Trying to lose some weight? 

Setting big goals can make the process seem intimidating, which is why it always helps to break things down into smaller chunks. 

Here are 26 surprising ways to burn 200 calories – do a few of these each day and you’ll be well on your way to achieving your weight loss goals without even realizing it! 

66 Minutes of Window Shopping

Love to browse the stores at your local mall? 

Well, now you’ve got another reason to spend an hour window shopping – it will burn 200 calories! 

Of course, if you treat yourself to a few items too, the weight of all of those bags that you will be carrying around contributes to an even more effective workout. 

1 Hour of Cooking 

What’s for dinner tonight? 

If you were planning on ordering in, try whipping up a quick meal instead. 

It may seem hard to believe, but cooking can actually burn 200 calories in just one hour. This means that you’ll be burning half of your meal (not literally, hopefully) before you’ve even eaten it. That number gets even higher if your cooking methods are more intensive, such as with kneading bread or whipping cream. 

Don’t put off doing the dishes after your meal either – doing them by hand can burn up to 160 calories. Even the act of loading the dishwasher can burn quite a few too! 

40 Minutes of Table Tennis 

People don’t realize that ping pong actually brings with it a number of different health benefits: 

• Improves hand-eye coordination 
• Makes use of different parts of the brain at the same time, strengthening those muscles 
• Sharpens your reflexes 
• Improves balance 

It’s a sport that’s also relatively easy on the joints, but still manages to burn 200 calories when played for 40 minutes. 

30 Minutes of Bathing a Dog 

If you own a dog that loves dirt and mud, then you’re probably all-too-familiar with how much a quick bathing session can feel like a workout. 

Even getting your dog into the bath in the first place can get the heart racing, followed up by all of that scrubbing and washing. 

Well, here’s something to cheer you up – each time you bathe your dog for half an hour, you won’t only end up with a clean dog, but you will have also burned 200 calories. 

30 Minutes of Dancing 

Heard the saying, “dance like nobody’s watching”? 

If you do that for 30 minutes, you’ll be burning 200 calories. In fact, this number could be even higher – it all depends on how vigorous your dance moves are. The more you get your heart pumping, the more beneficial your dance workout will be. 

45 Minutes of Gardening 

Whether you love to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, or you enjoy filling your house with colorful flowers, spending some time growing your own not only gives you that to enjoy, but also helps with calorie burning. 

Just 45 minutes of gardening is enough to burn 200 calories, so long as you’re carrying out a variety of tasks. A combination of weeding, watering, and digging will do the job. 

If your grass needs to be cut, then this is even better – 40 minutes of using a lawn mower, as long as it isn’t a ride-on mower, will burn another 200 calories, while leaving you with a pretty garden. 

35 Minutes of Painting a Wall

If you have some redecorating to do that you’ve been putting off, now is the time to do it. 

Painting a wall for 35 minutes will quickly have you burning 200 calories, while also giving your arm muscles a workout. You’ll end up getting quite a bit done in 35 minutes too – this is easily enough to cover a large wall, or an entire small room. 

44 Minutes of Grocery Shopping 

Grocery shopping may seem like a chore, but think of it as an extra workout instead. 

Using a basket instead of a trolley is great for your arms, but even pushing a heavy load around, while lifting and moving different items, exercises your core and your shoulders. 

2 Hours of Singing Out Loud

Love to sing? 

Pick two albums, put these on back-to-back, and sing your way through them. 

By the end of it, you will have burned over 200 calories. If you find yourself swaying to the beat or, even better, indulging in some dancing, this will take you way over 200! 

50 Minutes of Cleaning 

If your house could do with a tidy-up, kill two birds with one stone by turning that cleaning session into a workout too. 

So long as you do a range of body movements, cleaning your house for 50 minutes can burn 200 calories. 

To really work those muscles, try clenching your abdomen when bending over, balancing on one leg while cleaning windows, and using both arms when scrubbing. 

1 Hour of Mini Golfing 

Mini golf may not seem like a workout, but doing this for an hour is an easy way to burn 200 calories. 

The same applies to those who prefer hitting golf balls at a driving range – approximately 211 calories are burned in an hour. 

70 Minutes of Laughing 

Ok, this one may be a little easier said than done, but if you can find something funny enough to keep you laughing for 70 minutes, you will have burned 200 calories by the end of it. 

Comedy shows on TV are great for this, or watch some standup performances online. 

20 Minutes of Climbing Stairs 

Stairs provide a great workout, which is precisely why most gyms now have their own stair machine. 

Whether you have your own stairs at home or will need to make use of the stairs at work, climbing stairs for just 20 minutes is enough to burn 200 calories. 

As an added bonus, this mini-workout will also strengthen and shape your leg muscles. 

