the benefits of a type of training that was quickly gaining in popularity at the time: high-intensity interval training, or doing short bursts of really intense exercise split up by short periods of rest. Though the mechanics of HIIT were actually nothing new—elite athletes have been doing several versions of it since the 1930s—the routine promised something truly incredible to busy, working Americans everywhere: Yes, you can get fitter faster—in less than 10 minutes!—and you can do so in any basement or hotel room, using only the weight of your body, a wall, and perhaps a chair. Jordan published the compelling findings of his research on the benefits of the 7-Minute Workout in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal, and a phenomenon was born.

For anyone who has tried the 7-Minute Workout and may have found it too difficult to complete, earlier this year Jordan released a newer and “gentler” variation of it: The Standing 7-Minute Workout. The idea behind this new version, as Jordan explained to The New York Times, is to make the 7-Minute Workout more accessible to as many people as possible, including “my triathlete elder brother and my 82-year-old mother.”

RELATED: 15 Underrated Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work

In this version, as the name suggests, he eliminates all of the exercises that may cause strain on the person’s body by having them drop to the floor, including more difficult moves such as planks, pushups, and crunches. “Like the original workout, the standing workout includes exercises for cardio fitness, the lower body, the upper body, and core muscles—in that order,” explains the Times. “Each exercise lasts just 30 seconds with just five seconds of rest in between. To get the most out of the workout, do each exercise at relatively high intensity—about a 7 or 8 on a scale of 1 to 10.”

You can view a video of Jordan explaining and demonstrating the workout here.

If you have doubts that you can burn fat by exercising in such a short amount of time, Jordan has plenty of science to back him up. “When it comes to the immediate health benefits of this sort of high-intensity exercise, it’s all about blood sugar,” Timothy Church, Ph.D., a professor of preventive medicine at Louisiana State University, explained to Men’s Journal. If you’re jumping rope or running sprints, for example, your body instantly gets to processing your blood sugar, which aids in weight loss, and the stress on your muscles leads to greater conditioning. The benefits simply compound from there.

“As with other forms of exercise, when your muscles grow, they pull on your skeletal system, increasing your bone density,” explains Men’s Journal. “A lot of new research also shows that interval training triggers the release of macrophages and killer T cells, boosting the body’s immune function for hours after your last pushup or pullup.”

As your fitness grows, know that you can perform these exercises for longer periods of time than 7 minutes—but we’re not talking about hours. Ten, 15, or 20 minutes is plenty of exercise, as LSU’s Church told Men’s Journal. After all, think of all of the weight lifters who do their sets, and then simply walk around the gym staring at the clock, their heads bobbing to music. “Most people are really doing hard work for only 15 to 20 minutes anyway,” he said.

For more great weight loss advice, make sure you’re aware of The One Workout That Drives 29 Percent More Fat Loss, According to Science.

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Figuring out how many calories you should burn every day isn’t mathematically difficult—but it’s practically impossible if you don’t know what you want to accomplish by incinerating that stored up energy. Do you want to lose weight? Gain weight? Maintain your current weight? Depending on your goal, it’ll be a different number.

That burn number also will be impacted by how many calories you consume in a given day. We’re talking about the concept of “calories in vs. calories out.” You’ve heard of this. It’s the idea that to lose weight you must burn off more calories than you consume in a day. And when that doesn’t happen, when you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight. (Related: 15 Underrated Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work)

Makes sense, right? “Calories in” is every food and drink that passes your lips. “Calories out” (calorie burn) is your body using those calories.

The basic science is accurate, but there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes. Many nutritionists and trainers feel it’s an oversimplification because both calories in and calories burned off are influenced by a host of factors like the type, quality, and ratio of macronutrients you’re eating, your health, quality of your sleep, stress levels, hormones, level of physical activity, even how you prepare your food.

“Each person has a unique metabolism, the rate at which they burn calories,” says Trista Best, RD, MPH, a dietitian with Balance One Supplements. “This is known as your basal metabolic rate (BMR). This number equates to the number of calories they should consume during the day.”

