Our body burns calories to support its essential functions. You don’t need to go to a gym just to do this though. There are little things that you can easily do while going about your daily routine. These simple activities, when done consistently, can actually help in controlling your weight.

So keep moving! Here are 5 quick ways to burn calories:

1) Walk more. Incorporate walking into your lifestyle. If you need to go someplace near, why not just walk. You save on fuel, help the environment and help your body shed off some fat.

2) Move more when you’re in the office. Even when you’re at your desk busy at work, you can still burn some calories. Here are a few simple movements you can do:

• • Tap your feet, swing your legs, drum your fingers, stand up and stretch, move your head from side to side, change position, wriggle and fidget or pace up and down.
  • Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
  • Stand up when you’re on the phone.

3) Do more chores at home. Doing household chores is really a good way to burn calories. In fact, they burn just as many calories as workouts do. Outdoor chores or yard work such as mowing the lawn are the most labor intensive chores. Did you know that simply raking leaves can help tone the muscle, too?

4) Food intake. Don’t skip meals especially breakfast. Research shows that when you skip breakfast, you tend to later choose foods higher in fat and calories. Also, remember that our metabolism rate goes faster when we eat small, regular meals as compared to eating larger, less frequent meals. There are also certain foods and drinks that raise our metabolic rate such as chili, caffeine and green tea.

5) Go shopping. Really, shopping can burn a lot of calories and make your waist line slimmer. This includes the benefits of walking plus a little strength training on the side by carrying around a few purchases.

Remember, small things count. Don’t shy away from these 5 quick ways to burn calories because they have their benefits. Just keep in mind the importance of constant movement. Don’t forget to incorporate the 5 quick ways to burn calories into your day-to-day activities. You simply have nothing to lose and everything to gain.