In this modern society of ours we work longer hours, travel longer to get to work and have very little time for frivolous matters such as exercise…right? Unfortunately frivolous matters like exercise are what help us lose weight and keep it off.

{More convenient? Check. Greater calorie burning? Not so much.}

If long days make it difficult for you to get in a proper workout, its time for you to look into ways that you can burn more calories even when you’re not at the gym. Keep reading to find more ways to lose weight throughout your day!

Walk Everywhere

Those beautifully decorated things at the bottom of your legs, those are you feet. Use them to help you get where you need to go throughout your day. Skip the elevators, escalators and taxis; walk to your destination whenever possible.

Put on your gym shoes and pack up that fancy work footwear and walk to a meeting or interview. The fresh air and the brisk walk will clear your mind and help you burn calories. Walking at a brisk pace for an hour throughout your day can help you burn more calories; 354 more calories to be exact!

If you’re curious about how many miles you walk throughout the day, get a pedometer to track your every step. An hour of uphill walking can help you burn even more calories—558 calories! So get walking; to the bathroom, to the boss’ office and even to the mailroom.

Take A Stand

Standing up burns more calories than sitting, so push back that desk chair and stand up while you do business or simply check your email. Sitting for one hour doing office work burns 140 calories per hour, which is by no means nothing to bemoan, but standing up while you work burns 214 calories, helping you burn more calories without sacrificing productivity.

If your job requires a lot of time at the computer or on the phone, take a page from the Donald Rumsfeld book and get a standing workstation. This will allow you to finish all the work you need in a day while also helping you achieve your weight loss goals.

Drink More Water

You’re probably sick of hearing this, but when it comes to weight loss water is King!

The problem is that most of us simply don’t get enough water in the day, which can make you feel hungry when you’re not. In fact people that are dehydrated usually experience a drop in their metabolic rate, which means your entire body isn’t functioning at an optimal level. That unfortunately also means that you’re not burning more calories by simply being.

Chances are good that you aren’t drinking enough water, so the best way to help your body function properly and burn more calories is to drink more water. Your goal should be at least 8 glasses each day.

Stairs Are Your Friend

As comfortable as technology has made our lives—computers, elevators and mobile phones—it has also made us incredibly lazy. I’m guilty of it too; sure I get a regular workout most days but even still I’ll wait 10 minutes for the elevator rather than taking a few flights of stairs.

The truth is that the stairs are an amazing exercise on their own, toning your thighs, butt and lower abdominal muscles. But stairs are also a quite effective way to get where you’re going. Avoid that long queue at the elevator or escalator banks during the lunch hour or the end of the work day, strap on your gym shoes and let your feet get you where you need to go!

Burn While You Clean

If your day has been too busy for you to get to the gym, take the technology out of your household chores to help you burn more calories. As easy as it would be to just pop the dishes into the washer, doing them by hand will help you make up for skipping your daily workout.

{Things that have to be done around the house can help you burn more calories today!}

In fact cleaning and household chores are a great way to burn more calories when you can’t get a full workout. In just one hour of vacuuming, dusting, mopping and cleaning up dinner dishes you could burn 233 calories! Think about that the next time you consider hiring a maid. Those chores that we all hate can be the key to helping us create a calorie deficit when a full on exercise regimen isn’t part of the day.

Don’t Skip Meals

While skipping meals may seem like a good way to help achieve that calorie deficit we all aim for, it is not the best way to help you burn more calories. Your body needs a certain amount of calories just to perform simple functions, and when you skip meals your body prioritizes how to use the fuel it has.

As important as burning more calories and losing weight might be to you, your body is focused more on more important processes like keeping your body running properly. Eat your meals and choose healthy snacks between meals to keep burning calories throughout your busy day.

Healthy Snacks

One of the best things you can do to burn more calories is choose your snacks wisely. Rather than overly-processed junk food that has tons of calories and ZERO nutritional value, choose snacks that don’t have a ton of calories but do provide you with nutritional essentials.

Look for water-based foods like fruits and vegetables for your daily snacks; this will keep your daily calorie count low and keep you hydrated. Also look for high fiber snacks like apples; they help you burn more calories just to digest them. In addition high fiber snacks also make sure you’re getting vitamins and nutrients that will keep you healthy while you lose weight.

Cook Your Meals

There are so many reasons that cooking your own meals can help you burn more calories, but the truth is that the act of cooking itself can help you burn more than 100 calories. According to Harvard Medical School a 155-pound person can burn 93 calories for every 30 minutes of cooking, while a 185-pound person can burn 111 calories for every half-hour of cooking.

That’s good news for those of you who spend 5 minutes in a drive-thru window and call it “making dinner”.

In addition to being able to control the quality of the products that you eat, cooking your own meals is yet another activity that helps you burn more calories each day. Think of how many calories you can burn in a week of cooking meals from 30 to 45 minutes each day!

If you’re looking for a simple transition to a healthier lifestyle, read our review of Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat. His intermittent fasting technique may be just what you need for a fitter new you!