Fortunately, there are mathematical formulas that can help us guesstimate some of those various influences on calories in versus calories out. Let’s walk through the arithmetic (the Harris-Benedict formula) that’ll get you the numbers you’re looking for, starting with your basal metabolic rate, the measurement of the number of calories your body uses just to exist (heart rate, breathing, circulation, etc.).

First, do the calculation based on your gender.

To find out how many calories you need to burn in order to lose weight, you first need to do the calculation to find out how many calories you need to consume in general.

• For women, you need to do the following calculation: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age)
• For men, this is the calculation: BMR = 66 + (6.2 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age)

Let’s put this calculation into practice. Take a 5-foot-6-inch woman, age 40, who weighs 160 pounds, for example:

665 + (4.35 x 160 lbs.) + (4.7 x 66 inches) – (4.7 x 40) = 1,483 (BMR)

Factor in your physical activity.

Now, to find out how many calories you need to consume per day to maintain your current weight, you have to factor in your physical activity level, part of that “calories out” hat trick: Multiply the BMR by the numbers corresponding with physical activity level in the table below.

• Little to no exercise / BMR x 1.2 =____
• Light exercise (1-3 days/week) / BMR x 1.375 =____
• Moderate exercise (3-5 days/week) / BMR x 1.55 = ____
• Heavy exercise (6-7 days/week) / BMR x 1.725 =____
• Very heavy exercise (twice daily) / BMR x 1.9 =____

So, if the woman in the example above has a light amount of exercise each week, that would mean multiplying her 1,483 calories (BMR) by 1.375 (light exercise) to get a total of 2,039 calories to maintain her current weight.

Find the proper deficit with your calculated calories.

“Calories in versus calories out really is as simple as it gets from a weight loss, maintenance, or weight gain standpoint,” says Jack Coxall, a strength and conditioning coach and co-founder of Fitness Lab in London. “If someone wants to lose weight, then they will need to maintain a calorie deficit, in other words, burn more calories every day than they consume, until they have achieved their desired weight loss goal. Generally speaking, a deficit of 15% to 20% of daily calorie needs is a good place to start.“

In the example of our 40-year-old woman, a 20% calorie deficit would be about 400 calories—resulting in a total of 1,600 calories consumed. To achieve the proper calorie burn for weight loss, you can either cut calories, increase your exercise, or do a combination of both. 

Related: 40 Ways to Burn More Calories Right Now.

However, it still is important to realize that everybody is different—and one person’s needs may not be the same as another’s.

Make the right decisions for your body’s needs.

The number one reason most people struggle to lose weight is they start with the wrong calorie target by incorrectly working out their total daily energy expenditure, says Coxall.

“It’s important to note that calorie calculators can only give us a general estimate of a person’s calorie needs,” says Coxall. “It’s a good number to start with but might need adjusting if it seems like weight loss is not happening, or conversely, happening a bit too fast to be sustainable.”

On the other hand, dropping food intake by a large percentage may trigger faster results, but can easily backfire, warns Dr. Waqas Ahmad Buttar from Sachet Infusions.

“Resistance might build up and cravings might kick in,” says Dr. Buttar. He recommends a slower approach, cutting calorie intake by 10% and then gradually reducing calories or increasing physical activity by another 10%.

Weight loss isn’t the only measurement of success when it comes to getting healthier. Nutrition and fitness coach Rob Arthur, CSCS recommends using calorie calculators as a starting point but relying more on a food diary tracking changes in weight and body composition.

“Track your waist circumference and how your clothes fit,” he says. “How’s your sleep? Are you feeling more energetic and focused? All of these are important measures of progress when making the change to a healthier lifestyle.”

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Metabolism. It’s the set of life-sustaining chemical transformations within the cells of living organisms. It’s such a big concept that it’s understandable to feel as if it’s beyond your control. But that’s not true!

If you’re wondering how to increase metabolism, we’ve rounded up the 50 best quick and easy ways to rev your fat-burning furnace to help you reach your weight loss goals that much faster. And to keep you on track, be sure you’re stocked up on The 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat Right Now.

