Morning Makeover
1 Wake-up workout When your eyes open, sit up slowly without using your hands. With legs straight out, lean forward until you feel a gentle stretch in your back and hamstrings. Hold; then, using your abs, lower yourself flat. Rest and repeat two more times. Strengthens core. Burns 40kj

2 Go for the grains Not ready for Twigs & Rocks cereal? Sprinkle on a few tablespoons of wheat germ or oat bran. Work up to 3⁄4 cup of low-sugar whole-grain cereal with at least three grams of fibre per serving, and you'll pass on that Danish. Saves 420

3 Add some protein The more you eat earlier on, the less you eat as the day wears on, research has shown. So after your cereal, add a hard-boiled egg or a mini BabyBel Light cheese to keep you feeling full – and away from that pre-lunch brownie. Saves 840 (or more)

4 Balance booster While you brush your teeth, alternate standing on one leg as you switch mouth quadrants (every 30 seconds). Balancing develops your core muscles and may even be good for your brain. Burns 40

5 Be a ballerina As your coffee drips, stand sideways, put one hand on the counter, and lift the outside leg straight out in front of you, keeping it extended. With upper body straight, hold for a few seconds and move it to the side; hold and extend it behind you. Do five to ten times on each leg. Tones outer thighs, hip flexors and quadriceps. Burns 40

6 Coffee saver Instead of pouring that 1⁄3 cup of full-cream milk into your mug, replace it with the same amount of 2%. Saves 250

7 Better your bagel You can walk 10000 steps to justify your 2093-kilojoule bagel with full cream cheese, or try this: low-fat spreadable cheese like Laughing Cow Light on an English muffin. Saves 1260

Nine-to-Five Fixes
8 Tone in traffic Use the time spent bumper-to-bumper to develop your buns of steel: squeeze your derrière each time you tap the brake, holding for ten seconds. Shoot for ten to 15 squeezes a trip. Burns 40

9 Snack smarter Portion out the day's snacks into pint-size zip bags, or buy single-serving portions. For example, by choosing a snack size Mars bar over an ordinary bar, you can save 450kj. Go for the lower fat chips: a Lay's Light bag has only 315 kilojoules, while the regular has 630. Saves 730 (over two snacks)

10 Casual day payoff You will blast more kilojoules during the day wearing comfy clothes like jeans, T-shirts and trainers than donning constricting suits, skirts and heels. Why? Because you walk more, a study found. Now you just have to convince the boss. Burns 100

11 You know squat! At your desk chair, pretend you're going to sit but don't –stop and come back up without using your arms. Always start squats by lowering your hips, not bending knees forward, and keeping your weight on your heels. Repeat the motion throughout the day (even at the potty!) for 15 to 20 total. Strengthens quadriceps. Burns 60

12 Switch your soft drink Your body doesn't register kilojoules from liquids the same way it does those from foods, so you won't get those "stop eating" signals to help you compensate for the overload later on. Change from two glasses of cooldrink to the diet version, or a flavoured sparkling water. Saves 1260

13 Talk it up Every time you grab the phone, stand up and pace around. Heavy people sit on average two and a half hours more per day than thin people, according to the Mayo Clinic. Burns 200 or more

14 At lunch, pick a pita Use one mini whole-wheat pita instead of the usual two slices of white or refined wheat bread for your sandwich. Saves 290

15 Get face time We use e-mail so much we've forgotten what our colleagues look like. Pick a colleague, or two, who sits furthest from you and deliver ten of those daily messages in person. And go out of your way: hit a bathroom or a copier on another floor –and take the stairs, of course. Burns 40

16 Firm as you file Pause from your papers with a few wall push-ups. Place hands wide at shoulder height against the wall. Take a couple of steps back so your body is at a slight angle and your weight is on your toes, and do three sets of ten push-ups. Strengthens chest and triceps. (For more desk exercises, go to changeone.com/workout.) Burns 40

17 An apple (or more) a day They're packed with fibre and water, so your stomach will want less. Plus, studies from the US and Brazil have shown that people who eat at least three apples or pears a day lose weight. Try two small apples and two fewer large biscuits. Saves 420

18 Try a simple chair workout

Around Town
19 Carry some weight When you're grocery shopping or running errands, wear a backpack with one or two 2,5-kilogram bags of sugar inside to increase resistance and burn more kilojoules. Add purchases to your load as it becomes easier. Burns 80 (for an hour of errands)

20 Tweak your treat Instead of a large caffé latte and a chocolate muffin, get a small fat-free latte and a small low-fat raisin or carrot muffin without icing. Saves 1430

21 Pump at the pump Instead of fuming over petrol prices, think about firming your calves: with one hand on your car, stand on the balls of your feet and slowly rise up and down for as long as it takes your tank to fill. Burns 40

22 Do the pizza pat Blot your slice with a serviette to cut anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon of grease – and kilojoules. Saves 210-420

23 Shop till the kilos drop At the mall, try on at least ten outfits, both pants and shirts. No need to buy! Burns 250

24 Eat like a kid You don't have to give up that quick lunch if you order smaller portions: instead of a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and large fries, opt for the cheeseburger Happy Meal. You can even play with the toy. Saves 1630