25 Minutes of Shoveling Snow

Shoveling snow may be a job you hate, and is one that you are probably dreading now that winter is just around the corner. 

However, don’t feel so bad the next time you’ve got to wake up early to shovel all of that snow away – doing this for 25 minutes will quickly burn 200 calories. 

30 Minutes of Soccer Drills 

Even if you’re not a soccer fan, dribbling a ball around on your own can be surprisingly fun. 

There are plenty of online tutorials out there that will teach you a variety of different footwork moves. Try doing this for just half an hour to burn 200 calories. 

54 Minutes of Trampoline Jumping 

Jumping on a trampoline is a fantastic workout. What makes it even better is that it doesn’t feel like exercising – it just feels like good ol’fashioned fun! 

It takes about 54 minutes of steady jumping on a trampoline to burn 200 calories. 

Don’t think you’ll last that long? 

Try adding in some knee tucks and a few other different moves – you’ll reach your calorie target so much faster! 

24 Minutes of Kite Flying 

Here’s another fun and traditional activity for you – flying a kite. When’s the last time you did this? 

If you can’t remember, now is the time to dig out that old kite from your childhood and take it on a trip to the park. 

Wait for a windy day and it will only take you 24 minutes of kite flying to burn 200 calories.

20 Minutes of Hula Hooping 

It may take you a bit of time to get back into the swing of things, but hula hooping for 20 minutes is a great way to burn 200 calories, while also bringing back so many childhood memories. 

If you don’t think you have the attention span to enjoy hula hooping for so long, try doing it while watching one of your favorite TV shows – the time will fly by! 

80 Minutes of Ironing 

This task might not be quite as fun as some of the others on this list, but ironing needs to be done, so you may as well burn a few calories while you’re at it. 

80 minutes of ironing is how much you need to reach that 200 calorie target. However, you could achieve your goal much faster if you add in some stretches and a variety of body movements while you’re working. 

1 Hour of Washing a Car

If your car has been looking a little grimy, resist the urge to drive it through an automatic carwash and take on the task yourself. 

Simply washing your car for an hour will burn more than 200 calories, but adding in a few little extras takes this number even higher. Try waxing your car, hand drying it, and cleaning the tires, as well as the interior. 

80 Minutes of Piano Playing 

Playing the piano brings with it a number of different health benefits, such as: 

• Improved hand-eye coordination 
• Increased dexterity 
• Better motor skills 
• Reduced heart rate 
• Stronger immune response
• Stronger arm and hand muscles

On top of all of that, piano playing is also a great way to burn some extra calories! 

While it does depend on the music you’re actually playing, since some tunes are much faster and more involved than others, it takes about 80 minutes of piano playing to burn around 200 calories. 

30 Minutes of Playing Video Games

Ok, so this one depends on the type of video game you’re playing…

Simply sitting motionless in front of a screen for half an hour with just your fingers tapping on a controller isn’t going to lose you many calories, but playing a game that requires you to be more active certainly will. 

WiiSports will have you jumping around in front of your screen competing in a variety of different sports, while Just Dance is a fun way to learn some new moves. 

3 Hours of Sleep

This may sound a little crazy, but your body really does burn calories even when it isn’t doing anything. 

However, this is even more so the case if you happen to be in a deep sleep…

Known as the REM stage of sleep, your brain is surprisingly active at this point, matched by an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. All of this means that your body starts to burn glucose. 

Just three hours of a deep REM sleep could burn as much as 200 calories! 

25 Minutes of Swimming

While you may not be doing much swimming over the winter months, unless you happen to have access to a heated pool, this is one to keep in mind for next summer…

Swimming freestyle for just 25 minutes can burn 200 calories. This is because each time you pull your arm in or kick your legs, your body is working against the resistance provided by the water. This not only burns a high amount of calories, but is also great for building up your muscles. 

Swimming actually makes use of more major muscle groups in your body than any other form of cardio, making this a great sport to get involved in. 

1 Hour of Rearranging Furniture 

Is there a room in your house that could do with a little makeover? 

Simply rearranging some furniture can give a room a completely new look and feel. As an added bonus, shifting your furniture around for an hour will burn 200 calories! 

45 Minutes of Bowling 

Most people bowl for fun, not realizing that this is actually a pretty good form of exercise. 

Bowling for just 45 minutes, which only adds up to a couple of games, is enough to burn 200 calories. This number is bumped up even more if you indulge in a few happy dances each time you manage a strike! 

While traditional exercise is a great way to burn calories and lose weight, there are so many other ways in which you can do this, without it feeling as though you’re actually exercising. For those of you on a weight-loss mission, simply adding a few of these activities into your daily routine will have you meeting your weight loss goal so much faster than you otherwise would have.