If you want to weigh less, you’ve got to eat less, right? Well, if you’re not eating enough calories, it can cause your body to lose muscle mass, which will decrease the rate of your metabolism. Plus, when you skimp on calories, your body slows the rate at which it burns calories to conserve the fuel it’s got.

“Under-fueling is just as risky as over-fueling,” explains Carolyn Brown, MS, RD at Foodtrainers in Manhattan. Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CDN, of the New York Nutrition Group agrees: “In an attempt for quick, noticeable weight loss, many people wrongfully believe that eating as few calories as possible is the best solution. Not only can this lead to numerous nutritional deficiencies as the body is getting less food overall, but it can also actually have the opposite effect on weight loss.” Instead of cutting calories like crazy, use the simple diet and exercise hacks below that can help you slim down quickly and safely without screwing up your metabolism.

Even when you’re at rest, your body is constantly burning calories. In fact, 60 to 80 percent of the calories that you burn each day are being used up just keeping you alive, according to research published in Frontiers in Physiology. Studies show “resting metabolic rate” and total calories burned is much higher in people with more muscle because every pound of muscle uses about 6 calories a day just to sustain itself. If you can pack on just five pounds of muscle and sustain it, you’ll burn the caloric equivalent of three pounds of fat over the course of a year.

RELATED: Learn how to fire up your metabolism and lose weight the smart way.

When it comes to the best workouts for weight loss, neither weights nor cardio can completely move the needle on their own. Interval training is the best way to shed pounds, increase your metabolism, and improve insulin sensitivity. One International Journal of Obesity study found that 20-minute HIIT workouts helped women lose 5.5 more pounds and gain more lean muscle mass over the course of 15 weeks than women who did long, steady cardio workouts.

At the gym, sign up for a HIIT class, or turn your favorite aerobic exercise, (running, biking, even walking) into an interval workout by adding periods of intense speed (start with 30 to 60 seconds) followed by periods of rest (normal speed) for the same amount of time. Do this six to 10 times to complete a fat-slashing workout. As you get better, slowly increase the amount of time of increased intensity.

The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn—no matter what you’re doing. Hitting the gym helps you build muscle and eating protein keeps your gains from breaking down and slowing your metabolic rate as a result.

Research has found that because protein is more difficult for the body to break down and digest than other nutrients, it can increase post-meal calorie burn by 5 percent. Aim to incorporate some protein into every meal and snack throughout the day.

Metabolism-boosting foods high in protein include:

• Hard-boiled eggs
• Chicken breast
• Ground turkey
• Beans
• Flank, hanger, or skirt steak

Protein needs differ by individual, but typically consuming 0.8 to one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day should be sufficient enough to fuel weight loss, says Leah Kaufman, MS, RD, CDN, a New York City-based dietitian. For a 130-pound (59 kilograms) person, that would equal between 46 and 58 grams of protein.

It takes the body extra effort to break down whole grains than more refined and processed grains, like the flour ordinarily used to make bread and pasta. You can help keep your metabolic rate elevated by consuming foods that the body has to work harder to digest, as shown in a Food & Nutrition Research study. Pomona College researchers found that consuming whole foods increased your post-meal energy expenditure by 50 percent compared to eating processed foods.

Your go-to foods that boost metabolism are whole grains that are also rich in fiber.

• Brown rice
• Oatmeal
• Quinoa
• Sprouted grain bread

Jimmy Fallon’s doing great, but now it’s time to DVR him and start getting to bed earlier. A study in Finland looked at sets of identical twins and discovered that in each set of siblings, the twin who slept less had more visceral fat. If you do nothing else differently, just getting an extra half hour of shuteye will make all the difference. If you’re chronically sleep deprived, don’t be surprised if you gain a few pounds without eating a morsel of extra food. “A lack of sleep can cause several metabolic problems,” says nutritionist and Holistic Health Coach Seth Santoro. “It can cause you to burn fewer calories, lack appetite control and experience an increase in cortisol levels, which stores fat.”

Lack of sufficient sleep—under the recommended seven to nine hours a night for most adults—also leads to impaired glucose tolerance, a.k.a. your body’s ability to utilize sugar for fuel. “We all have those less-than-adequate nights of sleep,” says nutritionist Lisa Jubilee, MS, CDN. “But if it’s a regular thing, you’re better off lengthening your night’s sleep than working out, if fat loss or weight maintenance is your goal.”

