15 Ways to Burn Extra Calories without Changing your Daily Routine

You're already eating healthy, but you're having trouble finding time to work out between work, kids, and maintaining your househould (if you're doing this last one, then you're already doing better than me).  Well, believe it or not, there are small ways that you can burn extra calories without having to find time to do them.  Yes, you can burn calories without changing your daily routine.

1. Park farther away.
Whenever you get to work or the grocery store, park farther away than you normally would, even if it's only by a few parking spaces at first.  Those extra steps add up.  Try working your way up to to moving farther and farther away from the entrance.


2. Return the buggy.
Instead of leaving your grocery basket in the parking spot next to you, return it to a designated buggy corral.  Or, if you're feeling froggy, bring it back into the store.


3. Swing your arms.
The more parts of your body that are working, the more calories you are burning.  Adding a little swing in your step can subtract a few more calories.


4. March while you sit.
This is great if you have a desk job or are a student who spends a lot of time sitting.  Lifting your legs up and down in a marching motion can not only work out your leg muscles, but also help with circulation.


5. Do heel raises while you brush your teeth.
Start off doing 15 every time you brush your teeth.  Increase by one every day (or every other day) until you get to doing 50 standing
heel raises every time you brush your teeth.  This small workout tones all of the muscles in the back of your leg.

Img src: http://www.coastrehab.com/blog/wp-content/images/2011/08/heelraises1.gif

6. Work out your arms while you cook.

While you're waiting for the water to boil or the lasagna to bake, grab a couple of canned goods from your pantry and experiment with different ways of toning your arms.

7. Dance and clean.

Turn up the music, and shake it while you work.

Img src: http://mlblogsjaneheller.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/dancing-woman21.gif?w=327&h=537

8. Prepare your own meal.

Believe it or not, cooking and food preparation burns calories.  Just ask MyFitnessPal.  As an alternative to frozen dinners and fast food, chop up your own veggies.

9. Chew gum.

Yes, this actually burns a small amount of calories.  It also helps you resist the urge to snack.

10. Laugh.

Tell a joke.  Listen to a comedy station on your drive home.  Laughing not only burns calories, it works your ab muscles and helps you unwind after a long day.

11. Leg exercises while watching TV.

Or even when you're reading.  Do this as an alternative to just sitting still will help you burn more calories for the day and tone your legs.

12. Do jumping jacks before every shower.

What are you doing while you're waiting for the water to get hot?  Nothing.  Do some jumping jacks (or push-ups).  No matter how many you do, you're already burning more calories than you were before.

13. Tighten your core.

Every time you think about it, suck in your belly and tighten your abs.  Do it every time you stop at a red light, or every time you hear a commercial on the radio.  Just whenever you think about it, tighten it.

14. Fidget.

This burns more calories that you would think.  You know your friends who have a naturally high metabolism?  Not the ones who work out, but the ones who can eat like crap all the time and still manage to stay thin?  Watch them and see how often they actually sit still.
Tap or wiggle your feet when you sit, roll your chair back and forth, move around.

15. Wear heels.

Anyone who has ever walked a flight of stairs in heels can tell you that that is much more of a workout that climbing stairs in flats.  Wear the highest pair of heels you own (carefully, of course) to vacuum in, to do squats in, or clean the kitchen.

Burning calories does not have to be awful, and you don't have to take extra time out of your day to do any of these things.  No more excuses.

Tasty Detox Smoothie

Whether you just spent the weekend partying or just came out a holiday food binge, your body is probably looking for equilibrium.  Sometimes, in order to do this, you just need to spend a few days detoxing.  I prefer to do it the natural way with whole foods, versus the detox in a box.
A really good and natural way to help cleanse your body is by drinking a detoxifying smoothie.

What you'll need:

• high fiber fruit (such as an apple or pear)
• citrus fruit (orange or lemon)
• high fiber green (kale or spinach)
• 1-2 tbs. of a high fiber grain (barley or oats)
• 1/2 cup of water
• jalepeno puree (optional for those who like a little kick)

What to do:

Chop up the apple or pear into smaller cubes, peel and separate the citrus, and remove kale leaves from the stem.  Combine all ingredients in a blender and liquefy.  Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Shrimp Pasta in Tomato Herb Sauce

If you're in an Italian mood but don't really want spaghetti or alfredo, I have a recipe for you.  This was something I threw together when I discovered I had no tomato sauce in my pantry (that's when you know it's time for me to go grocery shopping).


What you'll need:

• 12-16 oz medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 large tomatoes, diced (keep all of the juices with it)
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 tbs parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano 
• lemon juice from half a lemon (or a capful of the bottled stuff)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 box (8oz.) small shells
• grated parmesan

What to do:

Combine tomatoes (and juice), olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, and herbs and spices into a large skillet. Bring to a low boil. Cover and let simmer on medium low heat for about 5-6 minutes*.  While this is happening, start the water for your pasta.

