Many of us (except for those few lucky ones) despise hopping onto the treadmill and running a few miles. Cardio is hard, but at the end do the day, it's an important exercise that our health and our hearts need. And not just that, but exercise also releases endorphins that make us feel good. Yet for many of us, we can only be consistent with our workout if we like it. So if we hate running, how exactly can we get fit? Fitness trainer, Bec Donlan revealed some great ways to burn calories without having to do intense cardio.
One of the simplest ways to shed those calories is to just sit... yes, sit. But not exactly in the way you may be thinking. All you need to do is sit in a hot sauna room because it will get your body sweating like crazy! And sweating means goodbye calories. According to Donlan, you can even burn upwards of 600 calories in an hour or 300 in 30 minutes, so make sure you stay hydrated throughout your easy peasy "cardio." Funny enough, doing the opposite can also have similar effects. "Studies show that ice baths activate brown fat, and when stimulated at its maximum (3 to 6 minutes in the ice bath), you can burn anywhere from 300 to 500 calories as your body works to reheat itself," the fitness trainer admitted.
There are so many simple yet effective methods to burn calories throughout the day. There may even be things that you're doing and not even noticing. For example, cleaning your house is obviously getting the body to move - low and behold, it's something that Donlan suggests if you want to do cardio without actually doing cardio. She said, "Cleaning the house can burn up to 300 calories per hour. I put on my Bala wrist weights, and this genuinely feels like a sneaky workout." How easy! Another household task that helps is gardening, which Doncaln explained. "This can come in at 440 calories per hour. Again, add wrist weights, because why not?"
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While the previous suggestions may not have been so obvious, this next one probably is - hiking. Okay, we know, this exercise can easily get you out of breath and sweaty, just like running. But it's so much easier because you can go at any pace you'd like! Donlan recommends this one because not only will being in nature help you lose 370 calories an hour, you will get your daily dose of vitamin D! Lastly, (and our favorite), get a massage. Yes.. you read that right. "Getting a full-body massage can come in at 230-260 calories per hour." Count us in! Check our Donlan's Instagram for more incredibly helpful tips on your fitness journey.
