Obesity rates among children and adults have reached an all-time high in this country, with an estimated 1,000 people becoming obese every day. While losing weight might seem like too big of a task, remember that getting fit doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the gym. Aside from watching your food intake, there are lots of ways to burn extra calories and begin slimming down. Take small steps and find fun and easy ways to burn calories every day. It may seem like a small change at first, but if you stick to it the calories burned will add up to weight loss!

1. Dancing (20 minutes)
Dancing around the house is not only fun, but it also will improve your leg muscle tone and boost your cardiovascular fitness.

2. Housework (20 minutes)
Most people do not necessarily enjoy housework. But it has to get done, so it’s good to know it can be a calorie burner! By keeping proper postural alignment and moving quickly from chore to chore, you can raise your heart rate and tone your muscles.

3. Cycling (10 minutes)
If you have a bicycle, just ten minutes of cycling will burn off 100 calories. Aside from being a good cardio workout, it also helps strengthen your legs and your heart.

4. Lift light weights (30 minutes)
This will not only help you tone and strengthen your muscles and bones, it also will burn 100 calories in just 30 minutes. Try keeping a pair of light hand weights near the sofa and begin lifting during commercials while watching your favorite shows.

5. Take the stairs (15 minutes)
Everyone knows that climbing stairs is better for you than riding the elevator. In 15 minutes of climbing stairs, a 130-pound woman can burn around 100 calories.

6. Walking the dog (15 minutes)
Taking your dog for a brisk walk will not only help you get in shape, it also will help your pet keep the pounds off.

7. Go bowling (35 minutes)
According to the American Council on Exercise, a130-pound woman will burn 100 calories in about 35 minutes of bowling.

8. Play catch with your kids (35 minutes)
Taking 35 minutes to toss a ball around will give you quality time with your children and will shave off the calories. If you prefer basketball, you can burn 100 calories in just 20 minutes.

9. Ice skate (20 minutes)
Take the family ice skating and burn 100 calories every 20 minutes in the rink!

10. Take more steps (2,000 steps)
Get a pedometer and track how many steps you take each day. Then find ways to increase your count. Each 2,000 steps you take is another 100 calories burned. It may sound like a lot, but it can be as easy as parking your car further from a store.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com and http://www.acefitness.org.