Wouldn’t life be easier if a magic calorie-burning pill did exist? One that has zero side effects and is actually good for you? Of course, right?

Just think about it — if a pill like this were available, we could enjoy all of the fabulous food our country has to offer minus the extra weight and the hefty serving of guilt that comes with over indulging.

Unfortunately, the reality is, this pill hasn’t been invented — yet. Which means we actually have to do something — eat less or workout more — in order to keep off the pounds.

And while you know you can clock in hours at the gym or cut your serving sizes in half to shed serious pounds, there are a few minor tweaks you can make to your current weight loss diet or exercise routine to help you burn a few extra calories. The ones that might be preventing you from losing those last five pounds, perhaps.

To come up with these sneaky calorie burning and trimming tips, we spoke to fitness and lifestyle consultant Ashley Borden. She says that in addition to the few “old school” practices of “walking your dog more often, parking further away and taking the stairs,” there are other easy ways to burn more calories in order to take off pounds. Though these weight loss diet and exercise suggestions may seem minor, they all add up over time.

See the 11 easy ways to burn more and consume calories — now…