Lazy Ways to Burn Calories

Extra weight doesn't just affect your wardrobe options; it also elevates your chances of experiencing heart disease and other health problems. You don't need to work out excessively and become stick thin to experience the health benefits of weight loss. In fact, a simple weight reduction of 5 percent to 10 percent leads to immediate, beneficial results, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you find yourself feeling complacent and unmotivated to work out, rejoice that there are easy ways to burn fat without spending hours in a gym.

Stand

Simply getting off of your behind helps you burn a few extra calories, and this adds up over the days, weeks and months. For people who have never exercised but need to lose weight, the American Heart Association recommends standing instead of sitting while doing routine tasks, such as talking on the phone.

Green Tea

Green tea, a natural source of health-boosting antioxidants, improves fat oxidation in your body thanks to its high amount of catechins, reports "Health" magazine. The magazine recommends drinking green tea as a way to "crank" your metabolism's efficacy and achieve a slimmer body.

Sleep

When you sleep, you may think you're not really doing anything at all. However, getting enough sleep --- approximately seven to eight hours a night --- plays a vital role in metabolism and weight control, according to a 2011 research study published in the "Journal of Clinical Investigation." Ensuring you sleep enough keeps your metabolism and fat-burning systems running smoothly.

Skip Steps

Whether you're using a stair climber exercise machine or simply walking up the stairs at work, disrupt your natural gait by skipping one step out of every five that you take. This increases fat loss and activates new muscles, says strength specialist Cameron Garr, all without a lot of extra time or effort on your part.

Coffee

Coffee acts as a powerful metabolic enhancer, says the University of California's Dr. Judith Stern. That may be due to its caffeine content's stimulating effect. Don't undo the positive, fat-burning effects of coffee by overloading your beverage with sugar, syrups or cream.

Protein

Your body's metabolism burns 25 percent to 30 percent of the calories found in a single gram of protein. In contrast, only 6 percent to 8 percent of the calories in a gram of carbohydrates get burned during the digestive process. "Men's Fitness" magazine recommends switching out some of the carbs in your daily meals for lean protein to help you lose fat faster. Recommended lean protein sources, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, include legumes and lean poultry.

Exercise Ball

Swap out your office desk chair for an exercise ball. Just by sitting on the ball, you activate muscles in your core, such as your abdominal muscles and muscle fibers in your lower back, and basically get a workout while sitting down.

Fish

The omega-3 fats in coldwater fish, such as tuna and salmon, amp up your metabolism, reports "Health" magazine. Plus, the leptin content of the fish boosts how quickly your body burns fat.

Weights

Lifting weights might scare off the unmotivated dieter but do not fear. "Men's Fitness Australia" specifically encourages lazy people by noting that you need to do only 10 minutes of weightlifting a day three times weekly to experience fast weight loss. Pumping iron doesn't just burn calories directly; it also adjusts your body mass composition, and more lean muscle mass increases your metabolism rate.

Acids

Acidic foods, such as lemon juice and vinegar, regulate your body's blood insulin levels and can increase how your body's metabolism functions by up to 40 percent. Adding these ingredients to your meal may help increase your weight loss results, simply through the act of eating.