8 Gym-Free Ways to Burn 100 Calories

Some days you’re just not up to a heart-thumping Spin class. Or maybe working out just isn’t your idea of a good time. Well, here’s some great news: You can melt away fat while having fun and without stepping foot in the gym. Try these eight no-sweat tricks for burning 100 calories while doing stuff you love (think gardening, hosting a party and playing with your pooch). Slimming has never been so enjoyable—or so simple!

Can you dig it?
Sow pumpkin seeds in July and you’ll reap jack-o’-lanterns by Halloween. Spend 21 minutes tilling soil and planting in your backyard to meet your triple-digit goal. Think of growing as a way of shrinking!

Have a doggone good time
Leash your canine companion and head to the dog park at a relaxed pace to burn 30 calories in 10 minutes. At the park, use the leash to jump rope for four minutes to zap 40 calories. (If your leash is too short, use a jump rope as a leash.) Stroll back home to erase another 30 calories.

Create a night to remember
Check event listings for an outdoor screening of an oldie but goody movie. Prepare and pack a picnic (20 calories in 10 minutes), lug it from the car to the grass (18 calories in 5 minutes), and toss a Frisbee for 20 minutes as you wait for the opening credits (64 calories). Then kick back, relax, and enjoy the show. Those 100 calories? Hasta la vista, baby.

Kick it old-school
Time to relive those carefree childhood summers. Bring a kite to the park or beach, wait for a big gust of wind, and then fly high! You’ll blow away 100 calories in 12 minutes. Or pull on a pair of roller skates and take off (with a helmet, naturally), doing your best figure eights and spins whenever possible (100 nixed in 14 minutes).

Go coupon-crazy
Surf Groupon.com to find great deals on adventures near you. Redeem a coupon for rock climbing, one of the site’s frequently discounted activities, and you’ll burn 100 calories in 9 minutes while scaling a wall. Or nab an amusement park day pass, another site favorite, and you’ll lose 100 in 31 minutes as you meander from ride to ride.

Suit up
Have a diving contest! Spend 30 minutes competing off the diving board at your local pool—cannonballs count (95 calories). Cap it off with 5 minutes in the whirlpool (5 calories). Everyone wins!

Lean and limber
Stretching feels good, protects you from injury and torches 2.7 calories a minute, more than twice as many as sitting. Spend 6 minutes daily working on your flexibility to zap more than 100 calories in a week.

Host a dinner party
Turn off Top Chef and become one yourself. Between chopping and table setting, you’ll burn 100 calories in 38 minutes. SELF’s Chicken and Cheese Sliders recipe takes about that long to whip up. And it’s a crowd-pleaser! Serves 4

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 green bell pepper, chopped
½ medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bone-in skinless chicken breast (about 6 oz)
½ cup store-bought barbecue sauce
¼ can (7 oz) chipotle peppers in adobo
8 small whole-wheat buns (such as Pepperidge Farm Wheat Sliders)
½ cup grated aged cheddar
8 cherry tomatoes, sliced
2 cups sprouts (such as arugula or broccoli)

Coat a medium saucepan with cooking spray. Cook bell pepper, onion and garlic in pan over medium heat, stirring, three minutes. Add chicken, barbecue sauce, chipotles and ¼ cup water; cover and simmer until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165º, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove chicken from sauce; place on a plate to cool for five minutes. Use a fork to pull meat off bone and shred; return meat to pan and toss to coat with sauce. Heat oven to 400º. Open buns and set on a baking sheet covered with foil. Distribute chicken evenly among bottom half of each bun (about 2 tbsp per bun); top each with 2 tbsp cheese. Bake until cheese melts and bubbles, four to five minutes. Top with tomatoes, sprouts and bun cap; serve immediately.

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