19 Ways to Torch 200 Calories

1. Cut a rug

Invite some pals over, turn on some tunes, and have a 37-minute dance party. You know you haven't forgotten the Macarena.

2. Say ahh

Give your honey an end-of-the-day massage for 42 minutes and you'll burn around 200 calories. Just make sure you get one in return.

3. Move things around

Liven up the layout of your favorite room with 30 minutes of furniture rearranging.

4. Hit the bull's-eye

Spend 1 hour and 10 minutes at your favorite watering hole playing a fun game of darts with friends.

5. Make over your casa

Give your living room a fresh hue. Rolling on a new coat of paint burns 204 calories an hour.

6. Scrub-a-dub

Throw a barbecue, but first vacuum, sweep the patio, and straighten up.

7. Hit the market

Buy groceries for your fete (45 minutes of cart-pushing burns 117 calories), carry them inside (5 minutes of schlepping them up stairs burns 43), and put them away (40 calories in 14 minutes).

8. Bat a birdie around

Challenge partygoers to a friendly game of badminton and burn about 200 calories in 40 minutes.

8. Bat a birdie around

Challenge partygoers to a friendly game of badminton and burn about 200 calories in 40 minutes.

9. Act out

Help your guests burn off even more of that barbecue fare by leading them in an hour of charades.

10. Sing, laugh, repeat

Settle in for an hour of Glee and participate by belting out those lyrics; you'll burn more if you do it standing, chorus style. When it's your turn to rest your chops, laugh. Singing zaps 136 calories an hour, and 20 minutes of giggling torches another 67.

11. Bypass the boob tube

A 2-hour game of Scrabble will make you smarter and 200 calories thinner.

12. Hit the mini links

When's the last time you played putt-putt? All it takes is about an hour to slash 200 calories.

13. Weed and seed

Make your yard happy by uprooting those pesky weeds for 25 minutes (127 calories) and planting some new seedlings (77 calories for 15 minutes).

14. Relive recess days

Join the kids in a 20-minute game of hopscotch (113 calories) followed by 22 minutes on the trampoline (87 calories).

15. Strike out

Meet your pals at the local bowling alley for an hour's worth of friendly competition. Give extra style points to the person whose outfit clashes most with the rental shoes.

16. Shop it off

Hit the end-of-summer sales -- you'll torch 11 calories for every outfit you try on.

17. Get your om on

Unwind with some Vinyasa yoga. Flowing from Sun Salutations to standing poses like Triangle will burn 200 calories in about 25 minutes.

18. Clean your machine

Wash and wax your ride, and you'll burn 204 calories in 40 minutes. Straighten up the inside of your car, too, and you'll melt those cals even faster.

19. Tap your toes

Fidget throughout the day and you could burn an extra 200 calories before dinnertime. Researchers say people who fidget burn 350 calories a day more than non-fidgeters.

Self-talk and Exercise

When you work out, what messages are running through your head? How you think about exercise greatly influences how you feel about it — and how likely you are to stick with it. If your self-talk during exercise is all negative, your experience with exercise will be negative, too.

Do any of the following thoughts sound familiar?

• I don't like exercise.
• I'm not a natural athlete.
• I'll never get better at this.
• Everyone is looking at me.
• I missed a workout, so I may as well give up.
• I'm too tired for this.
• I'm never going to reach my goal.
• If I exercise, I'll feel exhausted afterward.

If any of these — or any other — negative messages come to mind during your workouts, try replacing them with the following:

• I will keep trying until I find an activity I enjoy.
• My body is made to move.
• I will gain skill over time.
• Others can think what they like — I won't let it stop me.
• I may have missed a workout, but I can get back on track today.
• I'm tired, but I'll aim for just 10 minutes of exercise and then see how I feel.
• I can and will reach my goal.
• After I exercise, I really feel good about myself.

This week, pay attention to the thoughts you're having during exercise and focus on replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. Doing so will make your workouts more productive and enjoyable.

