Five Simple Tricks That Burn Calories – Without a Single Squat

Here is a number worth remembering: if you simply stood up and moved around during every ad break of an evening's television, you could take thousands of extra steps without ever putting on trainers. Researchers who study everyday movement say that the calories we burn outside the gym, through fidgeting, walking around and standing up, can differ by hundreds of calories a day between two people of similar size. That is the good news behind this article: the extra calories you eat during the day can be partly balanced out with very simple tricks. And if, over time, you use a little more energy than you take in through food and drink, your body weight will gradually start to move in the right direction.

Actress Jennifer Aniston, known for keeping her routine refreshingly uncomplicated, has said in an interview with Well+Good that her day usually begins with the same small ritual: a cup of hot water with a slice of lemon, followed by some form of exercise. She has never presented it as a fat-burning secret – just a habit that gets her day going. And that is exactly the spirit of the five tricks below: small, cheap habits that are easy to keep.

A popular rule of thumb says that one kilogram of body fat is worth roughly 7,500 calories (often quoted as 7,700). We have explained this in more detail in The dilemma of all diets: have you really lost weight or have you just lost excess water?. Scientists, such as the team behind the energy-balance model published in The Lancet by researchers at the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), point out that the real picture is more complex, because the body adapts as weight changes. You can try their free Body Weight Planner yourself. Still, the basic idea holds: small daily differences add up over months. That is why it is worth knowing a few shortcuts to a slimmer figure.

1. Give green tea a chance

Whenever you can, reach for a cup of green tea instead of a sugary drink. A cup of unsweetened green tea has only about 2 calories. In a well-known study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a green tea extract rich in catechins and caffeine raised 24-hour energy expenditure by around 4 percent – roughly 80 extra calories a day. A later meta-analysis in the International Journal of Obesity found a small effect on body weight, while a Cochrane review concluded that the benefit for most people is modest.

So it is best to be realistic: two to three cups of green tea a day will not melt away hundreds of calories, but they can give your metabolism a slight nudge – and, more importantly, replace drinks that would otherwise bring in 100 to 150 calories per glass. A tip from researchers at Purdue University: a squeeze of lemon may help your body make better use of green tea's antioxidants. Don't overdo it, though – the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has warned that very high doses of green tea catechins from supplements may put strain on the liver, while ordinary brewed tea is generally considered safe.

2. Drink water more often

A German study carried out at the Charit{-15447} university hospital in Berlin and published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism showed that after drinking about half a litre of water, participants' metabolic rate rose by around 30 percent. The effect began within about ten minutes and peaked after 30 to 40 minutes. Later research, such as a follow-up study in the International Journal of Obesity, measured a much smaller effect, so the calories burned by water itself are probably modest.

Where water really seems to help is before meals. In a 12-week trial from Virginia Tech, published in the journal Obesity, adults who drank half a litre of water before each main meal lost about 2 kg more than those who did not. That is why the best time to drink water is roughly half an hour before a meal. We have written about this rule in Quick tricks for better health and a perfect body, and about popular flavoured versions in Water with spice: miracle or silly idea? and Japanese Water: Myth or Reality. If plain water bores you, read Fight kilograms with water, but not just ordinary water!

One reader told us that she keeps a glass bottle on her kitchen counter and finishes it before lunch: "I'm not sure how many calories it burns, but I definitely stopped snacking on biscuits at eleven o'clock."

3. Add lemon juice

Lemons are rich in vitamin C, which supports normal immune function, as explained by the US National Institutes of Health. Vitamin C is not a "fat solvent", but it does play a role in how the body uses fat for energy. A study from Arizona State University, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, found that people with low vitamin C levels burned less fat during moderate exercise than people with adequate levels.

The claim that a cup of lemonade burns 100 calories is not supported by research. The real benefit of lemon water is simpler: if it replaces a soft drink, juice or sweetened iced tea, you save those calories completely. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends exactly this kind of swap as an easy way to cut calories from drinks. Many people also find that a glass of lemon water in the morning helps them feel less like snacking. Just remember to make it without sugar, drink it with a straw or rinse your mouth with plain water afterwards, as frequent acidic drinks can be hard on tooth enamel. People with a sensitive stomach may prefer it after breakfast rather than on an empty stomach. For more on what to have first thing in the day, see What not to eat early in the morning (or late at night).

4. Laugh

It may sound unusual, but laughing really does use energy. Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center measured it precisely and published the results in the International Journal of Obesity: 10 to 15 minutes of genuine laughter burned between 10 and 40 calories, depending on how hard and how long people laughed.

So a good comedy that keeps you laughing will not replace a workout – realistically, you might use a few dozen extra calories over an evening. But laughter has other pleasant side effects: it relaxes you, improves your mood and makes it less likely that you will reach for comfort food out of boredom or stress. One reader summed it up well: "On the evenings I watch something funny with my husband, I forget about the bag of crisps in the cupboard."

5. Ad breaks are time for a walk

For your wellbeing and health it is important to go to the toilet regularly and not hold it in. So use every ad break to get up: go to the toilet, walk around the room, fetch a glass of water, stretch a little. It doesn't take much, but every time you stand up, you wake up your body, get your muscles working and give your metabolism a small boost.

Scientists call this NEAT – non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or the energy we use in everyday movement outside of sport. In a well-known study published in Science, researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that people with obesity sat for about two hours a day longer than leaner people – a difference that could amount to around 350 calories a day. A small pilot study from the University of Tennessee, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, showed that people who stepped in place during TV commercials added thousands of steps to their day without giving up their favourite programmes.

If you get up during every ad break, you can easily use an extra 100 calories or so a day on top of what you would burn sitting still. A short walk also helps the body handle sugar after a meal, as we explained in Too much sugar? No worries! The worst thing you can do is stay glued to the sofa... day after day after day.

Why small tricks matter

None of these habits is a magic solution, and none of them can cancel out a diet full of sugary drinks and ultra-processed snacks. Read why in How Empty Calories Deceive Our Body and Hello, and Fattening: Foods that Sabotage Your Diet. What happens when we occasionally overdo it is described in When Pizza Becomes an Experiment: What Really Happens in the Body When You Eat Too Much?

But together, a few cups of green tea, water before meals, lemon water instead of soft drinks, a good laugh and moving during ad breaks can make your days a little more active and your drinks a lot lighter. Combined with a balanced diet and regular walks – see How to Lose Weight Without Harming Your Health – these small steps can add up to a real difference over weeks and months. If you have a health condition or take medication, it is always a good idea to talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet.