NEAT Improvement Strategies to Improve Weight Loss

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  • rikkejohnsenrij
    rikkejohnsenrij Posts: 510 Member
    I'll almost have to post this
    http://standupmarathon.se/dk_da/map

    ...and ofc taking a walk in my breaks with to colleagues
  • JMcGee2018
    JMcGee2018 Posts: 275 Member
    I clean a lot more, and less efficiently. Fold some laundry, put it away in small amounts rather than bringing a whole basket of clean into the bedroom. Do some dishes, then back to the laundry room. Back to the kitchen to clean the stovetop, tidy up the living room, finish the laundry, start cleaning the bathroom, take the trash (bath and kitchen) out separately, etc.. probably only increases by burn by 100 calories a week (if that!) But that's over a pound a year.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    edited January 2018
    try2again wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    And I walk up and down every aisle of the store, even if I don't need anything down there.

    I think for many people (myself included), this might create more problems than it solves ;)

    Definitely for me, calorically- and financially-speaking!!

    I work from home, and can hardly find time to get work and everything around the house done. So I don't think I can find extra time to do chores less efficiently, and I tend to not park too far out due to time and always being in a hurry. What I found works for me is to have a treadmill desk for working at home. I can be on it walking slowly for 8 hours if I want to. I usually only do 2 to 3 hours per day, but that gives me plenty of extra burned calories. I don't know if that exactly counts as NEAT, but it's definitely extra steps that I get that don't come from purposeful, higher intensity exercise.

    When I do have to sit at a desk, I'll alternately lift my feet off the floor as if I'm walking while sitting, or I'll swing my knees together and back apart under my desk. It might look funny, but it is nice to move a bit while at the desk. In the past I've used a desk cycle, which is a little mini exercise bike that fits under your desk (just like it sounds!).
  • tmoneyag99
    tmoneyag99 Posts: 480 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Before I get to the point - more successful weight loss (Yay!) - please bear with me for a bit of background, so we're all on the same page.

    Your daily calorie burn, or TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is composed of your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate, the amount you'd burn in a coma) + NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, your job and chores and such) + TEF (Thermic Effect of Food, calories burned processing food eaten) + EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, your separately- accounted intentional exercise).

    For an average person, the biggies are BMR, NEAT, and EAT, usually (not always) in that order from biggest to smallest. We can't do much to change BMR intentionally in the short run, and most people here are already taking steps (heh) to increase EAT, as they can fit it in.

    But how much are we all thinking about and effectively increasing NEAT? It can be an immediate improvement, and for some a surprisingly big one, allowing us to either lose faster, or eat more, depending on our personal healthy goals. (The only downside is that new NEAT calories are hard to estimate, but we'll see them reflected in our weight loss rate.)

    Some of the successful MFP weight losers/maintainers here have increased TDEE by a reported hundreds of calories daily by increasing NEAT. A couple of common examples are parking further from the door at stores, and taking stairs more often instead of elevators.

    What non-exercise strategies are you using to increase movement in your daily life, to burn more calories via NEAT? Share them below!

    (I'll add mine in a reply)

    Funny I just proposed a group for NEAT challenges.
  • susanmc31
    susanmc31 Posts: 287 Member
    edited January 2018
    toxikon wrote: »
    I was thinking about getting one of those little under-the-desk foot peddlers to increase my NEAT a bit while I work. Anyone else use one and have opinions?

    I got one for Christmas a couple years back and can't use it because it lifts my legs up too high and my knees hit the underside of my desk. It's unfortunate because I thought it would be a great way to increase my NEAT.

    I used to walk around to brush my teeth but then my daughter started it and I'm afraid of her falling with the toothbrush in her mouth that I stopped doing it as an example to her. Used to do squats after using the toilet which added up quickly. I've gotten lazy, so I need to start incorporating some of these ideas back into my days.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    toxikon wrote: »
    I was thinking about getting one of those little under-the-desk foot peddlers to increase my NEAT a bit while I work. Anyone else use one and have opinions?

    I'm sorry, I missed your message before. I have the Desk Cycle, and I found it useful for a time when my situation allowed it. I did like the movement while working at my desk. It can depend on the height of your desk, and if you have an adjustable height chair. I've also found it useful when I injured my foot and couldn't run or walk for exercise. I was able to bike, so could still burn some calories using the Desk Cycle. My coworker also has one, and she uses it at night while watching TV.
  • Good_Morning_Glory
    Good_Morning_Glory Posts: 226 Member
    Do Kegels count? :D

    I suck in my abs a lot when I’m sitting stil. Also I crochet frequently and continuously rock while doing it. On the day after a heavy hooking, my shoulders and neck are sore!!!

    I also hook my foot in the handle of my sewing basket and do some lifts.

    I never count this stuff but it adds up....at least a little, right?
  • susanmc31
    susanmc31 Posts: 287 Member
    I also have two kids, one 3 and the other 1. I find I am picking them up and carrying them around throughout the evenings which I think help with my NEAT.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,481 Member
    bumpity-bump, h
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    I remember when I was younger someone saying
    Why lie down when you can sit?
    Why sit when you can stand?
    Why stand when you can walk?
    Why walk when you can run?

    Kind of the same concept of increasing neat.

    I’m a natural fidgeter. My legs are always moving when I’m sitting. I also twirl my hair absentmindedly.

    I march in place when I’m waiting for something or playing around on my phone.

    I’m always spot cleaning around my house.

    I drive a big ol suburban so I always park as far away as possible to make parking easier.

  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
    I live in NYC so I do a bit of walking, not as much as some.

    But I also live in a SUPER small apartment. I come home and sit. I know when I lived in a house when I was younger I'd walk around a bit, step outside, go up and down the stairs. I'm completely sedentary now after 7:30.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    I have lower back problems that make it stiff or even painful to stand in one place for more than a few seconds, so I naturally pace quite a lot. It's become so much of a habit now I don't even think about it. Frankly, I prefer not to have the back issues and be able to stand in line, but it does have the side effect of increasing my NEAT out of necessity.