How to Increase Calorie Burn (8 Easy Ways)

You can maximize the burning of calories by being physically active, building muscle, engaging in high-intensity interval training workouts, sleeping for 7-9 hours a night, and developing healthy eating habits to improve your metabolism.

In addition, some unconventional ways to burn a few extra calories include fidgeting, laughing more, and exposing yourself to the cold.

To expend more calories and lose pounds faster, you need to create a calorie deficit and improve your metabolism.

This sometimes involves learning the ropes of converting every bit of what you consume to energy.

Let's dig deeper and see how you can boost your metabolism to burn more fat.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) also has after-burn effects, where your system continues burning calories long after working out.

This afterburn effect is called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) [4].

The science behind it is that after training, your muscles need to retract to their normal function, which takes time. And the harder the training, the longer it takes to recover.

During recovery, energy consumption increases, which translates to more calories burned.

Research shows that the duration of EPOC after a higher-intensity workout is longer than after a lower-intensity workout [5]. This also means a HIIT workout can burn more than a steady-intensity workout.

Moreover, HIIT exercises increase fat oxidation and support increased fat burning [6].

Before engaging in HIIT workouts, it's wise to seek professional medical advice from a doctor or a certified personal trainer, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions like heart disease, to avoid potentially serious issues like cardiac arrest.

Some of my clients are surprised when I tell them that lack of sleep can negatively impact fat burning.

The thing with sleep is that it can influence certain hormones that control appetite.

Specifically, lack of sleep increases the hunger hormone ghrelin while decreasing leptin, the hormone that signals your brain when you’re full [14].

Additional studies also show that sleep-deprived people tend to crave unhealthy foods and have a high chance of weight gain [15].

“When individuals sleep for longer, they are less likely to eat hedonically and crave non-nutritious pleasure foods.”

- Lauren Martin, Medical News Today

What's more? Fatigue from lack of sleep can decrease your work output during the day and lead to less intense workouts. You end up burning less than you ought to.

For a healthy metabolism and increased fat burning, the Center for Disease Control recommends at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep every night [16].

4. By Controlling Your Stress Levels

Scientists have proven that stress can lead to increased fat storage, mainly in the abdominal region [17].

The hormone responsible for this is the stress hormone cortisol which releases energy for quick use when you’re in danger. Chronic stress can trigger this response, and when the energy is not used, it’s stored as body fat.

In addition, more stress means less sleep. And less sleep leads to negative hunger hormones, then back to poor diet, unhealthy cravings, and reduced willpower in a never-ending cycle that leads to more fat gain [18].

The above tips can get you within the healthy range of body mass index, improve your cardiovascular fitness and lower the risk of premature death. However, you can also take additional steps to take off extra weight.

A scientific study found that chewing gum for 20 minutes after a meal increases energy expenditure [21].

It also stimulates the release of bile and other digestive enzymes needed in food digestion.

3. Fidgeting

While physical activity increases calorie burn, staying lightly active by fidgeting can also burn a few extra calories.

Fidgeting involves moving body parts restlessly, such as tapping your fingers on a table or swinging your legs while seated.

One study found that a combination of walking, standing, and fidgeting could burn up to 2,000 calories per day [22].

4. Laughing Often

Laughter can improve your mental and physical health and help you expend more calories.

One study subjected 45 couples to humorous movies and found that when they laughed, their metabolic rate increased noticeably [23].