Weight Loss Without a Workout
Weight loss without a workout can be possible. When it comes to weight loss, movement and healthy nutrition are key. But we get it—life gets busy, and finding time to hit the gym or squeeze in an hour-long home workout can feel impossible. The good news? You don’t need to get super complicated with your movement. Last week, we talked about aiming for 8,000 steps a day, 2-3 days a week, as a good starting point. If that sounds like a big goal, no worries! It’s okay to feel unmotivated at first. The important thing is just to start somewhere. Feeling overwhelmed by a big fitness goal? Let’s take it one step at a time!
What Are METs?
So, what are METs (Metabolic Equivalent of Task)? They’re a simple way to measure how much energy your body is burning—whether you’re resting or moving. To put it into perspective, relaxing on the couch burns about 1 MET. The more METs you rack up throughout the day or week, the better for your body!
How Many METs Should I Aim For?
A good goal is to hit about 500 METs per week, which breaks down to roughly 70 METs per day. But don’t stress if that seems like too much. Even just 250 METs a week (around 35 METs a day) can lower your risk of premature death by 10%. And that’s in addition to the METs your body burns just by sitting or lying down!
How Do I Rack Up METs?
The best part? Earning METs doesn’t require a gym membership or intense workouts. Any activity you do besides sitting still will help you add up those METs. You don’t need to track every single MET, but having an idea of how much energy different tasks burn can help you stay active without needing to hit the gym every day.
For example, standing at your desk instead of sitting can bump your METs from 1 to around 2 or 3, depending on how much you move while standing (think swaying, foot taps, or taking small steps). Taking the stairs? That’s about 8 METs per minute!
Even everyday tasks at home add up. Doing general cleaning or walking around your house burns about 2.5-3 METs per minute. If you’re into gardening, that can burn around 4 METs per minute—plus, it’s a super beneficial activity (more on that in another post!). If you’re walking with a small child or carrying a light load (about 15 lbs), that’s around 5 METs per minute.
Want to get your heart pumping a bit more? Here are some other activities and their METs:
- Jumping rope: 11 METs per minute
- Singles tennis: 8 METs per minute
- Golfing (walking and pulling clubs): 5.3 METs per minute
- Brisk walk at 3 mph: 3.5 METs per minute
- Running a 10-minute mile: 9.8 METs per minute
Again, you don’t need to track every MET unless you’re really into it, but this just goes to show how easy it can be to stay active throughout the day, even while you’re working or doing daily tasks. Check out this website for some helpful charts and further information. It is possible to have weight loss without a workout. Don’t stress about needing a gym membership or an hour-long workout. We always recommend being as active as possible for maximum benefits and advancing WHEN YOU ARE READY! Every little bit of movement counts—and it’s always better than sitting still at your desk or in front of the TV! Contact us today to schedule your FREE consult on how to get started losing weight, or meet with our personal trainer to determine your BEST workout regimen!
