Not NEAT? Then that's why you may be overweight...

ninerbuff

I mean this in terms of NEAT as in "Non Exercise Activity Thermogenisis". It doesn't take a degree to figure out the less active we are and the less we use energy, then any excess energy we consume we store as body fat.

I get it when people say they can't run or jog. I also get it when people say they abhor working out. It's also understandable when people say that just don't have the time. So what to do? Increase your NEAT.

After reading an article (fitness journal) even people who hit the gym once a day for an hour, but are sedentary the rest of the day (10-12 hours at a desk), aren't getting the benefit of exercise that they think they are.
What's interesting is that people who have a high NEAT, but also work a 10-12 hour desk job, are usually much less overweight, less fatigued and have better health markers.

Now obviously I'm one who encourages exercise because there are some things that NEAT doesn't fulfill (better overall fitness, higher VO2 max, kickboxing), but if long laborious exercise isn't your gig, then just increasing your NEAT on a daily basis can equal a calorie burn of a half hour exercise regimen. Best of all, you don't even have to dress up or sweat to do it.

Just some examples. Take the stairs, park the furthest parking away (better yet walk or ride a bike to work), yard work, etc. on a daily basis will help with NEAT.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

laserturkey

I love walking to the grocery store when I'm just planning to get a few things. For me that adds up to almost a half hour of walking by the time I get home, and it really doesn't seem like it takes much longer than driving to the store, parking, going in, shopping, and getting back in the car to go home.

ninerbuff

I love walking to the grocery store when I'm just planning to get a few things. For me that adds up to almost a half hour of walking by the time I get home, and it really doesn't seem like it takes much longer than driving to the store, parking, going in, shopping, and getting back in the car to go home.

Whenever I have to make a quick run to the store, there's a Rite-Aid about half a mile away, so if we need say TP, then I just walk there to pick it up. It's effortless really, but it help me get fresh air and burn some extra calories.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Cleaning your house and playing with your kids are also great ways to increase your neat. Take your kids to the park. Climb the equipment with them, don't sit on a bench. Turn up the radio and dance while you clean.

OnionMomma

I saw a show about this recently. Very interesting to say the least.

Even fidgeting burns calories. Also, some office spaces are letting/ having people use exercise balls to sit on, it burns more calories too.

evedroid

i started my weight loss journey almost a year ago. have been over (binge) eating and sitting on my *kitten* previously for years.
since last may i started to walk everywhere (plus watch what i eat of course), usually to the park with my daughter just to get out of the house. that built my stamina to start to jog in february. them weekly 5ks made me grow balls within a couple of months and i started to heavy lift 4 weeks ago.
now im considering getting into shape and maybe, just maybe looking into competing in a couple of years time.
11 months ago i was a clinically overweight blob, people!
get your *kitten* up and start to walk.
it changed my life

NaomiJFoster

I've always known that my job was non-sedentary. But I recently lost my watch, and so for a couple weeks (yeah I'm too lazy to go buy a new one) I've been wearing my step-counter watch to work. On a normal day, I seem to get around 18,000 steps during the work hours. On a hectic day (which is usually about 2x a week), it's more like 22,000.

However, this time of year, there is no way that I'm walking up to the store. In the winter, yes. April through October, no way. Well, maybe if I went out at 4am, before the sun came up, lol. Parking far away is obvious here also, because that's usually where the shady spots are.

missezwright

I have a desk job and work 8 hour days. We get 2 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch. I have started walking on both breaks instead of lurking around the office and taking a quick bite to eat so I can continue walking on my lunch too. Ever since I started this job 7 years ago I have been packing on the pounds until I got to a points I couldn't take it any more! I go home and exercise also and get active with my kids.


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Natihilator

Ugh, this probably accounts for my slow progress. When I'm not at the gym I am a lazy *kitten*.

I had a coworker that got rid of her chair and put her desktop on a high table, so she would be forced to stand all day at the office. She swore by it in terms of improved energy and productivity, it was an interesting concept.

Vailara

Thank you for that post. It sounds spot on to me.

I think I've had problems with my NEAT for a long time. I'm not a natural mover. If I sit down, I tend to stay put. I have been trying to be just a little more active when I'm in the house - finding reasons to go up and down stairs, not letting myself sit too long without getting up, hanging out washing instead of putting it in the dryer, etc. It just doesn't come naturally.

