You eat right, workout religiously, and still can’t rid yourself of the extra few pounds. It could be that you are not getting enough NEAT in your life. According to the American Heart Association, most of us aren’t.
What is NEAT? Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. What does this mean? NEAT is the energy expended through activities other than sports type activities; in other words, movement such as standing, fidgeting, doing housework, etc.
A recent study suggests that overweight and obese people tend to sit an average of 2.5 hours a day more than their leaner sedentary counterparts. When we consider that obesity was rare 100 years ago and the fact that the human genotype has not changed over that time, we realize that a lifestyle conducive of more sitting is a strong factor towards the obesity epidemic. Physical activity levels have dropped markedly with modern conveniences, such as drive through restaurants and banks, televisions, escalators, computers and portable phones, as well as labor saving devices.
So how much does extra movement included throughout the day add to calorie expenditure? According to the American Council of Exercise, it is possible to burn an extra 300 calories per day. This means a net loss of 1 pound of body weight in 12 days or 31 pounds in a year!
Fitting more NEAT into our daily activities isn’t as complicated as it may seem. For example, at the office, we can walk down the hall to a co-worker’s office instead of calling or emailing them. Get up from your desk to stand or walk for 5-10 minutes every hour. Use part of your lunch hour to walk outside or around the office instead of staying seated the entire time. Use the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator. Find the farthest parking spot from the entrance.
At home, don’t record your favorite show. Instead, use the commercial breaks as opportunities to walk around the house. Put away the remote control and get up to change the channel on your TV. Position your phone in another room so you have to get up and walk to go answer it. During commercial breaks or while talking on the phone, stand instead of sit, hand wash and dry the dishes, hang the clothes out to dry, wash windows, do some gardening, clean and organize the garage…the possibilities are endless!
Keep in mind that NEAT is not a replacement for a clean diet or regular bouts of moderate to intense exercise. Those two components are very important to our overall health and well being. Nevertheless, regular exercise and a healthy diet may not be enough to burn the calories needed to assist with weight loss. Since we live in a modern society of physical convenience that leaves us more sedentary than ever, adding more NEAT to our daily lives may be necessary to help us reach and maintain our goals.
Are you struggling to keep active or worried about working out after rehabilitation? Spooner Physical Therapy offers gym and trainer access through its Functional Integrated Training (FIT) program. To learn more about Spooner FIT visit our website.
References:
- James A Levine 1, M. W. (2006). Non-exercise activity thermogenesis: the crouching tiger hidden dragon of societal weight gain. Bethesda: The National Center for Biotechnology Information.
- McCoy, K. (2009, April 3). Burning Calories With Everyday Activities. Retrieved from Everyday Health: https://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/everyday-activities-that-burn-calories.aspx