Make Social Events Work for You

For many people, socializing means eating and drinking. There's a wonderful social aspect to eating, and you don't have to lose that pleasure — when you learn how to make it work for you and not against you. You can have plenty of fun and pleasure, as you discover the secrets of smart socializing. Here are some strategies you can try:

• Change the location. Suggest a non-food-centered outing from time to time. Plan a trip to a museum, for example, rather than a dinner out.
• Work the clock. Try to plan the outing either before or after standard mealtimes — at 10 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, or 8 at night, for example. That way, a meal won't be on your or your companions' mind.
• Eat before you go. You'll be less tempted to reach for unhealthy foods in social settings if you eat a balanced meal before you go.
• Watch the alcohol. In addition to providing empty calories that your body doesn't need, alcohol can also impair your judgment. Stick to one drink and then switch to water, iced tea, or a diet beverage.
• Visualize success. If you know food will be the focus of an outing, spend some time visualizing yourself making good food choices and managing your portions before you go.
• Bring a healthy option. If the event is a potluck, bring along a green salad, a vegetable tray, a low-fat dish, or a fruit salad to assure there will be a healthy dish available.
• Enlist your friends. Your friends can be your best supporters. So don't be afraid to let them in on your needs. For example, a friend may be more than happy to choose a restaurant with healthy options or split an entrée with you if you suggest it.

This week, imagine yourself facing some of the common social situations in your life. Journal about the challenges you might face and how you plan to handle them.

Restless Legs Syndrome

While most people might not associate restless legs syndrome (RLS) with a struggle to stay fit, this relatively common but often untreated condition can zap your energy, leaving you with little left to work out, eat right, and generally take good care of yourself.

Could you be among the estimated 1 in 10 people in the U.S. with RLS? It's possible, if these symptoms sound familiar:

• A strong urge to move your legs, accompanied by feelings of discomfort such as itching, creeping, tugging, or pulling. These feelings occur when your legs are at rest, and they subside when your legs are in motion.
• Insomnia or interrupted sleep as a result of the urge to move your legs.

In most cases, the cause of RLS is unknown. Some cases of RLS have been linked to deficiencies of iron, vitamin B, or folate; in these cases, a healthy, balanced diet or supplements can help to relieve symptoms. Sometimes RLS is linked to another health condition, like peripheral neuropathy (loss of sensation or pain, particularly in the limbs, which may be a complication of diabetes or other disorders), impaired circulation (for instance, varicose veins or swelling in the legs), or Parkinson's disease (a nervous system disorder associated with tremors and impaired movement). In these cases, treating the underlying condition can help to alleviate RLS symptoms. RLS may have a genetic component as well, as some cases seem to run in families.

Because certain drugs can aggravate the symptoms, be sure to tell your doctor about all medications and supplements you take. Drugs linked to RLS include antinausea drugs like metoclopramide (brand name Reglan), antiseizure drugs like phenytoin (Dilantin), antipsychotic drugs like haloperidol (Haldol), and some cold and allergy medications.

If you suspect you might have RLS, ask your doctor to evaluate you for this condition. Avoiding caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol may help reduce the symptoms. Prescription medications are also available that can calm the symptoms and help you get a better night's sleep.

The World's Simplest Workout

New Workout–The 30-20-10–Produces Impressive Results

A just-published paper in the Journal of Applied Physiology outlines a new workout that could become as popular as Yasso 800s, because the “numbers” are just as simple. The new workout is called “30-20-10 training” (or 10-20-30). Veteran runners who followed the training for just 7 weeks improved their 5K times by four percent, dropping from 23:03 to 22:16.

They also lowered their blood pressure and their LDL cholesterol. The workout appears to be health-enhancing as well as performance-enhancing.

The study should interest runners, because it didn’t just measure physiology “markers" (some of which improved and some of which didn't change). It measured actual performance, which improved quite dramatically. The 30-20-10 runners, three women and five men, also lowered their 1500 meter times by six percent, from 6:09 to 5:49. They did this while decreasing their weekly training mileage by 50 percent.

Here’s how to do a 30-20-10 workout.