25 Recharge yourself Anytime you're waiting in line, stand evenly on both feet, clasp hands behind your back and squeeze shoulder blades together to open your chest, an energising yoga-based move that stimulates the nervous system. Hold for ten to 20 seconds while slowly breathing in and out, taking longer on the inhale. Burns 20

On the Home Front
26 Jog for junk mail Turn clutter into a challenge: for every piece of junk mail you pull from the postbox each day, do one lap around your house or building, or up and down a flight of stairs. Burns 150-580

27 Lighten up No, you don't have to give up fat completely –instead of using butter, use extra lite margarine and cut the kilojoules. Saves 125

28 Step on it Before you lug those backpacks upstairs, stop and stand on the bottom step for these calf toners. Hold the banister with one hand. Bend your right leg and place the toes of your left foot on the edge of the step. Let your heel drop down, press into the ball of your left foot and rise to your toes. Pause; repeat with each foot for eight to 12 reps. Burns 40

29 Start with soup Order a clear soup instead of a salad soaked with two tablespoons of creamy salad dressing and you can save twice the kilojoules. Plus you'll feel fuller, so you'll eat less when the main course comes. Saves 420

30 Play footsie After dinner, while you're still sitting at the table, extend your right leg out and slowly bend it up and down, squeezing and holding in the up position for at least five seconds. Repeat on each leg five times. Sculpts quadriceps. Burns 40

31 Make perfect pasta Substitute whole-wheat for semolina pasta and you'll be satisfied with a smaller portion (40 grams instead of 60). Saves 370

32 Climb up! Taking the stairs for a total of just two minutes, five days a week, gives you the same kilojoule-burning results as a 20-minute walk. Burns 420-580

33 Fill up with fruit Like fruit pies? Here's how you can cave to the craving: sprinkle fresh fruit –some cut-up apple, pear or a handful of strawberries –with some sweetener, cover and nuke for a minute or so. Tastes just like pie filling. Saves 1150

34 Have your cake Pick up a Swiss roll for tea. It's packed with air and a 1⁄2-centimetre thick slice has less than half the kilojoules of, say, one slice of iced chocolate cake. Saves 1640

35 Ease into evening Sitting with feet uncrossed, grab your wrist and raise your hands above your head to lengthen the spine. Take a deep breath in as you reach and hold the position, breathing slowly in and out for 20 seconds, taking longer on the exhale. Instant relaxation. Burns 20

36 Get your chocolate fix Instead of a bar of chocolate, try a reduced-kilojoule pudding, like Weigh-Less Chocolate Mousse. Eat it with a teaspoon to savour it longer. Saves 770

37 Crunch for your clicker The average half-hour TV show has eight minutes of commercials. Make reaching for the remote control worth it: place it out of reach on the coffee table or, if you're lying down, on the opposite arm of the couch. Every time an ad comes on and you reach for the remote, crunch until the show comes back on; you should reach 100-150 or so. Tones abs. Burns 100

38 Lift those hips Before you tuck yourself in, lie on your back on the floor with your legs up on the edge of the bed or a chair. Slowly bend your knees, lifting your hips off the floor. Hold for five seconds, relax and repeat ten to 12 times. Firms up hamstrings and core. Burns 40

The Weekend
39 Sing a song Spend Sunday morning belting it out in the church choir. Burns 290 per service

40 Make it bacon Out for brunch, order three slices of crisp bacon instead of two sausages and pat off the extra grease. Saves 380

41 Move it, Soccer Parents! At half time, take a lap around the gym or field. Four or five times around a typical one is about 1,6km. Burns 310

42 Film time Most people eat 45 percent more popcorn from large-size containers, so make sure you get only a small and skip the butter, which adds more kilojoules than the popcorn itself. Bring your own seasoned salt or Parmesan cheese for more flavour. Saves 1465

43 Orient yourself At Chinese restaurants, be sure to avoid anything called crispy, which means fried. And always opt for plain boiled rice instead of egg-fried rice. Saves 670

44 Catch this! Spend a half-hour tossing a ball or Frisbee with your kid. Burns 380

45 Cut the cheese Order your pizza with half the cheese or even cheese-less, and then sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan. Saves 420

46 Have a hot dog! Pile on the pickles, onions and sauerkraut –these fibre-packed condiments will fill you up and prevent you from eating a second dog. Skip the cheese. Saves 1050

47 Think about your drink Consider beer or wine instead of a frozen drink: a glass of regular beer has 590 kilojoules and a serving of wine has 530 kilojoules, while a strawberry daiquiri has about 1250 and a margarita 1420. Saves 630-830

48 Fix your fries Rather than asking for medium fries, get an order of onion rings (eight to nine rings). Saves 250

49 Scream for sorbet Indulge in chocolate sorbet instead of chocolate ice cream. Saves 520

50 Make whoopee Instead of a bowl of ice cream as a bedtime snack, have a robust tussle with your spouse. Burns 1260

Sources: Jay Ashmore, PhD; Fabio Comana; Mara Carrico; John de Castro, PhD; Madelyn Fernstrom, PhD; Donald Hensrud, MD; James Hill, PhD; Bruce Nadler, MD; Michael Ozner, MD; Mare Petras; Barry Popkin, PhD; Barbara Rolls, PhD; Brian Wansink, PhD