Add shrimp and re-cover.  Continue to simmer on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is bright pink (about 10 minutes).

Add shrimp and sauce to cooked pasta.

Sprinkle with some parmesan and enjoy!

Total cook time: About 25 minutes

Serves: 4

*If you want a more fresh taste, you can skip this step. I strongly dislike the taste of raw tomatoes, so I let them cook a little longer.  If you're not sure, you can cook the shrimp in the sauce first and taste it when the shrimp are done.  If you don't think the tomatoes are cooked enough, remove the shrimp and cook the sauce for an extra 5-6 minutes.

The Easiest Chicken and Dumplins You Will Ever Make

Not only are they easy, they are super yummy!

Total cook time: About 35 minutes.

What you'll need:

• 3lb bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Large can of cream of chicken*
• 1 can of large biscuits (homestyle original or buttermilk)**
• Salt
• Pepper
• Basil
• Garlic powder
• Parsley (not pictured)

*You can mix it up and use 4 small cans of cream of whatever else. I've mixed cream of celery, mushroom, and chicken, and it turned out really good.  I experimented with the Healthy Choice this time, but it is not nearly as flavorful as the full fat one. I solved this by adding more basil.

**Do NOT use flaky or butter flavored biscuits. They will not turn out.

What to do:

• Place the whole bag of chicken breasts in a medium to large pot, and fill with enough water to submerge them. (You can also cut the chicken beforehand, but it makes straining the fat out more difficult later.)
• Season with salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and garlic powder.
• Bring to a boil, and cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through (about 15 minutes).
• Pull the cooked chicken out of the broth and set on a plate to cool a little. 
• Using a large spoon, scoop and strain the fat out of the broth. You will not be able to get it all out, which is perfectly fine.
• Keeping the heat on medium high, stir in the cream of chicken.  Heat and stir until all of the lumps are gone.
• While your cream of chicken is heating up, begin to tear or cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces. Set aside. (I like to set mine in the microwave or stove to keep it from losing too much heat.)
• When your broth mixture is smooth, turn down the heat begin tearing the biscuits into dumpling size pieces and dropping them into the broth. (Note: the biscuits will expand as they cook, so keep the pieces smaller than you would normally want them to be.)
• Let them cook for about 5 minutes, then add the chicken back to the soup.
• Enjoy!

Christmas DIY: Button Wreath

This one is a lot like the button trees I did.  I just got a styrofoam ring out of the craft section at Walmart, spray painted it red, and pinned a bunch of buttons to it.  Then, I added a pretty red bow.
I think I did better as far as coverage on this one.

You can also make one for fall with different colors!

10 Things to Remember when You're Losing Weight

Let's face it.  Losing weight sucks.  I mean... you read all of these motivational posts about how good it feels, and how "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels," and you think, "Bull crap."  Sure, the closer you get to the end result, the better you feel, but that doesn't make the process any more appealing.

I have compiled a list of what you should be reminding yourself frequently throughout your journey.

1. In order to lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit.  That is, you must burn more calories than you consume.  The easiest way to make sure you're doing this is to keep track of everything you put in your mouth.  I've heard people say, "I've tried counting calories; it doesn't work for me."  Maybe because you have to train yourself to see it through.  There are websites and apps that do the counting for you.  MyFitnessPal is my favorite.  They tell you how many calories you should take in a day to lose your desired amount of weight and give you get an estimate of how many calories you burn during certain activities.

You do not have to do this during your entire weight loss journey.  However, I do recommend that you use it every day for at least a month to get an idea of how many calories certain foods have.  I used it for several months, and it helped me be more conscious of what I was putting in my body.  Just because something seems healthy, does not mean you can eat too much of it.  You might wonder why you haven't lost any weight, even after you start eating healthy.  It's all about the math.

2. 80% of your weight loss is in the kitchen, which means that you can lose weight without stepping foot in a gym.  It also means that you cannot afford to eat like crap just because you exercise.  You can use exercise to help you create that deficit, but you still have to eat in order to refuel your body after a hard workout.  You have to find that balance, and be careful not to take in excess calories when refueling.  

By no means am I tell you not to exercise!  Please, exercise!  It's good for your heart and tightens your body.  When you lose weight, your body will stay soft if you do not do some sort of toning exercises to compliment your weight loss.  Also, don't forget that toned muscles burn calories when at rest.

3. Carbs do not make you fat!  Excess calories make you fat.  Your body needs carbs for energy, and they should include around half of your diet.  Remember that many foods have carbs, not just bread.  If you're using an app to track your calories, it should also tell you have many essential nutrients you are taking in.  MFP keeps a pie graph for you to see where your calories are going.

