Your body burns more calories trying to stay warm, says Debbie Johnson, author of "Think Yourself Thin." In fact, one form of "brown fat" tissue — which is turned on when people get cold — sucks fat out of the rest of the body to fuel itself. Until docs have further studied this phenom for safe clinical use (nobody should lock themselves in a meat locker just to shed some lbs), Johnson likes to keep the temp a little lower in her office than what feels comfortable.
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Dance in Your Seat
Break out your headphones or crank up the radio, and get grooving. "Listening to fun music encourages you to keep a lively beat while sitting down," says Lavina Rodriguez, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of "Mind Over Fat Matters: Conquering Psychological Barriers to Weight Management."
"Music has a universal positive psychological effect, and can serve to reduce stress, which is also known to help with weight control. It makes us feel happier, which makes us want to move more in general and reduces cravings," she says. Beyond a simple head bob and shoulder shrug, music also motivates you to move around faster and for long periods of time, adds Len Glassman, owner of Personal Best Training and Pilates Center. Depending on your current weight, you can burn up to 132 calories during your next little desk-dance party. Just switch to soothing music when you eat, he says, to help you relax and chow slower, improving metabolism and digestion.
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Snack Smart
According to Michelle Davenport, nutritionist and research scientist at NYU School of Medicine, some foods may increase metabolism, like spicy foods (cayenne pepper), protein (chicken and cheese), and high fiber foods (broccoli, carrots, and asparagus spears). Our bodies have to work harder to digest protein and high-fiber grub, so eating these foods burns more calories. "They're also better than munching on carb-y, high-sugar foods all day, since those could damage insulin, the hormone in our body that determines whether sugar is stored as fat," she says.
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Snack Often
Most bodies use more energy digesting smaller meals every few hours than if we were to eat the same number of calories in two or three sittings only. Davenport says to shoot for five small meals a day: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. "By eating frequently, we don't kick our bodies into starvation mode, which means our metabolism slows down and our body wants to store extra calories as fat," she says. "We also don't get super hungry and then overindulge when we finally do eat." Also, keep carbs earlier in the day as your morning snack, and make the remaining meals focused on protein and fiber. "By doing this, we can burn those carbs throughout the day while we're moving around, even at our desks, and not turn it into fat as we would if we ate them before bed."
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Take That Coffee Break
While caffeine can be used for a metabolic boost, not all wake-up drinks are created equal, says Ross. A lot of energy boosting beverages and flavored coffees, for instance, are packed with sugar — and if weight loss is your goal, she suggests keeping the sweet stuff under 15 grams per day. "The best caffeinated choices would be green tea, black tea, or straight black coffee — all unsweetened," she says, suggesting you stick with two 10 to 12 ounce glasses a day, and not after 3 p.m., which could impair sleep.
Too much caffeine can have also negative effects on the body, says Ashley Koff, RD, a dietician and co-author of "Mom Energy." "Chronic caffeine use can cause burnout, and if you're not well-hydrated, caffeine can slow your metabolism." For weight loss, Koff likes oolong tea for its fat-burning/energy boosting capabilities. If your goal is to lose weight but also stay awake longer, Koff says tea is a better choice than coffee, since it also has nutrients that slow the caffeine's absorption, so you don't spike and crash.
No matter what you consider your daily grind — sitting behind a computer, running errands for your family, keeping up with your favorite TV shows — most of us spend way too much time on our expanding derrieres.
Studies say that too much sitting puts us at greater risk for diabetes and cancer, increased inflammation and insulin levels, and slower metabolism, among other issues. And sloths aren't the only ones who suffer. People who hit the gym and watch their diets are also having an increasingly hard time staying trim with the longer hours we spend on our booties. We're busier than ever, yet when our hectic schedules are over, we crave nothing more than — you guessed it — collapsing onto our backsides. What can we do when our lives revolve around sitting for work and relaxation?
Beat our sedentary lifestyle at its own game, of course. That's why we asked experts how to boost metabolism and burn calories while seated. We don't want you to replace exercise, eating well, and living a healthy lifestyle with these butt-blasting suggestions — just add them to your existing routine to maximize your calorie burning potential. So what are you waiting for? As you read this, you're probably already in the starting position anyway.
