Unique Ways to Lose Weight

These methods for losing weight are not nearly as effective in the short or long term as moderate-to-intense aerobic exercise, in conjunction with moderate-to-intense weight lifting. But these activities do burn calories and are an enjoyable way to fill in the gaps between workouts. You'll be looking to increase movement throughout the day in otherwise sedentary activities.

Light Exercise While Working

The inactivity of sedentary office work helps contribute to weight problems. Given that, as quirky as it may initially seem to exercise while doing office work, it seems even more unusual that the trend didn't catch on sooner. Specifically, some offices are encouraging their employees to use a specially designed treadmill which manages to provide the user with a low-impact aerobic workout that isn't punishing enough to interfere with the work at hand. A company called Details manufactures a desk-friendly treadmill known as a Walkstation. The upright desk/treadmill combination allows users to make use of their computer while walking at a steady pace, leading to a calorie burn of roughly 100 calories an hour. The good news is that the Walkstation is available for everyone, home and office. The bad news? The Walkstation costs $4,000. For much less, an individual can find many other physical activities.

Volunteer Activity

Volunteering in one's community is a noble pursuit, and the main motivation for volunteering one's time should ideally be the desire to help others. One possible fringe benefit that is more self-serving is the potential to burn calories and lose weight, depending on the type of volunteering. Sedentary volunteer work, such as answering phones in activist offices or filing paperwork for not-for-profit organizations, is admirable and commendable, but doesn't qualify as a unique way to lose weight. So what does?

Volunteering to pick up trash in public places, taking animal shelter dogs for walks, organizing outdoor hikes for disadvantaged children and serving food at a local food bank are all examples of active volunteer work that can burn calories while serving one's community.

Sex

Without going into delicate detail, regular sexual activity has been shown to burn calories. Most half-hour periods of intercourse between couples burn anywhere from 100 to 300 calories, with Dr. Laura Berman of Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine confirming that the caloric burn is a result of the intensified heart rate and blood circulation that comes from sexual stimulation. This intensification, in turn, burns calories and the fat that results from excessive caloric intake.