If there’s one thing we all know for certain, it is that striking the perfect balance in life is hard. Carving out that precious hour or so a day to dedicate to the gym can be hard.

There are days when you’re just not feeling it and would much rather join your friend for happy hour or just lie down on the couch and embrace laziness.

Lucky for you then, we rounded some of the easiest ways to help you stay healthy, and lose some extra pounds. These are small straightforward changes that you can make every day. No stress or bicycle shorts required.

Drink more green tea.

Research has shown is can help people lower their levels of body fat

Enjoy your salad, just relax with the dressing.

They can include added sugars that you will regret later. Stick with the clean veggies that have loads of fibre and lower calories than other lunch options.

Protein for everyone.

Unfortunately for vegetarians, eating lean protiens (turkey, salmon, etc.) will keep you full between meals and help to speed up your metabolism.

Take the stairs.

Drink smaller wine glasses.

No need to ditch the booze entirely this week. If you’re a fan of a glass after a long hard day, then get a smaller glass and indulge a few nights a week rather than every day. Apparently this easy swap can help you shed nearly two stone over a year.

Laugh more!

No, seriously, research has shown that laughing for even 10 minutes a day can burn almost 40 calories. Hilarious.

Sleep.

Working long hours can mean late nights and early mornings, and trying to fit things into your schedule outside of work can mean even less time spent sleeping. However, the University of Pennsylvania found that people who were sleep-deprived over 11 days gained more than 3 pounds compared to the “well-rested” group. So get some sleep!