1. Warm up with easy jogging for about a mile. (The studied runners warmed up for just ¾ mile.)

2. Jog for 30 seconds, run normal training pace for 20 seconds, and sprint for 10 seconds. Immediately repeat this cycle four more times, producing one continuous five-minute repeat.

3. Jog for two minutes. Then repeat step 2 two or three more times. (The subjects in the JAP study did 3 x 5-minutes for the first four weeks, and 4 x 5-minutes for the next three weeks.)

4. Cool down with easy jogging for about a mile. (The studied runners apparently did no cooldown, but we always recommend one.)

In the study, 18 moderately trained subjects (12 men, 8 women; average age, 34; normal training, 18 miles a week) were divided into two groups. One, the Controls, continued their normal training, and showed no improvements after seven more weeks of training. The 30-20-10 group followed the above training system, running just three times a week for an average of about 30 minutes per workout. They trained just under 9 miles per week.

An important result of these two training systems: The Control group spent 0 minutes per week running at or close to maximum heart rate, while the 30-20-10 group did about 40 percent of their running at/near max HR, even though they sprinted for only 16 percent of each minute. This occurred, presumably, because their HR stayed close to max as they recovered from each sprint.

The 30-20-10 workout might be considered a controlled “fartlek” workout, but with more rigor. No GPS required. Just run by feel. It would be easy to do on a grassy field or a smooth trail or dirt road. A safe, low-traffic road would be fine too, if you don’t mind the extra pounding.

It’s difficult to say how the workout would perform if you did it just once or twice a week (or four times!), but there’s a general rule for intense training: A little is better than none; and a lot is too much.

The researchers concluded: “Training with 10-second speed intervals can have a major impact on performance.” Also: “The 30-20-10 training led to reduced resting systolic blood pressure and blood cholesterol, suggesting a better health profile for already trained subjects.”

Boost Your Body Image

When you think of your body, what thoughts come to mind? Do you focus on what's "wrong"? Do you feel embarrassed about your body? Like so many people who struggle with weight, you may find it difficult — or perhaps not even know how — to work toward a healthier relationship with your own body. But you can learn to accept and appreciate yourself.

A healthy lifestyle is about more than eating well and exercising — it is about accepting and embracing your body and treating it well. It's not about waiting until you've reached some ideal weight or some particular goal before learning to notice what's good about yourself and your body. After all, staying motivated requires that we celebrate every success. Maybe your clothes feel a little looser or you're feeling better about the way you look — it's important to notice all the steps along the way.

Remember, few people fit into or can ever obtain the supermodel standard of beauty. Yet, media images bombarding us with cellulite-free thighs, rock-hard abs, and flat tummies create unreasonable, expectations and can leave us feeling inferior if we feel we don't measure up.

This week, pay particular attention to the messages you send yourself about your body. Are they mainly negative? If so, practice replacing them with more self-accepting thoughts. Take a look in the mirror and find the things about your body that you like, and say that you like them out loud. Start thinking of your body as something special that deserves your great care and attention.

Healthy Preworkout Snacks

Do you often have a snack before your workouts? While eating before you exercise may seem a little counterintuitive — after all, isn't one of the aims of exercise to burn calories? — it can actually be a good move. If it's time for your workout but you haven't eaten anything for a few hours or more, a snack can give you the energy you need to get going. And it can prevent you from being so hungry when you're done exercising that you make poor food choices.

The best preworkout snack is one that includes carbohydrates, which provide an energy boost, and protein, which sustains the energy boost and helps you feel satisfied longer. Here are some ideas:

• Half a bagel with low-fat cream cheese
• An apple with reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• A banana with peanut butter
• Yogurt with berries
• A few crackers with tuna
• One slice of bread with turkey

The key is to keep your portion small — around 50 to 100 calories. Eat your snack 30 minutes to an hour before you work out, keeping in mind that the body takes a little longer to absorb the energy from foods containing fat.

And before you stock up on energy bars or other products that promise to give you a boost during your workout, take note: While these products can be a convenient option, they can also be high in calories. If you do choose a sports bar, look for small ones that contain 100 calories or less.