Research has found that people burn fewer calories when they sleep during the day and log their waking hours after the sun’s gone down. To come to this finding, researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder studied 14 healthy adults for six days. For two days, study participants slept at night and stayed awake during the day, then they reversed their routines to mimic the schedules of night owls. When participants slept during the day, researchers found that they burned 52 to 59 fewer calories than they did while catching their Zzzs in the evening—likely because the schedule messed with their circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock that plays a major role in metabolism function. If you have no choice but to sleep during the day, aim to cut 50-60 calories from your daily diet.

Not only are beans a great source of plant-based protein, they’re also packed with both soluble and insoluble fiber. The process of digesting the fiber and protein in beans burns extra calories, and both types of fiber help lower insulin levels after digestion and cause your body to store less fat. Think of every bean as a little metabolism-boosting pill. One study found that people who ate a ¾ cup of beans daily weighed 6.6 pounds less than those who didn’t—despite bean eaters consuming, on average, 199 calories more per day.

Stress can actually cause the body to metabolize food more slowly, according to research published in the journal Biological Psychiatry. To make matters worse, the food we crave when we’re stressed out tends to be fatty and full of sugar. Researchers say that the combination of high-cal cravings and a stress-induced, snail-paced metabolic rate can result in significant weight gain. To increase your metabolism, fight stress with laughter. Research shows that smiling and laughing causes levels of stress hormones to diminish.

If there’s one supplement most Americans should be taking, it’s vitamin D. It’s essential for preserving metabolism-revving muscle tissue, but researchers estimate that a measly 20 percent of Americans take in enough via their diet. While you can nail 90 percent of your recommended daily value (400 IU) in a 3.5-ounce serving of salmon, popping a daily supplement is pretty convenient.

Good dietary sources of vitamin D for metabolism:

• Tuna: 68 IUs per 3 ounces White Albacore tuna (11% DV)
• Fortified low-fat milk: 120 IUs per cup (20% DV)
• Eggs: 40 IUs per fried egg (7% DV)

For nutritionist Lisa Jubilee, one of the best and cheapest ways to give your metabolism a jolt is to drink water (she suggests 20 to 32 ounces) shortly after waking. Why? During sleep, your body’s metabolic function slows down, and unless you wake up in the middle of the night to swig some water, you’re not taking in any fluids. Jubilee suggests completely rehydrating before stressing your body with any other food or drink. “My clients who have implemented this report less bloating, more energy and a smaller appetite,” she says. Her motto for getting your inner furnace stoked and ready for the day: “Rehydrate, then caffeinate!”

Weight loss doesn’t get easier than this: Simply drinking more water may increase the rate at which healthy people burn calories, according to a study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. After drinking approximately 17 ounces of water (about 2 tall glasses), participants’ metabolic rates increased by 30 percent. The researchers estimate that increasing water intake by 1.5 liters a day (about 6 cups) would burn an extra 17,400 calories over the course of the year—a weight loss of approximately five pounds!

“Always be prepared for a busy or unpredictable day by keeping healthy snacks on you, at your desk, in your car,” says Amy Shapiro, MS, RD, CDN, and member of our medical board. Shapiro says that if you have to skip breakfast, lunch, or even dinner during your quest to look your best, you can keep your energy levels up while making healthy choices. “You’ll have no reason to run to the vending machine for chips or stick your hand in the candy bowl,” she says.

Shapiro recommends eating snacks to keep your metabolism humming such as:

• Almonds or other unsalted nuts
• Apples
• Bananas
• Chia bars
• Protein bars
• Fruit and nut bars

Yeah, yeah, it has zero calories, but drinking diet soda may yet play havoc with your goal of having a flat belly. Research published in the journal Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism shows that artificially sweetened beverages may screw up the body’s normal metabolic response to sugar, actually increasing appetite! Increasingly, diet drinks are being linked to weight gain, metabolic syndrome and a host of other ills. (Find out what happens to your body when you give up soda.)

