NEAT is an abbreviation for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. That’s a mouthful, but all it means is the energy that is expended for all activities besides eating, sleeping and exercise.That means some calories burnt from your daily activities.
Walked across the corridor to gossip with your colleague at work? You burned some calories there. Ran to catch the bus? You burned some calories there too. You are burning calories throughout the day for every task and movement that you perform.
To burn as many calories as you can, your NEAT activities need to increase. Obesity is often seen in people who lead very sedentary lifestyles. The key to losing weight faster is to make your life more active. You may exercise daily for an hour, but there are 24 hours in a day.
If you’re awake for 16 hours a day, make those hours count. Every calorie you burn is a step closer to your ideal body weight. Drops make an ocean. If the supermarket is a 15-minute walk away from your house, start walking there and leave the car at home. That 15 minutes walk both ways translates into 30 minutes of calorie burning.
Take the stairs at work. If you can work while standing, go ahead and stand. You burn more calories standing than you do sit.
We live in an age where technology has made everything so easy that people barely move enough to burn calories. We sit all day in front of the TV, computer (surfing), playing video games, etc. Even children are becoming obese because the good old days of running around at the playground has turned into hours of sitting and playing video games.
To lose weight, you will need to look at your lifestyle and see how you can make it more active. There are many little changes that you can make. It may not seem like much but it all counts. In some cases, it may seem a little inconvenient. Just bear in mind that these inconveniences will not matter once you have reached your goals of being lean.
If you live close enough to cycle to work, go ahead and cycle there. Take the stairs when you can. Walk from point to the point whenever you can. The work you do will also affect your NEAT. If you’re a waiter, your NEAT may be high with all the standing and walking. If you’re a software programmer who spends hours typing code, your NEAT will be low.
Whatever your job may be, the more non-exercise activity thermogenesis you add into your life, over days, months and years, it will add up, and your weight loss will be faster. More importantly, an active person is better able to keep the weight off.
Spend less time in front of the TV, laptops and on other sedentary activities. Get active. Do some yard work. Mow the lawn with the kind of mower you need to push. Sweep your house. Mop it if you have to. Clear the drains. Do those chores that require physical labor. Your spouse will be grateful too.
Finally, always remember to watch your diet. You can add a thousand NEAT activities in your daily life but if your diet is poor, the fat will never come off. You will be active but overweight. You must have 100 percent commitment to both your diet and physical activity to see positive results.
