Don’t have time to hit the gym today? No worries. Believe it or not, there is a solution to missing a workout: get moving. You burn tons of calories by living an active lifestyle and eating well already. But just to prove it, we tapped into an extensive study from Harvard Medical School that measured how many calories a 185-lb guy burns over a 30-minute period during routine activities. We also used a Mayo Clinic calorie calculator for ideas of our own (think: climbing the Subway stairs). The result? Presenting: M&F’s ultimate list of the 30 most surprising ways you can zap fat fast, every day — without even realizing it.
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Walk to Work
Not able to get in your workout? Take a hike. Walking for 30 minutes at a brisk 17-minute-mile pace burns almost as much as jogging two miles on the treadmill would.
Calories Burned: 178
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Grocery Shop With a Cart
Believe it or not, grocery shopping is good exercise — even if you use a cart. As you cruise around the store, lifting and pushing movements work your shoulders and core. Thirty minutes of grabbing food and you’ll be hungry for a snack.
Need a good reason to go out? Here’s one: for every couple games of pool you shoot at the bar, you’ll burn almost the same amount of calories as there are in a 12 oz. bottle of Budweiser.
Get on her good side by whipping up a romantic candlelit dinner for two. Turns out, cooking is great exercise as you employ your core and arm muscles to chop, move pots of water… Point is: after a few hours in the kitchen, you’ll be ready to chow down.
No guy likes feeling chained to his desk. But if you sit up straight and move around every hour or so, you can burn off lunch. Standing is even healthier (if you can score an elevated desk) because you’ll snuff 22 more calories per half hour.
Next time your lady asks for help cleaning, grab a rag and get dusting. A general apartment cleaning (think: windows, mirrors, kitchen, floors, bathrooms) burns calories at an alarmingly high rate. Plus, she’ll be so thrilled you can probably convince her to have post-cleaning wind-down sex.
Calories Burned: 155
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Ride at a Local Skateboard Park
It should come as no surprise that skateboarding is a good workout. Go ahead, as a throw back to your childhood, screw around on a board for an afternoon at a local skate park. The sport engages your fast-twitch muscle so you can stay balanced as you shift your weight.
Calories Burned: 222
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Get it On
Good news guys: sex not only feels good, but it’s also a sweet cardio workout. Go ahead, spice things up by suggesting role play or trying a new position. Trust us, there’s a reason you’re exhausted at the end.
Calories Burned: 207
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Play Pick-Up Basketball
The stop-and-go high intensity of a pickup basketball game is just what you need to torch a bunch calories fast. During your lunch break, grab a ball and coax your coworkers to play. Thirty minutes of 5-on-5 and you’ll definitely break a sweat.
Calories Burned: 355
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Cycle to Work
Live across town from work? Here’s an incentive to commute on two wheels instead of four: if you cycle into the office for 30 minutes at a medium-intensity pace of 12-13.9 mph, you’ll burn off two bowls of cereal by the time you reach your desk.
Calories Burned: 366
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Bartend for Friends
Next time you throw a party, step in and play bartender. Mixing drinks for your friends for 30 minutes burns the same amount of calories in a shot of vodka. Plus, you can talk it up with the sexy neighbor girl over the bowl of jungle juice.
Calories Burned: 111
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Relax in a Sauna
Steaming your muscles in a sauna is a great way to relax after a workout and promote faster recovery. Plus, you’ll sweat off a handful of calories and it’s good for your skin, too. Enjoy.
Calories Burned: 84
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Shovel Your Sidewalk
When winter hits and the snow is piling up, you better have a shovel on hand to move it. Bundle up and crush calories outside with this awesome total-body workout.
Calories Burned: 266
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Shower With Your S.O.
Looking for a way to spice up your relationship? Take a hot shower with your significant other and enjoy lathering each other up. When you’re finished, towel dry their body and head to the bedroom… use your imagination for the rest.
