NEAT Exercising

 I love reading up on the latest on exercise, makeup, fashion, and other things. The other day, I saw an article from NPR talking about NEAT exercise.  My first thought was that many people think exercising in neat but then I looked into it a bit further.  NEAT stands for Non-exercise activity thermogenesis.  The idea behind NEAT, is that a person counts all the calories burned through normal activities every day excluding regularly scheduled workouts.

The activities include cleaning house, going shopping, walking up and down stairs, strolling through the mall, bobbing your legs up and down while you work at your desk or even cooking a meal.  Unfortunately, most scientists do not look at the daily movement most people do because it is hard to quantify but someone at Mayo Clinic did.  

In the process of researching this topic, they've learned more about NEAT exercise.  It has been found that even small behavior changes can either amplify or decrease the amount of NEAT done. Everyone has a different level of NEAT based on their job, where they live, and their drive to get up and move around.  Although many folks have jobs that are more sedentary, it is possible to include more NEAT movements into daily life just by making small changes.

The first thing to know is that over half the calories burned due to supporting basic body functions which is referred to as Basic Metabolic Rate. This cannot easily be modified. Then about 10% more calories are burned digesting and metabolizing food.  So there are only 30 to 40 percent of the calories available for any other activities.

So when you move around all day, you are using the available calories and this is where NEAT comes in. For those who regularly exercise, NEAT actually burns more calories than the actual workout. However, one should not count exclusively on NEAT to burn all the necessary calories needed, but for people who do not exercise as much, increasing the amount of NEAT helps a less active person burn more calories.

Some ways to increase NEAT include fidgeting when working at a desk adds 5 to 7 percent, take up ironing or folding up clothing adds up to 15 percent. Start strolling around the mall you can double your metabolic rate.  So walk to the corner store, chew gum, mow the lawn, garden, or vacuum to increase the calories used.  

As far as the desire to move, researchers discovered the brain contains orexin which is the chemical that helps encourage movement.  The more there is, the more likely a person is to move around and it is possible to increase the amount of orexin produced by the brain.  

It all boils down to adding in movement, So instead of sitting in front of the television all night, get up and straighten up the room, go upstairs to the restroom, or just move. The more a person moves, the more they are likely to keep their weight down while staying in good health.  So the next time you have a moment, just get up and move around, mop the floor, fold the clothing, or just walk down to the corner store.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.