A 2003 study in the International Journal of Obesity demonstrated that a low-calorie diet that’s rich in almonds could help people shed weight. Not only do the good monounsaturated fats in almonds have an effect on insulin levels, say scientists, but also give dieters a feeling of fullness, meaning that they are less likely to overeat. So stock your pantry with almonds, walnuts, and nut butter.

The smoothie revolution is here, and lots of people are swilling down bushels of leafy greens. Believe it or not, there’s a downside to this ingenious delivery method. A big part of the body’s job—breaking down food so that the body can absorb nutrients—has been outsourced to our Nutribullets and Vitamixes. That means that the body is expending much less energy than it would if we were eating kale, spinach, and bananas in their solid form. Smoothies are great for weight loss, but by prioritizing lean meats, fish, fibrous vegetables and fruit, you are driving up TEF (the “Thermic Effect of Food,” or your metabolic rate after eating) and expending more calories on digestion.

There are plenty of fish in the sea, but salmon may be the best one when you’re trying to find out how to increase metabolism. That’s because most cases of underactive thyroid are due to inflammation of the gland, and salmon boasts significant anti-inflammatory properties thanks to its rich omega-3 fatty acid content. In fact, a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at the effects of weight loss and seafood consumption and showed salmon to be the most effective at reducing inflammation—better than cod, fish oil, and a fish-free diet.

Iron deficiency affects more than 1 in 5 women in the U.S. Being deficient in essential minerals can show up in all kinds of ways, such as fatigue and anemia, but an iron deficiency can also be a blow for your metabolic health. See, your body can’t work as efficiently to burn calories when it doesn’t have what it needs to work properly. On the other hand, when you treat iron deficiency with sufficient iron intake, you can lose weight and improve metabolic parameters such as lowering blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels, according to a Clinical Therapeutics study.

Iron-rich foods you can add to your diet to boost metabolism include:

• 1 cup iron-fortified breakfast cereal, 100% DV iron
• 1 cup of lentils, 36% DV iron
• 3.5 ounces ground beef, 15% DV iron
• 1 cup spinach, 24% DV iron

Bodybuilders have long sworn by eating every few hours to keep their muscles fueled, but don’t discount the weight loss potential of three squares a day. A study in the journal Hepatology put two groups of men on weight-gain diets. One group divided the calories among three small meals with snacks in between while the second group ate the same number of calories in three square meals. While both groups gained weight, researchers found that belly fat—the dangerous kind that increases heart-disease risk—only increased in the high-meal frequency group.

While drinking in moderation every so often won’t do too much harm to your waistline, making it a habit can slow down your metabolic rate. Why? When your body has a cocktail to break down, it takes precedence over any food that you’ve already eaten that’s waiting to be digested. This slows down the entire metabolic process. On the occasions that you decided to indulge, stick to low-calorie drinks. Alternate your alcohol with water to slow your pace, and cut yourself off after two drinks. Avoid ordering high-cal bar food like fries and burgers. An important note: Wine in moderation can have numerous benefits, including weight loss!

Shuck one for your metabolism. Heck, make it a half dozen. After all, oysters are one of the best dietary sources zinc—a mineral that’s critical for thyroid health. In fact, the body needs enough zinc to activate production of thyroid hormone. And, in turn, we need enough thyroid hormone to absorb zinc. Any way you look at it, deficiencies are likely to result in a sluggish metabolism, and supplementing with the mineral has shown to get weight loss back on track. One study in Nutrition Research and Practice found that obese people who consumed 30 milligrams of zinc per day—the equivalent of just six raw oysters—had improved BMIs, lost weight, and showed improvements in blood cholesterol levels. Get shucking!

Probiotics in products like yogurt and fermented foods like pickles and sauerkraut help good bacteria in the gut process food more efficiently. Not only is yogurt a great source of protein and calcium, a Nature study found that eating it as part of a reduced-calorie diet can help shrink your waistline. And you can incorporate it into dishes throughout the day.

