Did You Know Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) can burn up to more than 1000 calories without even Stepping one foot in the Gym?

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Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)

Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) refers to the activities of daily living that burn calories without stepping foot inside of a gym. In fact, it appears that NEAT has more of an impact on body weight than “working out” does. NEAT varies widely among people. Yours could contribute as little as 15% or as much as 50% of your total energy expenditure.

People with highly active jobs can burn up to 1000 calories more each day than their sedentary counterparts. According to the American Heart Association, “To reverse obesity, we need to develop individual strategies to promote standing and ambulating time by 2.5 hours per day and also re-engineer our work, school, and home environments to render active living the option of choice.”

Add some more activity into your daily routine, and keep at it for 3 weeks. It will become a habit, and you may just become thinner and healthier! Dr James Levine of the Mayo Clinic, the founder of the NEAT principle, has studied calorie burning for more than 20 years. For more information about NEAT, read Levine’s book, Move a Little, Lose A Lot, written with Selene Yeager.

Simple ways to increase NEAT
Try these suggestions:

Pace while talking on the telephone
Do jumping jacks, push-ups, or another exercise of your choice during commercial breaks
Park as far away as possible from the store when shopping
Do not use drive-through banking or fast food—get out of the car and walk inside
Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator
Mow the grass with a push mower
Become a gardener instead of hiring a landscaper
Do not send interoffice e-mail; instead, walk to the other person’s office and talk face to face
Get up every 20 minutes and walk around, or do some stretches when working at your computer or doing other work at your desk
Just stand up; stand instead of sitting whenever possible—you will increase your level of NEAT
Wash your car by hand instead of taking it to a drive-through car wash
Prepare your own meals instead of purchasing them ready to go; yes, even slicing your own tomatoes or mashing your own potatoes increases NEAT
Put your alarm clock across the room instead of right beside the bed—up and at ‘em
Do a little housework every day
Schedule your work meetings with coworkers or have your after-dinner conversations with friends and family outside—take a walk around the block or yard
References and recommended readings

Hellmich N. Q&A: how to drop pounds with all-day activities, not exercise. Available at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-01-21-fidget-activity_N.htm. Accessed May 17, 2010.

Levine JA, Vander Weg MW, Hill JO, Klesges RC. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis: the crouching tiger hidden dragon of societal weight gain. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol [serial online]. 2006;26:729-736.Available at: http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/26/4/729. Accessed May 17, 2010.

Mayo Clinic. Levine, James A. (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). Available at: http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/mayo/research/levine_lab/. Accessed May 17, 2010.

Forwarded, By Natalie Pyles

Your Whole Health, Fitness, and Nutrition Expert

Have a Healthy and Happy Day!!