Calories Burned: 70
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Host a Badminton Tournament
Want to throw a cool beach party? Pack a 6-pack of beer, barbecue stuff, and a badminton set and head to the water. Invite friends and set up a day-long tournament. Winners get to throw losers into the ocean.
Calories Burned: 200
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Stretch Out Your Muscles
Believe it or not, stretching your muscles works stiff limbs and uses a surprising amount of energy to do so. Grab a floor mat and burn calories while you improve your flexibility.
Calories Burned: 100
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Go Bowling on a First Date
It doesn’t matter if you suck at bowling; take your date to the bowling alley for a few games. You’ll score a bit of exercise and you can crack a few jokes about your horrible skills. If they’re cool, they’ll laugh and think your sense of humor is hot.
Calories Burned: 133
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Whip a Frisbee Around
Catching and whipping a frisbee for 30 minutes works your upper body and core muscles and it’s so addicting it’ll barely feel like a workout. Bonus: a frisbee is light and small so you can always have it on hand in case you find green space or a beach.
Calories Burned: 133
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Fight Fires
Firefighting is so intense it’s one of the top professions for highest calories burned per hour. These guys work so hard and wear such heavy gear, they torch hundreds of calories per hour depending on the size or intensity of the fire.
Calories Burned: 355
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Downhill Ski
If you have a buddy who’s getting hitched next year and you have to plan a bachelor party, consider this: host it at a Colorado or Vermont ski resort. Alpine skiing is a killer leg workout and you can max out the apres-ski nightlife to celebrate his last days as a single man.
Calories Burned: 266
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Move to a New Apartment
Whether you’re moving in with your girlfriend or you can finally afford that awesome apartment with rooftop access, moving house is practically a full body workout. Especially if you have to haul boxes them up stairs.
Calories Burned: 311
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Wakeup With Hatha Yoga
Wake up with a half an hour of hatha yoga to warm up your muscles and clear your mind for the day. Download a free podcast to guide you through sun salutations, or simply grab your mat and work through the poses you know. Afterward, you’ll feel more awake than you would if you had drank two cups of coffee.
Calories Burned: 107
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Climb Up Subway Steps
Feel like running errands around the city wipes you out? You have good reason. If you skip the escalators and opt for stairs every time you hike out of the Subway system (sometimes the stairs seem endlessly long!), you’ll torch an insane amount of calories.
Calories Burned: 285
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Vacuum Your Floors
Vacuuming your apartment doesn’t burn a high amount of energy, but it’s a good excuse to get off the couch and get moving. Plus, she’ll definitely notice the clean floor. Points to you.
Calories Burned: 90
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Wash Your Car
Next time your car is dirty, skip the crappy gas station job and do it yourself. Come on, it’s summer after all — what better way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon. Throw on boardshorts, grab your girlfriend and have fun getting sudsy together.
Calories Burned: 200
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Rearrange Your Furniture
If you haven’t given your apartment a good spring cleaning yet, you better get on it. That means moving the furniture and cleaning underneath it, too. And if she wants to rearrange everything for a different look, help her — the lifting is a good workout.
Calories Burned: 266
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Play Beach Volleyball
If you want a perfect beach game, opt for sand volleyball. Running on sand is a tough cardio workout but low-impact and easy on your leg muscles. You’ll feel it the next day, but your spike-winning points will be worth it.
Calories Burned: 355
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Play With Heavy Tools
Every man has his to-do fix-it projects around the house. And while it’s annoying to have a list looming over your head, bite the bullet and pick up a hammer. It’s good for you — most heavy, non-power tools require shoulder and core strength to operate.
Calories Burned: 355
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Mow the Lawn
When you cut your grass, using a push mower, as opposed to a riding machine, requires push-and-pull motion that mimics lifting in the gym. To boost your upper body strength and have a nice looking lawn simply put in your iPod and go.
Calories Burned: 244
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Swim
Hands down the best part of summer: getting wet. Whether you’re a marathon surfer, cliff jumper, or weekend beach goer, swimming — a killer cardio/ muscle-building workout — slashes calories super fast. Watch out Phelps.