All of this considered, mind the oils and butters that you choose to flavor your bread with.  Also, try whole wheat bread as an alternative to white, sugary breads.

4. Fat does not make you fat!  Again, excess calories make you fat.  And while you want to limit the fats you take in (because they do have a higher calorie count), they are not all that awful.  Plus, foods with fat taste much better than foods without fat.

5.  Mind the alcohol.  I went through bottles of Hydroxycut with no success before I realized that I was drinking all of my calories.  I went out with some girlfriends one night and consumed (please, don't judge) five lemon drop martinis.  (I'm not even going to mention the boudin and frito pie I ate afterwards...)  A few days later, I did some math and realized that those drinks were my entire calorie budget for a day.  Now, I at this point, I had already been having 1-3 drinks at least 3 nights a week.  After that, I opted for vodka and water with a few lime slices squeezed in.  Yummy and effective.

6. Men lose easier than women.  As much as it sucks, it's a fact of life.  Something is programmed in our DNA that says we need those extra inches on our hips and thighs.  Something about childbearing and breastfeeding, or some crap.  Well, guess what, Mother Nature?  I'm done bearing children, and I'm done with these thighs.  Deal with it.

Basically, try not to get discouraged when your husband, who is also dieting to make you happy, starts losing much more weight than you.  There's not much you can do about it.  Forget about him and his disappearing mass.

7. Set realistic goals.  Numbers are the devil.  Seriously.  Unless your doctor tells you to lose Xlbs, you probably shouldn't set a number goal.  Hell, you might want to get down to 135, but realize that you look absolutely fab at 140.  Why stress about those 5 pounds if you look awesome?  Or, you might find that you're still not happy when you reach your number goal.  Why would that be so?  Because all it is is a number on a scale.  Not much satisfaction in that.  Try setting goals that are realistic and satisfying.

• "I want to fit in my wedding/ graduation dress."
• "I want to look good in a bikini."
• "I want to wear a certain brand of jeans."
• "My goal is to have abs."
• "I want to eliminate junk food and be healthy inside and out."

These are all realistic and attainable goals.  At one point, my goal was to weigh 125lbs.  It seemed realistic at the time.  There are people taller than me who weigh 115 and are healthy.  I got to 128lbs.  I could not seem to lose those last few pounds, and I was miserable from trying.  I could not eat less without starving, and I could not accept the progress I had already made.  Plus, I had lost most of the mass in my butt, which I was also unhappy with.  I have since decided that being fit is so much more satisfying than being a number on a scale.

8. Do not deprive yourself.  This goes for desserts AND food.  Cravings are completely normal.  Losing weight is about discipline and self control.  However, if you find yourself absolutely needing chocolate, give in a little.  One candy bar is not going to undo all of your progress.  If it makes you feel better, find a way to work it into your calorie budget.  If you deprive yourself of a tasty treat (or food in general), you will make yourself crazy and end up binge eating, which is so much worse than eating one Snicker's bar.

9. Don't forget about the food groups!  In your quest of keeping track of calories, don't forget about nutrition.  Every food group has different things to offer, and you need all of them every day.  You won't get it all right at first.  You have to find the right balance of calories and nutrition through trial and error.  But once you have it down, it will be effortless.

10. Be positive!  Losing weight takes time.  You will not see results immediately, but you will start seeing them soon enough.  You have to wake up in the morning and say, "I got this."  You cannot mope around.  Being mopey makes you sluggish and will probably lead you to start eating your feelings.  If you're having an off day, remind yourself of the progress you have already made and how awesome you are doing!

*                              *                              *                              *                              *                              *

Losing weight is not easy.  Changing your lifestyle is not easy.  At times, it can turn into an emotional roller coaster.  Times like that, we need reminders that it is all going to be okay.  You are awesome, and you can do this!

Note: I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or trained fitness expert.  Although, I could be.  I did take a nutrition class.  Anyhow, my blog should not be substituted for professional medical advice.  (But, c'mon.  Really.) 

Christmas Button Trees

Here's a little Christmas DIY if you're feeling a little crafty and have some time on your hands. While this is a super cute project, it is a little time consuming.

What you'll need:

• Foam craft cones
• Pearlized straight pins (lots of them)
• Lots of buttons! (Sometimes you can find jars of them at antique shops.)
• Spray paint (red or green)

First, spray all of your cones the desired color. Because of how porous the foam is, the color will not be even. Don't worry about that. It will be covered in buttons. 

(I did not spray my cones, and I regret it because you can see tiny bits of the white foam peeking through. I have another button project I'm working on that is painted.)

When the paint is dry, you can lay out your buttons and start pinning! As you can see, all 3 of mine have slightly different color themes. I think a pale blue and white theme would be pretty on one...

Tip: As you get closer to the top, angle the pins downward to avoid penetrating the other side... and your finger.