#21-25

21. Sleep better
A poor night’s sleep causes people to chose less-nutritious foods, according to a study at the University of Pennsylvania. Another study showed that sleep-deprived people simply move less. ~ Sleep deprivation also causes people to eat more calories at each sitting as well as eating more frequently during the day; this combination can have a huge drastic effect. Here is an excellent article from CBS News.

22. Walk and talk
Don’t sit still when you take a phone call. At work, wear a headset. ~ Research has shown that you burn 1/3 of the calories sitting than you would if you were to walk, or simply pace. This makes a big difference at the end of the day!

23. Switch sides
Whether you’re carrying a heavy bag on your shoulder or a child on your hip, “swapping sides every five minutes works more muscles,” says Peterson. ~ This will also ensure that you working both sides of the body, compared to just one (most likely – your dominant side).

24. Pick up the pace
Listen to fast songs, such as “Closer” by Ne-Yo, says Ruth Zukerman, co-owner of Flywheel Sports, a cycling studio in New York City. “The beat forces you to keep a calorie-burning pace, especially when walking or taking stairs.” ~ By listening to music that has an upbeat tempo – you will trick yourself into moving faster. This works in several aspects of life. For example, research has shown that restaurants that use this type of music see an increase of 11% in their sales. 63% of shoppers say that they purchase more merchandise from stores that play this type of music because they felt more rushed to make decision. I am sure we have all experienced this and while stores may use this to increase their sales and restaurants may use this to encourage us to consume more calories than we had planned, this information can be very valuable to your everyday life – cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc.

25. Cook your own food
“It’s often healthier, and by the time you’ve made a meal and cleaned up, you’ve been on your feet a half-hour more than you would have waiting for takeout,” says Slayton. ~ Research shows that simply by preparing and cleaning up a meal, a person can burn about 75-100 calories per hour. While this may not sound like a lot up front, simply making dinner and cleaning up each night will burn approximately 700 calories extra that week or about 1/5 of a lb!

 

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