I’m going to apologise straight out for not including any fancy graphics, pictures, memes. I don’t know how to do them so I’m just going to write my piece.

The theme for today is supposed to be “Cannot achieve goals with exercise alone”. Last month Summer discussed the fact that “goals” can be all sorts of things, not all about weight loss, so I’m not going to use that header.

I am looking at “What constitutes exercise and what does it do for us?”

From the NHS website:

"Step right up! It's the miracle cure we've all been waiting for.
It can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%.

It's free, easy to take, has an immediate effect and you don't need a GP to get some. Its name? Exercise."

The UAC “rule” is 20 minutes of intentional exercise, this fits well with most guidelines issued by various authorities.
The NHS here in the UK suggests:

Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64:

Adults should do some type of physical activity every day. Exercise just once or twice a week can reduce the risk of heart disease or stroke.

Adults should aim to:
• do strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least 2 days a week
• do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week
• spread exercise evenly over 4 to 5 days a week, or every day
• reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity
You can also achieve your weekly activity target with:
• several short sessions of very vigorous intensity activity
• a mix of moderate, vigorous and very vigorous intensity activity

I have found lots of articles on line with similar suggestions.
Our 20 minutes rule should be achievable by most people most days, it’s not competitive, you don’t have to run, lift weights, hike up mountains, it doesn't even have to be 20 minutes all at once, 2 x 10 minutes is OK providing it is intentional.

I also want to introduce the concept of NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). I read a thread about this a couple of years ago while I was still in the losing weight phase and it is a really useful idea, especially if you have difficulty getting in your “exercise”.

What it boils down to is quite simply – move more. Find ways to increase your daily activity and it will boost your calorie consumption. Take the stairs not the lift at work, drink lots of water and make lots of trips to the loo. Walk through to your colleagues’ office instead of phoning or emailing them. At home take the laundry upstairs in several small loads. When you’re out and about find small ways to walk more. Keeping active might even reduce the opportunity for that sneaky snack to attack you.

When we are overweight and are struggling to walk, climb stairs etc we find sneaky ways to be more efficient, try to reverse these habits and be less efficient.

What can you (or do you) do to increase your non-exercise activity? Where can you insert 2 minutes of movement? Waiting for the kettle to boil? Coffee to brew?
Share your ideas.