How NEAT are you?

OK, just to be clear, I am not concerned with how tidy or organized you are. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.  Lots of words, huh? NEAT is a measurement of how active you are, in your normal day to day life, with the exception of sleep. Basically, are you a mover or not??

Does how NEAT I am really matter?

YES, of course it does! How much you move during the day, how active your job is, how many steps do you take, can all impact your health and weight. It makes sense, right? The more active you are, the more calories you burn.

Let’s think of our energy use, as money. If you have money in your pocket, why use your savings? It’s the same with energy, use what’s available. If you eat, and you are active, you will use the food you just ate for energy. By burning your food for energy, you will quickly NEED to tap into your fat storage. By moving, you are telling your body to send resources to your muscles, use insulin effectively and burn quick fuel (fat). So, you can see that the more active, or NEAT, you are, the more calories you use, the more storage you will tap into!

Here are some ways to increase your NEAT rating! My favorite one is after a meal, take a 15-minute walk. Force your body to use that meal! Park far away from the entrance. You can easily add a few hundred steps. When I am working from home, I use a standing desk and every hour I take a walk around the house or do 20 squats. And lastly, track your steps. Each week challenge yourself to increase your step count.

It sounds a bit cliche to say, “Use it or lose it”, so I think we should change it to “Move it to lose it!!”

Be good to yourselves and stay NEAT!!

Warmly,
Sheri
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