Heather1899

This is why I got a Fitbit!! To see how active I am during the day. I work 9 hours at a desk job and really no break. I cannot leave or go walking or anywhere. However I have to walk around the office alot during the day so I wanted to see just how much that counts.

atjays

If someone is too lazy to work out I would bet they also don't want to walk to their destination or park far away. Sure "NEAT" is common sense, higher activity levels = fitter people, but the activity level isn't the problem, the person's attitude and willingness to change themselves is the problem.

Vailara

If someone is too lazy to work out I would bet they also don't want to walk to their destination or park far away. Sure "NEAT" is common sense, higher activity levels = fitter people, but the activity level isn't the problem, the person's attitude and willingness to change themselves is the problem.

I'm not sure. It seems to be almost innate. Some people just naturally are always moving. You see them perching on the edges of their chairs, then jumping up for the slightest reason, rearranging furnishings, etc. Others (like me) tend to sit back in their chairs and stay still, then only get up when something really needs to be done. It's not attitude, because it's not really conscious.

I don't know if there's any information on whether somebody who naturally has a low NEAT can change to naturally having a high NEAT (i.e. be more active throughout the day without thinking about it). I'm hoping it's possible!

jamk1446

Ugh, this probably accounts for my slow progress. When I'm not at the gym I am a lazy *kitten*.

I had a coworker that got rid of her chair and put her desktop on a high table, so she would be forced to stand all day at the office. She swore by it in terms of improved energy and productivity, it was an interesting concept.

I second this. I asked for and got a standing work station at work with the intent of improving my posture. But now I do feel more productive on my feet. Now, if I'm somewhere where I have to sit for long periods of time (training seminar) I'm really fidgety and find myself losing concentration.

BinaryPulsar

Cleaning your house and playing with your kids are also great ways to increase your neat. Take your kids to the park. Climb the equipment with them, don't sit on a bench. Turn up the radio and dance while you clean.

I agree with this!! I take my kids to the park and play with them and practice my own skills on the monkey bars (they love that I join in).

I also walk every chance I can. I walk to and from the gym (20 minutes each way), and stop by the outdoor exercise park to do some stuff there.

I dance at home, stretch/do yoga, do body weight exercises. I just really like to be active and move around. I don't sit still for long.

And I choose active things to do for recreation and vacations: hiking, skating, swimming, dancing.

I also take the stairs and choose uphill walking routes.

coolraul07

I have a desk job; work onsite 2 days and telework 3 days.
My onsite days coincide with my rest days, but I work in a skyscraper, so I started using the stairs exclusively. Since January, I've only used the elevator once... ironically to get to the Wellness fair, but it was because I didn't want to walk up 15+ stories right before getting my BP taken! (I did take the stairs back down though). I bought a FitBit recently and publicize my daily stats to stay accountable. I've counted the number of stairs between every occupied floor in the building so I can easily calculate to know how many I've traversed in a day; my quota is 1,500 stairs. I deliberately go to the further ice/water machine and, when time permits, make 2-3 trips to do stuff that I could've done in one. I walk to the further entrance/exit on my floor and I park on the roof of our parking deck. By doing all of this, I'll average more than 2-2.5 miles of walking on a rest day at a sedentary desk job where tele-presence is so high, I could literally do 95% of my job without leaving my desk or meeting with anyone face-to-face!
My telework days are my cardio (treadmill) days. I built myself a treadmill desk (deskmill) that can be easily broken down and stowed away between it and the wall. It's large and sturdy enough to hold everything I need for the day (laptop, 2nd monitor, home and cell phones, fan, water bottles, etc.) So unless I'm sick or have phone meetings ALL day (rare), there's ZERO excuse for me not to get in a fat-burning cardio workout (60-180 min) at least 3 times a week. Coupled with my Polar FT7 HRM, I started burning so many cals that I had to drastically cut back on deskmill workout durations because I would often have a net-negative cals for the day!

ninerbuff

bump

ldrosophila

yeah pretty much this I have a tendency towards low NEAT. I am the mossy rock. However, when I move more I lose.

Beckboo0912

I have realized when I do the little things, I have more energy and want to go to the gym or for a longer walk outside, now to figure out weights haha..little steps