NEAT Improvement Strategies to Improve Weight Loss
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Bit of a bump...1
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I did a talk on this subject recently and so it has been more on my mind lately.
There is kind of a running joke about people who declare that someone else is sabotaging their efforts to lose weight. If you ever watch young kids and their parents you have to wonder if some of our parents sabotaged us. I first noticed it in a grocery store. 2 young girls were driving their mom crazy because they were never still. They fidgeted, they danced, and they probably did other stuff but I couldn't pay much more attention without it getting creepy. My parents were always trying to get me to sit still and be quiet. SABOTAGE!!
Ok. Joking aside. Kids do not stop moving largely because they are exuberant. It is not easy to mimic this behavior but it starts each morning with deciding you will have a great day and trying to make it happen. Build habits like getting good sleep that helps support it.
NEAT can and does happen unintentionally. Sure I can choose to park further away or take the stairs but when I move more without even making the choice it is even better.
So this contribution to this thread is to try to intentionally increase your unintentional NEAT.11 -
Tis the season (up north anyway) to shovel your snow... and your neighbours! There's some extra NEAT for sure!2
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I did a talk on this subject recently and so it has been more on my mind lately.
There is kind of a running joke about people who declare that someone else is sabotaging their efforts to lose weight. If you ever watch young kids and their parents you have to wonder if some of our parents sabotaged us. I first noticed it in a grocery store. 2 young girls were driving their mom crazy because they were never still. They fidgeted, they danced, and they probably did other stuff but I couldn't pay much more attention without it getting creepy. My parents were always trying to get me to sit still and be quiet. SABOTAGE!!
Ok. Joking aside. Kids do not stop moving largely because they are exuberant. It is not easy to mimic this behavior but it starts each morning with deciding you will have a great day and trying to make it happen. Build habits like getting good sleep that helps support it.
NEAT can and does happen unintentionally. Sure I can choose to park further away or take the stairs but when I move more without even making the choice it is even better.
So this contribution to this thread is to try to intentionally increase your unintentional NEAT.
Some time after first discovering this thread I observed my 9 year old. Dude is seriously into his trains, and especially loves watching the wheels up close, which involves a lot of eyes-very-near-table-top-level (and a LOT of back and forth...). To find the optimal position, he moves, and moves again, and moves some more. Kneeling, bending over, squatting, standing to consider the next best position (or get more trains... MORE TRAINS?!?!?!) even though he is technically sitting and playing with something, he barely stops moving.
I want to be more like him. With maybe fewer trains.10 -
Tis the season (up north anyway) to shovel your snow... and your neighbours! There's some extra NEAT for sure!
Welllll, maybe. I only need to shovel a few times in a typical Winter, but when I do, it's 4+ inches of snow on about 1500+ square feet of driveway. Takes 2-4 hours, depending on amount and consistency of the snow. Better believe I'm counting that as exercise calories, and eating them!
But yes, if only a bit of shoveling, that's good NEAT!1 -
This won't work as much for anyone in a really snowy or icy winter climate (or an entirely rural, remote area), but I mapped out a circle (in my car) from my house in all directions for two miles. Anywhere I want to go within that 2 miles, I have to walk to and back - no car. I live in a city in Nevada, so this works great. Almost anything I could ever need is within that 2 miles, so it amounts to a lot of exercise without ever having to step foot in a gym.13
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cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »Doing a check-in for two reasons. One is to offer this link for more info (it's a text article and stream of an audio segment from U.S. National Public Radio):
Wiggle While You Work: Fidgeting May Fight Fat
The other is just an observation: Yesterday, while using the drive-up teller window at my credit union (in a rush), I was thinking about how rarely I use drive-ups anymore, and how much I dislike it when I do. In this scenario, it would've felt more satisfying (for various reasons) to park the car, hotfoot it into the lobby, wait in line (doing my usual low-drama fidgety waiting in line stuff), transact and leave. Because I'm weird, it would've felt like a shorter time, even though I think in this case it would've been objectively longer/slower, because I would've been doing something, rather than waiting in the car all antsy but fairly still, waiting for the teller to Do Stuff.
It's kind of fun, sometimes, to run into the coffee shop (or whatever), note the last car in line at the drive-up, and see if I beat them out of there. It can also be entertaining to watch the car occupants from inside the coffee shop, and see who uses the drive-up (everyone ) vs. who goes in.
Park, sprint, fidget, order, pay, fidget, grab, run, get in & drive . . . vs. drive, idle, order, idle, pay, idle, grab, drive? It's possible to fidget while the car idles, of course.
