10 Easy Ways to Burn an Extra 100 Calories!

Life is crazy for all of us at times (myself included), and sometimes, even with the best intentions, getting in a full workout or even a short exercise session isn’t realistic. Today, I am excited to teach you how to burn 100 calories on days when hitting the gym isn’t possible! 

First up though, it’s important to understand why movement is important for health or while on a weight loss journey. Exercising or moving your body helps to burn calories while increasing your metabolism, which makes it easier to create a calorie deficit. Being in a calorie deficit, where your body burns more calories than you consume,  is a requirement to lose weight. 

Whether you’re wondering how long it takes to burn 100 calories, or how to burn 100 calories without doing a formal workout, this post has you covered! Without further ado, let’s get started!

How to Burn 100 Calories without a Formal Workout

When in a calorie deficit, you don’t always have to have an intensive workout because even small bursts of movement can lead to a longer life while reducing your risk of long-term health problems. In fact, a study at Harvard University suggests that doing at least 19 minutes of exercise per week was linked to a 40% lower risk of developing heart disease. Remember, though, that exercise doesn’t have to be a formal workout in the gym! 

Here are 10 different ways to burn 100 calories:

👩🏻‍🍳 Cook Dinner at Home.

Washing vegetables, chopping fruit, prepping meals, and mixing together ingredients burn more calories than you might realize. Spend about 40 minutes cooking and you’ll burn approximately 100 calories. 

Plus, cooking meals at home encourages healthy eating habits, which makes it easier to lose weight. You’re also more likely to experiment with new recipes so that you’re not eating the same boring healthy foods 24/7. This idea sounds like a triple victory to me!

🧽 Clean Your Bathroom.

Let’s be real – nobody likes cleaning the bathroom. 😝 However, scrubbing tiles, cleaning mirrors, and wiping down the counters and toilets engages your core, arms, and legs, making it a mini-workout. Roughly 25-30 minutes of vigorous cleaning burns 100 calories.

Looking for a way to make cleaning the bathroom more enjoyable? Turn it into a dance party by playing your favorite music, or listen to the newest episode of your favorite podcast.

🚗  Park Far Away From the Door and Always Take the Stairs

I don’t know about you, but I used to be someone who was always vying for the closest parking spot to the door, wherever I was going! Back during my own weight loss journey, I learned that parking in the spot that was furthest away from the door helped increase my step count (while burning more calories) without adding much time or effort to my day. 

In a similar way, if you’re someone who lives or works in a building with an elevator, consider taking the stairs instead of the elevator. 

If you’re someone who works at home, so you don’t drive often or use an elevator, set a reminder on your phone to get up once per hour and around your house one time each hour.

🎨  Paint a Room Inside of Your Home

Painting a room is a great way to freshen up your living space, but it can also provide an effective way to burn calories. Painting walls and a ceiling involves arm movement, core engagement (while standing,) and squatting, making it a total-body strengthening workout, too! 

When my husband and I painted a few rooms in our house, I remember being sore simply from painting! 😜 Spend about 40 minutes painting your home, and you’ll burn roughly 100 calories.

🚶🏻‍♀️ Use a Headset for Phone Calls and Walk Around Your Office While on Calls

If you have a job where you spend most of the day sitting at a desk, get creative with adding in movement while working. If you don’t have space to walk in your home or office while working, consider taking calls outside (when possible,) or investing in a walking pad with a standing desk. 

Walking while working for 30-40 minutes on your can torch that extra 100 calories.

😂 Call a Loved One and Share Funny Stories to Laugh!

Did you know that laughing increases your heart rate, which means you burn calories more quickly? Take some time to call a loved one and reminisce about funny memories together. 

Aside from helping you burn calories, laughing promotes health in other ways, too! Research suggests that laughing can reduce stress by lowering cortisol (the stress hormone) which makes it easier to lose fat. It can also lower blood sugar and boost your immune system!

Can you think of a more fun and easy way to burn 100 calories? 

💪🏻 Keep a Jump Rope in Your Desk Drawer at Work!

Jumping rope is one of the quickest ways to burn 100 calories. Plus, it’s portable and lightweight which means you can easily bring it to work (or anywhere!) It only takes about 10 minutes of jumping rope to burn 100 calories. 

Are you new to jumping rope and confused about where to start? I’ve got you! Start with intervals of 30 seconds of jumping rope with 30 seconds of rest. Repeat that for 5 minutes. You can gradually increase the duration of the intervals and the total time as you build endurance and stamina.

👗 Clean Out Your Closet

Spend a rainy or snowy afternoon cleaning out your dresser and your closet.  Try on old clothes, and part with the ones you haven’t worn in over a year. Even better, donate the clothes that you don’t wear anymore to those who are less fortunate in your area! 

Not only will your closet feel more organized, but you’ll also be burning calories while lifting, folding, and sorting clothes. Hauling away bags of clothes that you plan to donate is an easy way to get stronger, too!

🧘🏻‍♀️ Spend Time Stretching!

Spend 20-30 minutes stretching or doing your favorite yoga poses to help you relax and to help you burn about 100 calories! On top of burning calories, stretching reduces stress and improves flexibility. Try sun-salutations, downward dogs, cat-cow stretches, or seated forward facing folds. 

Bonus points – if you stretch right before bedtime, I bet you will sleep better than if you were to spend those same 20-30 minutes scrolling through your phone! 😉

📺 ​​Move During Commercial Breaks!

We all have that favorite TV show or sports team that we love watching… Spend the commercial breaks moving, and you’ll easily burn 100 calories (or more!)  Squats, Lunges, Planks, Dancing, Jumping Jacks – You can choose any exercise you wish, just keep moving during the commercials… And when the show comes back on, sit down, relax, and enjoy!

How Long Does It Take to Burn 100 Calories?

Please keep in mind the length of times that I share in the chart and throughout this article are averages for a person who weighs roughly 155 pounds. The exact length of time it takes you to burn 100 calories will vary depending on multiple factors: 

✅ Your Weight – Heavier individuals burn calories quicker than those who weigh less because their bodies require more energy to move.

✅ Activity Intensity – Think about it… Vigorously scrubbing and disinfecting your bathtub or the inside of your refrigerator is going to burn more calories than dusting your bookcase. The more intense, vigorous, or full-body the activity is, the more calories you will burn

✅ Muscle Mass – Individuals with more muscle mass burn more calories during rest and during activities, because muscle cells have a quicker metabolism than fat cells. This is why we offer customized strength training at Strong with Sarah – to help you get stronger and increase your muscle mass (and as a result, burn more calories!) 

✅ Age – Our metabolism tends to slow down as we age (although not as quickly as we once thought!) This means that the older you are, the longer it might take to burn 100 calories during these activities. 

Final Thoughts on Burning 100 Calories

The best thing about all of the recommendations I shared is that they’re not just about burning calories. They’re also about adding some light, fun, and/or productive activities to your day (that you can actually do long-term.) At the end of the day, it feels good to get things done and it feels good to move your body!

However, consistency is one of the most important factors when it comes to burning calories (and weight loss in general!) If you do one of the action items I shared one time and burn 100 calories, chances are it won’t impact the scale too much. It comes down to repeatedly doing these actions (and therefore burning hundreds and thousands of calories over time) in order to see results. 

Lastly, on top of the ideas I shared, there are hundreds of other ideas that are easy to incorporate into your own life, regardless of what that looks like. If you’re looking for some personalized guidance on how to burn 100 calories (or more) into your own life and the accountability to ensure you’re consistent with those actions, consider reaching out to learn more about how I can help you become more active and lose weight without always needing to “workout!”