Tired of the exercise-diet-exercise routine? Kilos lodged around your belly despite all the deprivation? Try some of these weird ways to burn calories and lose weight.
#1 Cryogenic therapy
This is one of the latest trends taking Hollywood by storm. Dozens of celebrities are immersing themselves into cooling chambers where the subzero temperatures promotes the freezing of fat.
There are two kinds of fat cells- white fat cells (cause inflammation & lead to fat storage and insulin resistance) and brown fat (helps burn calories). Cryogenic therapy works by stimulating brown fat whereby the body burns more calories than usual to try to stay warm.
Drawbacks? Sessions are very expensive, so try taking cold showers or going for walks in cold weather instead.
#2 Sleep better
One night of poor sleep leaves you fighting drowsiness with several cups of coffee. Chronic sleep deprivation leads to many more problems. Quality sleep ensures that the body can metabolize food efficiently, and lack of it disrupts the body’s normal response to insulin and also drives up the stress hormone, cortisol.
Just 4 days of sleep deprivation decreases sensitivity to insulin by 30%, impacting the metabolism. Sleep deprivation causes insulin resistance, so insulin cannot work fast enough to remove lipids from the blood stream. And that’s not all.
Stress due to insomnia triggers increase in cortisol, which makes us overeat. Lesson? Sleep more and get rid of that pesky midsection fat.
#3 Eat earlier
Those midnight munchies are forbidden for a reason! We rarely reach for fresh fruit or nuts when we are hungry late at night. Bingeing on high-calorie snacks before you get into bed can result in poor sleep due to acid reflux and indigestion. If you eat earlier in the evening, chances are, you will be moving around after and will digest your food properly before you hit the pillow and will sleep better. And as you now know, sleep is critical for weight loss!
#4 Do more chores yourself
Cleaning floors, wringing out wet clothes, making beds, etc., all sound terribly boring and mundane but you can actually burn several calories by doing household tasks. If mopping the floor or cleaning your car, use exaggerated motions.
Swing your arms back and forth for a great bicep workout. Squat while you do the dusting, and play your favourite music. You will burn calories effortlessly!
#5 Walk and talk
Most phones come with a built-in pedometer/fitness app so you can actually measure at what speed you can comfortably walk across the longest area in your home or workplace, without getting breathless on the phone. The next time you get a phone call, get up from your chair and walk around while you talk.
It won’t feel like exercise because your mind will be focused on the phone call, and you can walk up to a kilometer while catching up with a friend over a 25-30 minute phone call. We can’t think of a better accidental calorie burn!
#6 Drink more cold water
This one may sound trite but the truth is, a lot of the times, we mistake our thirst for hunger. Feeling peckish? Reach for a glass of cold water and see how you feel 5 minutes after that. Most of the time, the hunger pangs will subside! Cold water also boosts the metabolism.