You have drive through banks? I’ve never heard of them. The rise of drive through restaurants in the uk is not a good thing imo. It makes me sad seeing people parked in their cars eating food. I get that it’s convenient but I would much rather go in to the restaurant sit down and eat.
I like this thread for the ideas. I actually enjoy fidgeting when I work( I’m a desk jockey) . I find it helps me think.
We have had drive-through banks in the U.S. for at least 50 years. I remember tellers sending lollipops (suckers, hard candy on sticks -- not sure what you call them in the U.K.) -- in the drawer (if you were in the lane beside the teller) or the canister in the pneumatic tube (if you were in the far lane) for me when I was a little girl and my mother was using the drive through.3 -
@RCPV Love that! We're in an area of the UK with more people than the infrastructure was ever intended for, so I joke that it's quicker to walk than drive anyway! As an aside, some of the most beautiful hikes I've taken were in your state!
Here's a pic just for you. Took it this morning. I've also made it my profile pic.
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I work from home most days, so I got a treadmill desk a few years ago. I don’t walk fast (less than 2mph) or for the whole work day, but it definitely keeps me moving and burning some NEAT calories! If it’s enough calories (from several hours), I’ll eat some of them back.3
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Right, back at work second full working week of the year. I need this thread!!2
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lightenup2016 wrote: »I work from home most days, so I got a treadmill desk a few years ago. I don’t walk fast (less than 2mph) or for the whole work day, but it definitely keeps me moving and burning some NEAT calories! If it’s enough calories (from several hours), I’ll eat some of them back.
How's it going??0 -
I walk back and forth during conference calls.
I fired my lawn guy.
Instead of riding my bike, I started WALKING when I WALK my dog. (he had a hard time adjusting)3 -
This doesn't fall into NEAT, but thought it would be a good new habit.
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rodnichols69 wrote: »This doesn't fall into NEAT, but thought it would be a good new habit.
Maybe, but sounds foul!6 -
cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »rodnichols69 wrote: »This doesn't fall into NEAT, but thought it would be a good new habit.
Maybe, but sounds foul!
Wow!! What an impressive routine. I would love to have that kind of discipline, but, I know that that's a bit far-fetched for me - I think I'd need to start with a more attainable goal. Something simpler. (:
Maybe I'll work up to 100 burpees, but I know that wouldn't be good for me right now (for a few reasons).
But, there are things that I CAN do instead, and still develop a good sense of discipline while also celebrating my body's mobility:
- I can start my morning with a walk. (I have done that for a couple of years now). I usually walk at least 2 miles, but even once around the block is better than nothing!
- I can make my bed every morning (that's not much for physical activity, but it takes some energy - and, well, who doesn't like to crawl into a freshly-made bed every night? (: )
- I can pace when I brush my teeth, or do wall-sits.
....and there are so many other seemingly little things I can do - it all adds up!!2 -
Okay, this might not be the smartest idea, but I love running to my car with the grocery cart. That little bit of running feels good. Alternatively, I'll leave the cart and carry all my bags (weight lifting 😉).
When I go to our town hall to conduct business, I'll walk up the 3-5 flights of stairs.5 -
Okay, this might not be the smartest idea, but I love running to my car with the grocery cart. That little bit of running feels good. Alternatively, I'll leave the cart and carry all my bags (weight lifting 😉).
When I go to our town hall to conduct business, I'll walk up the 3-5 flights of stairs.
When I arrive at the grocery store I park about 3/4 of the way down the parking lot. I scout for a cart that I can bring with me from the lot. While shopping I try to park the cart near but not at the item so that I am continually carrying things to the cart. When I check out I try to carry my bags to the vehicle or if there are too many I carry some of them and push the rest in the cart. I put the cart on the other side of the vehicle so that I have to carry the groceries around to put them in the car/trunk. Weather permitting obviously.
When I arrive home I make sure not to carry as many bags as possible so that I am making more trips than needed. I place the bags on the floor not on the counters so that I am forced to bend over to get items to put them away.
I take NEAT improvement very seriously. It is paying off too. The steps I can attribute completely to NEAT are around 8k each day. A few months ago 8k steps was the total steps on a higher day so it included NEAT and exercise steps.
Lately I am having pretty positive results from injecting upbeat music into portions of my day that I was normally doing something in silence.
I am also trying to make myself believe that it is impossible for me to sit still for too long. I must move to let off some of the energy I have inside me. I will admit that was is kind of "out there." However, the more I think of stupid stuff to try the more it is on my brain.10 -
@NovusDies, I think those are great ideas. "Gaming" ourselves with little cognitive tricks like that can be a good strategy to create change, IMO.7
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