FEELING LAZY TO WORKOUT? HERE SOMETHING YOU CAN DO

LAZY GIRL'S GUIDE
TO EXERCISE

Are you one of those girls who has great intentions to exercise, but you find you're either too tired, too busy or just can't be bothered? If this sounds like you, keep reading to find out the best ways to burn calories when you're too tired to work out.

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1

Burn calories watching scary movies

Ever wonder why, when you watch a really scary horror movie or an edge-of-your-seat thriller, you come out of the cinema feeling like you've run a marathon? It's because your heart has been racing. Researchers from the University of Westminster in the U.K. subjected participants to watching horror films while measuring their heart rate, oxygen levels and the number of calories burned. Couch potatoes can rejoice, because short bursts of intense anxiety and fear can burn almost 200 calories in one sitting — that's equivalent to a 30-minute walk. The top calorie-burning movie was The Shining, burning a massive 184 calories in just 42 minutes. Jaws and The Exorcist also ranked high in calorie-burning. Imagine how many calories you would burn if you watched Oculus in a dark theatre — alone.

2

Sexercise

Sexologist, Jaiya Kinzbach, reveals a sesh of full-on snogging with a bit of fondling for 30 minutes can burn up to 90 calories. Heavy breathing will get your heart rate up, increase your oxygen intake and, before you know it, you're getting a workout without even getting out of bed or opening your eyes.

There are more benefits to sex than just burning calories >>

3

Shopping sprees

Giving your credit card a workout will also ensure you get some exercise. Traipsing from shop to shop, trying on clothes, lugging around heavy shopping bags laden with purchases, taking the stairs instead of the lift or the escalator — it all adds up. Without realising it, you're burning calories while having fun.

4

Laugh a lot

The International Journal of Obesity has great news for those of you who crack yourself up or have hilarious friends. Scientists have discovered just 15 minutes of laughing can burn up to 40 calories. The harder you laugh — we're talking tears and real hold-your-belly laughs here — the more your heart rate increases.

5

Crunches, leg raises and bottom lifts

These exercises can all be done while lying flat on your back. If you feel too pooped mid-crunch, have a rest and stretch out your muscles. Floor workouts are a good time to have a sneaky rest if you've been dragged along to a group fitness class. The instructor's not going to notice if you skip an ab crunch or three.

6

Use a Swiss ball at work

Just the act of sitting on a Swiss ball means you will be engaging your core muscles to balance. Research conducted by the University of Buffalo found that using a Swiss ball in place of a normal chair at your work desk burns up to 6 per cent more calories.

7

Sleeping

According to WebMD, we burn more calories when we are asleep than just lying in bed. Great news for those of you who are too tired to work out. It's the perfect excuse to go back to bed. When you are in the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep stage, your brain is active and requires glucose for the thought process, therefore burning calories.