Coffee is one of the best drinks for weight loss because it boosts your metabolism. A study published in the journal Food Science and Biotechnology found that caffeine revs the sympathetic nervous system and increases lipolysis (aka fat burn). A cup of black coffee is a good pre-workout beverage, too: Researchers found that cyclists who took a caffeine supplement were able to ride about a mile farther than those who took a placebo. Make yours a venti and skip the sweeteners.

Have a few cups of java for a metabolism boost, but if you’re never seen without a mug at your lips, that could work against you, says Shapiro. Caffeine is a natural appetite suppressant. If you’re constantly consuming it, you may not eat much—or realize how hungry you really are—until you get home for dinner. “Not eating enough throughout the day can make your metabolism sluggish,” she says. “By the time you eat dinner, instead of immediately using that food for energy, your body is aggressively storing it as fat, just in case it will be deprived again.” Stick to three to four cups of coffee a day to keep your caffeine intake under control.

It’s like butter that grows on trees. But instead of the cholesterol, trans fats, and saturated fats in real butter, avocado contains metabolism-enhancing monounsaturated fat. And that’s not all. Each creamy fruit is also packed with fiber and free-radical-killing antioxidants. Free radicals are destructive rogue oxygen molecules—natural byproducts of metabolism—that trigger various chain reactions in the body that destroy cells and DNA, causing all kinds of health problems. Antioxidants in fresh fruits and vegetables can help neutralize some free radicals, but they can’t reach the mitochondria—the base camp for the free radical army—and that’s a problem.

When your mitochondria aren’t working properly, your metabolism runs less efficiently. Enter: Avocado. A 2015 study found that monounsaturated-rich oil pressed from the fruit can help mitochondria become more resilient. Researchers say the results jive with low-disease rates in Mediterranean countries where olive oil—nutritionally similar to the avocado—is a diet staple.

“Hormones dictate how our body utilizes the energy we give it,” says nutritionist Lisa Jubilee. “Between our reproductive, thyroid and growth hormones, appetite, insulin, and hunger hormone leptin and ghrelin, our bodies have to perform a tricky balancing act to keep us lean, energized and viable reproductive beings.” Those tasks have become much more difficult because of the hormone residues we consume via cage-raised foods. If you want to give your metabolism a leg up, Jubilee says, switch to organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised beef, eggs, and dairy products, thereby avoiding those nasty hormones at mealtime.

Calcium and vitamin C team up well to boost metabolism. Broccoli contains both nutrients, not to mention the kind of fiber that’s been shown to increase TEF. What’s more: Broccoli contains a compound that works on a genetic level to effectively “switch off” cancer genes, leading to the targeted death of cancer cells and slowing of disease progression.

It’s no joke: Genuine laughter may cause a 10–20 percent increase in basal energy expenditure and resting heart-rate, according to a study published in the International Journal of Obesity. That means a 10-15 minute giggle fest could burn up 40 to 170 calories. Let us hear you lol!

Add mustard to your meal, and feel the burn—literally! Scientists at England’s Oxford Polytechnic Institute found that by eating just one teaspoon of mustard (about 5 calories) can boost the metabolism by up to 25 percent for several hours after eating. The benefits, researchers say, may be attributed to capsaicin and allyl isothiocyanates, phytochemicals that give the mustard its characteristic flavor.

Forget slogging on the treadmill for hours, research printed in the journal Physiological Reports showed that people who did five 30-second bursts of max-effort cycling, followed by 4 minutes of rest, burned 200 extra calories that day. That’s just 2.5 minutes of work for a resting metabolism boost that will last 24 to 48 hours!

It’s well reported that fiery capsaicin (think: hot sauce, cayenne, chili) can rev up the metabolism, but study findings presented at the Experimental Biology meeting in Anaheim, California, showed similar weight loss potential in dihydrocapsiate (DCT), the non-spicy cousin of hot peppers. Participants who ate the most DCT experienced a metabolic boost that was nearly double the placebo group! Bottom line: Pile on the poblanos!

