Eating a well balanced meal and exercising regularly are a thing of the past. Why waste your time sweating it out and depriving yourself of the food you love when there are so many other calorie burning tactics to try? Laughing, breathing, and stuffing your face are just a few of the ways people have tried to lose the weight without altering their lifestyle. Do these tricks really work or are they just wishful thinking? It’s up to you decide.
Eat a Grapefruit
Eating half a grapefruit with every meal is believed to increase the rate at which your body burns fat. This powerful fruit can block enzymes related to fat and carbohydrate storage and help your body burn calories while you eat. Amazing! Not in the mood for eating a tart fruit before chow time? Try an eight ounce glass of grapefruit juice instead of your normal beverage.
Drink Cold Water
A tall glass of water is not only refreshing, it’s an easy way to burn calories and stay hydrated. Water in general is good for your body, but the key to burning calories is to drink it on an empty stomach. Drinking cold water on an empty stomach will make your body work to heat it up to body temperature for processing. The more you drink, the more you burn. Bottoms up.
Don a Thermal Suit
This trash bag like suit will increase your body temperature so that you can sweat out all the toxins and melt away the pounds. Originally worn by wrestlers and other athletes looking to drop weight, the suit has since become popular among the average individual looking to slim down. Put it on before you exercise and prepare to sweat! Be sure to drink plenty of water during and after you exercise in order to stray hydrated.
Add a Little Spice to Your Diet
Eating spicy food can kick-start your metabolism and leave you with a healthy glow. Try a dish made with chili pepper or mustard seed, both of which contain a calorie burning compound called capsaicin. Spicy Indian curry, Thai papaya salad, or a little extra wasabi with your sushi are just a few spicy eats that will clear your sinuses and leave you feeling all warm and tingly inside.
Breathe
Pranayama is a powerful breathing technique used by yogis to clear and cleanse the mind and body. It can also help you burn a few calories as it massages and tones the internal organs, all while heating your body and stimulating your metabolism. All this from breathing! Try Ujjayi breath. This is done by constricting the back of the throat until your breath begins to sound like the ocean. Be sure to slow down your breathing and really draw out your inhales and exhales.
Eat Standing Up
According to the Mayo Clinic, standing up while eating burns more calories than sitting down. Instead of sitting at your desk or at a low table, try standing around a high table or at a counter. Standing is also a good way to stretch your spine and give your body a break from sitting behind a desk all day.
Fly a Kite
For every 30 minutes you spend flying a kite you’ll burn 80 calories. Spend an afternoon in the park and you could burn up to 500 calories! Sound too good to be true? You won’t know until you try. For maximum calorie burning you may want to try running with your kite. Pack a light lunch and plenty of water to refuel, and don’t forget your grapefruit.
Laugh
A hearty chuckle can indeed burn calories, as well as alter your mood and reduce stress and tension. Join a laughter yoga group and you’re guaranteed to spend a full 60 minutes laughing each time you meet. Laughter yoga uses the breath and the energy of others to keep laughter going. You’ll make funny faces and engage in a childlike playfulness you thought you left behind long ago.
Stuff Your Face
One theory suggests that careful eaters splurge once every 2 to 3 weeks. The belief behind this idea is that once your body gets used to eating a restricted amount of calories your metabolism will eventually slow down. Spend one day amassing as many calories as possible and you’ll reset your metabolism and start the calorie burning process all over again.
Sleep Naked
Sleeping naked isn’t just for lovers. Slumbering in the buff puts your body to work so that you can stay warm. Pajamas trap heat and keep your body temperature high, so that your body doesn’t have to work as hard. Peel off the layers and keep the blankets to a minimum and you’ll be dropping pounds in no time.
Take a Seat
Chairs are nice, but if you really want to make yourself work, replace the chair with an exercise ball. Turn your work day into a workout day by balancing yourself on an exercise ball while sitting at your desk. Using a ball will improve your posture and work your core as you keep your muscles engaged and focus on maintaining your balance.
Window Shop
When you’re longing for a shopping spree, but lacking the cash, window shopping is the next best thing. Get a quick fix of new items while walking it out and eliminating calories. While normal shopping requires you to stop and wait in lines, window shopping keeps you moving, so that you can maximize the burn without spending a dime.
Eat Garlic
Eating a few cloves of garlic a day can increase your metabolism and break down fat stored in your body. This stinking rose contains oils that promote peristalsis, which helps your body to loosen fat and flush it out. Eating garlic also increases your body’s temperature so that you can maximize its fat burning potential.
Vibrate
The Vibration Plate claims to vibrate the calories away, making exercise a thing of the past. The machine has a vibrating plate that you stand on in different positions to target different areas of your body. There’s no need to move, the machine does all the work for you. Just 10 minutes a day can increase your metabolism and your bone density, plus help you shed pounds and tone up.
Go Raw
A growing number of people believe eating only raw foods is the best way to burn calories and cleanse your system. Those who follow the raw food diet believe that heating food above 116 degrees F destroys enzymes in the food that can aid in absorption and digestion. If you’re looking to go raw stick to unprocessed, whole foods such as: fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, seeds, grains, legumes, and seaweed.
