5 Ways to Burn More Calories at Rest

November 17, 2013

by Cathe Friedrich

Of course, you up the calorie burn when you exercise, but you spend more time at rest than you do exercising. If you could burn more calories at rest during the hours when you aren’t working out, that would be a good thing, wouldn’t it? Over time it could have a significant impact on your body weight. The good news? There are ways to boost the calories you burn when you’re at home or at the office even when you’re not working out. Here are some tips to help burn more total calories each day when you’re not actively exercising.

Burn More Calories: Fidget More

Are you a fidgeter? Are your hands or feet constantly moving? Surprisingly, research shows fidgeters burn up to 350 more calories a day than non-fidgeters. Plus, they tend to be leaner than their more sedate counterparts. Fidgeting falls under the category of NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), energy expenditure from an activity not related to formal exercise. NEAT may explain why some people are able to stay lean while eating a relatively high-calorie diet. When fidgeters overeat, they burn the extra calories through NEAT by shaking their feet while they sit, changing positions, twirling their pen around in their hands or tapping their fingers on their desk throughout the day. They may not even be aware they’re doing this, but this type of activity accounts for between 15 and 50% of total calorie expenditure for the day. That’s significant!

Can a non-fidgeter learn the art of fidgeting? It’s true that many fidgeters are hard-wired to fidget but even a non-fidgeter can train themselves to move around more once they’re aware of how little they’re moving. Simply getting up out of a chair and stretching every 10 minutes helps. Another option? Convert your sitting desk to a standing one and stand during the day. Why not pop a piece of sugar-free gum in your mouth to keep your mouth in motion or turn on some music that’ll get your feet tapping. Those extra calories add up.

Burn More Calories: Turn Back the Thermostat

Turning back the thermostat in your house can also boost the number of calories you burn. A study showed that cutting room temperature back to 60 degrees Fahrenheit increases energy expenditure by up to 200 calories a day. How? When you turn down the thermostat, your body produces more internal heat to compensate for the cooler temperature. Exposure to cold also appears to activate brown fat, an energy inefficient form of fat that wastes energy to produce heat. Keep your home cooler and dress lightly, especially at night when you sleep. Don’t pile on the covers when you climb into bed. Sleep in a cool environment.

Burn More Calories: Eat More Protein and Sip Green Tea

When you eat, you have to expend additional energy to digest and break food down to a form your body can use. This is called the thermic effect of food. Of the three macronutrients, protein requires the most energy for digestion and breakdown whereas fat uses the least. By adding protein to every meal and snack, you increase the energy your body expends for digestion. Sprinkle some cayenne pepper on your protein source and then cool off your mouth with green tea. Cayenne pepper and green tea both have modest metabolism-boosting benefits.

Burn More Calories: Start the Day with High-Intensity Exercise

High-intensity exercise that takes you out of your comfort zone creates an after-burn effect where your body burns more calories for hours after you’ve finished. That means you’ll expend more energy at rest even after you’ve completed a heart-thumping sweat session. Low to moderate-intensity exercise burns calories while you’re doing it but you recover quickly and there’s no real after-burn. That’s one reason shorter, high-intensity workouts are more effective for weight loss than long, slow exercise. Add high-intensity intervals to your workout routine to maximize the after-burn and burn more calories while you’re resting later in the day.

Burn More Calories: Build More Lean Body Mass

Why do men have a higher resting metabolic rate than women? Mostly because they have more muscle. You can boost the number of amount of calories your body burns at rest by packing on more lean body mass. Don’t be so single-mindedly focused on cardio that you forget to resistance train. After all, resistance training is an investment in your metabolic future. Make sure you’re using enough resistance to really challenge your muscles or you won’t experience the growth you’re looking for – or the metabolism boost.

The Bottom Line?

The key to staying a healthy weight is to burn more calories not just when you’re exercising but all the time – even when you’re at rest. Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can do that. Don’t just up the calorie burn when you work out, burn more calories at rest too with these calorie-burning tips. Over time, they can have an impact on your body composition, weight, and health.

References:

Science Daily. “Fidgeting, Moving Around Key to Why Some Don’t Gain Weight”

Obesity Reviews. Volume 12, Issue 7, pages 543–551, July 2011.

Inactivity Physiology and Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis D-03 Marc T. Hamilton, the University of Missouri (NEAT): Clinical and Molecular Insights James A. Levine, Mayo Clinic Theodore W. Zderic, University of Missouri – Columbia Catherine Kotz, Veterans Affairs Medical Center. 2006.

J Am Coll Nutr October 2004 vol. 23 no. 5 373-385.