A striking new study published in the journal Diabetes suggests that simply turning on the AC may subtly transform a person’s stores of brown fat, the “good” fat stimulated by cold temperatures, that serves to keep us warm by burning through “bad” fat stores. Participants spent a few weeks sleeping in bedrooms with varying temperatures: a neutral 75 degrees, a cool 66 degrees, and a balmy 81 degrees. After four weeks of sleeping at 66 degrees, the men had almost doubled their volumes of brown fat. Cool!

One study in the European Journal of Nutrition put two groups of men on identical weight loss diets. The only difference? Half of the group ate their carbs throughout the day while the second group reserved carbohydrates for nighttime. The result? The nighttime carb group showed a significantly higher diet-induced thermogenesis (meaning they burned more calories digesting their food the next day). On the other hand, the daytime-carb group showed increased blood sugar levels. Experts believe that when you give yourself large gaps between your carb intake (like fasting overnight), your body is more equipped to deal with your intake of blood-sugar-raising carbs when you have them next.

Not only is vinegar great on salad, it’s also shown to “switch on” genes that release proteins that break down fat. In a study of 175 overweight Japanese men and women published in Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, researchers found that participants who drank one or two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily for 12 weeks significantly lowered their body weight, BMI, visceral fat, and waist circumference.

Although it’s true that egg whites are low in calories, fat-free, and contain most of the protein found in an egg, eating the entire egg is beneficial to your metabolism. The yolk contains many metabolism-stoking nutrients, including fat-soluble vitamins, essential fatty acids and—most significantly—choline, a powerful compound that animal research shows can prevent the storage of fat around your liver. Worried about cholesterol? New studies have found that moderate consumption of one to three whole eggs per day has no negative effect on 70 percent of the population’s lipid (fat) profile and may actually improve it.

Our bodies need dietary fat—particularly healthy oils—in order to lose weight and function properly. The right kinds of fats and oils help quash hunger, maximize your metabolism, and speed nutrients through your body by helping to absorb fat-soluble nutrients. Diets high in healthy monounsaturated fats, like olive oil, can actually help the body to burn calories and lose weight compared to low-fat diets.
Additionally, studies show extra virgin olive oil may also increase blood levels of serotonin, a hormone associated with satiety.

If you always opt for coffee over tea, you could be missing out on a major metabolism boost. A Penn State animal study found supplementing exercise with green tea can actually boost weight loss. In fact, after 16 weeks, rats experienced a body mass reduction of 27.1 percent and an average abdominal fat mass reduction of 36.6 percent. What’s green tea’s magic? The brew contains catechins, a type of antioxidant that triggers the release of fat from fat cells and helps speed the liver’s capacity for turning fat into energy.

Studies conducted at The Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee suggest that consuming dairy may help your body metabolize fat more efficiently. Other studies have shown that increased calcium intake from dairy products (though not from supplemental calcium carbonate) caused study participants to poop out more fat as opposed to it sticking around on the body.

Ideally, we sleep about eight hours for every 24. Most people spend another seven to ten hours sitting at their desk. That means most of us spend the overwhelming majority of our time sedentary. Our bodies weren’t designed for this level of inactivity—most of humans’ evolutionary history involved being active, searching for food and fuel. Nutritionist Lisa Jubilee says that one way to burn more calories daily is to stand more and sit less. She cites a British study which found that standing at work burned 50 more calories per hour than sitting. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, consider this: If you stand for just three hours of your day, in one year you’d expend more than 30,000 extra calories—which amounts to about 8 pounds of fat!

Recent studies have shown that garlic supports blood-sugar metabolism and helps control lipid levels in the blood. Adding garlic to foods that are rich in fats and carbohydrates may keep those substances from doing the damage they’re known to do. What’s more, eating garlic can help boost your immune system, help ward off heart disease, fight inflammation and lower blood pressure, to name a few.

In a study conducted by Swiss and German researchers, lucky participants ate about 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate daily for two weeks. Ultimately, these chocolate nibblers had lower stress-hormone levels and a more regulated metabolism than a control group. Scientists speculate that chemicals in cocoa, such as flavonoids, play a role in regulating metabolism by alleviating stress that can cause your fat-burning engines to go on the fritz. Should you think this is a license to go wild, take heed: We’re talking small amounts of high-quality dark chocolate. Researchers say 1.5 ounces is enough.

