Wouldn’t It Be NEAT to Burn Calories Without Exercise?
Spoiler alert, this post is not supporting not exercising. However, if you fall into the category of people that despise the idea of going to the gym, playing sports isn’t appealing or any other type of traditional exercise just isn’t your thing and you’d also like to burn more calories in your day, this is for you. There’s this neat little thing referred to as non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). It’s all the energy we expend not doing intentional exercise when we’re not sleeping and basically doing life. And as it turns out it really can make a difference.
So what are these NEAT activities? It’s likely many of the things you have heard before, such as taking the stairs, parking farther away at the store, pacing while talking on the phone or brushing your teeth, household chores and gardening. It also includes things we may not have considered before, like typing, fidgeting in our seats, standing instead of sitting, even playing video games; it all adds up and counts for caloric burn beyond our basal metabolic rate (BMR). All of us have NEAT in our day and if you’re trying to lose weight the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) shares how increasing NEAT can be beneficial.
If you are a non-exerciser, increasing NEAT can bring a wealth of benefits and please don’t assume if you are a traditional exerciser that NEAT can’t be extremely beneficial for you as well. Many of us spend our days seated in front of a computer screen or sitting through meetings. If you carve out time for intentional exercise that is FANTASTIC! For most of us that might be anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour 3-6 times a week. Again, my hat’s off to you for scheduling it into your day, but even with consistent exercise, if you are sitting for most of the rest of your waking hours, you might not be as far ahead in the game as you think. Be wary of being an active couch potato. Try to incorporate short breaks throughout your day to find some sort of movement even if it's just standing up and stretching. You want to keep those benefits from your exercise!
I would be remiss to not mention that while NEAT is absolutely important for our overall health and brings numerous benefits, it does not bring the same benefits as a well balanced exercise routine. While NEAT provides movement and increased caloric burn, it typically does not raise the heart rate significantly, nor does it include resistance training. Strength training becomes more important as we age since we start to lose muscle mass around age 30. If we don’t actively work to maintain it, we are at higher risk for sarcopenia. Having said that, if traditional exercise is not something you’re ready for, NEAT can be a great place to start. And as mentioned above, a balanced exercise routine is not enough to counteract hours upon hours of sitting. So essentially NEAT and a balanced exercise routine can work together beautifully for maximum health benefits.
Bottom line is that whether you exercise regularly, or not so much, NEAT can play an important role in your health. The beauty of NEAT is that it doesn’t require carving out a 30 minute block in your calendar, putting on workout clothes or paying for a gym membership. It can be worked into your day without becoming another scheduled event. It’s all about movement. You might be wondering how do I know how much NEAT I have in my day? A great example of NEAT that’s easy to track is your daily step count. If the once recommended 10,000 steps feels too daunting, recent studies show that just 4,000 steps bring health benefits. With all of the health trackers out there today, it’s not too difficult to track. You can even use a no frills clip-on pedometer. These are wallet friendly options and don’t require another app or for you to carry your phone all the time.
There are numerous ways to incorporate more NEAT into your day. From gardening, to cooking, to household chores, or simply choosing to get out of the car and walking inside instead of going through the drive through. How will you increase your daily NEAT?