Want to have a faster metabolism? Install apps like f.lux or Twilight on your devices. They reduce certain parts of the light spectrum as your bedtime approaches. Studies have shown that LED lights in phones disturb the production of the sleep hormone melanin. A purring metabolism is greatly helped by a good night’s sleep. So take your late-night texting down a notch or two… At least in terms of screen brightness.

You might want to think twice before ditching dairy if you’re trying to lose weight—despite what your Paleo-preaching CrossFit friends tell you. Cheese is a satisfying, portable, and inexpensive food that’s packed with calcium, vitamin D, and protein. “Calcium can also promote weight loss because it helps maintain muscle mass, which boosts and helps maintain metabolism, helping you burn calories more efficiently throughout the day,” says Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, author of The Miracle Carb Diet: Make Calories & Fat Disappear—With Fiber! That doesn’t mean you can help yourself to a cheese-drenched casserole, though. Work cheese into fiber-rich snacks to make them more satiating.

Caffeine may provide a bit of a boost to the metabolism, especially when ingested before exercise, but no amount of metabolic boost can burn off the empty calories that energy drinks supply. According to one study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a typical energy drink serves up a quarter cup of sugar—calories that hit your body all at once and trigger fat storage. If you want to burn calories, try the miracle beverage known as tap water.

A new report from the Credit Suisse Research Institute found that more and more of us are choosing whole-fat foods over skim, lite, fat-free or other modern monikers of leanness. And while many health organizations like the American Heart Association still want us to cut down on fat—particularly saturated fat—this full-fat trend may be a healthy rebellion against those decades-old credos, according to recent studies. In fact, people who eat a lot of high-fat dairy products actually have the lowest incidence of diabetes, according to a 2015 study of 26,930 people in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Those who ate a lot of low-fat dairy products, on the other hand, had the highest incidence. The researchers speculated that while calcium, protein, vitamin D, and other nutrients in yogurt are indeed good for us, we need the fat that goes along with them in order to reap their protective effects.

Eating an apple each day can help prevent metabolic syndrome, a disorder associated with abdominal fat, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. They’ll keep the doctor away and your muffin tops at bay because apples are a low-calorie, nutrient dense source of fiber, which studies have proven to be integral to reducing visceral fat. A recent study at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber eaten per day, visceral fat was reduced by 3.7 percent over five years!

Studies show that those who eat the most fiber gain the least weight over time and that eating fiber can decrease your risk of belly fat by 3.7 percent. Aim for about 28 grams of fiber a day—the amount present in about three servings each of fruits and vegetables.

Experts agree that including a weekly cheat meal into your healthy-eating plan can actually help you reach your weight loss goals. Plus, a recent study published in the International Journal of Obesity, discovered that dieters who took a two-week break from their low-calorie meal plan lost more weight than those who dieted consistently.

Having a strategy is key: “By planning your cheat meal, you know what you’ll be eating and can cut a few extra calories earlier in the day,” says Jim White, RD, ACSM Health Fitness Specialist and owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios. “This also allows you to really pick a favorite food instead of wasting calories on something you didn’t enjoy.”

Contrary to popular belief, researchers now say breakfast doesn’t kickstart the metabolism and may not be the most important meal of the day. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition had more than 300 overweight participants consume diets that included either eating or skipping breakfast. At the end of 16 weeks, dieters who ate breakfast lost no more weight than the breakfast skippers. And a second study in the same journal found eating breakfast had zero impact on resting metabolism. Breakfast is an ideal place to squeeze protein, fiber, and other nutrients into your day, but if the choice is a doughnut or nothing, opt for the nothing. Start your day with lean protein, which burns twice as many calories during digestion as fat or carbs. But don’t stress about squeezing it in before 9 a.m.

This antioxidant-rich, traditional Chinese tea not only helps keep cholesterol levels in check and aids digestion, it can also help rev up your metabolism. Like green tea, oolong is packed with catechins, which boost weight loss efforts by improving the body’s ability to metabolize fat. A study in the Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine found that participants who regularly sipped oolong tea lost six pounds over the course of six weeks.

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