Boost Your Metabolism and Health with NEAT

Have you ever heard of NEAT? It’s a science acronym for – Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. To translate, it means get off your booty and move more and reap the benefits.

Have you heard the saying “A body in motion stays in motion”? Well, I think of this often. There are times when I have to sit for various reasons, and when I sit, I relax. I also get tired, and often it’s hard to motivate myself. I save the sitting for the end of the day when it’s time to start shutting down and preparing for sleep.

The problem with sitting

Sitting can cause a long list of health issues such as:

Obesity and increased body fat
Abnormal cholesterol levels
High blood sugar and high blood pressure
Potential blood clots or deep vein thrombosis
Low back pain
Heart disease
Cancer risk

Find out more about why sitting is so bad for us here.

So how does NEAT work?

With that said, let’s go back to the topic of NEAT. It could be the missing element in your wellness journey. You may feel like you are doing everything right. You may be eating healthy and your workouts are consistent but your results don’t seem to show up for you.

Well, what about the other hours of the day/week when you aren’t working out?

Check all that may apply below so you can calculate how many hours you are spending seated.

You may spend 6-8 hours sleeping.
Maybe 1 hour a day in the car
8 hours sitting at work (depending on your job)
1-2 hours sitting for meals
Hours in front of your tv, phone, computer
Additional activities you may have to be seated for such as reading, studying, etc..

Think about those few hours that you are doing everything right and compare it to the hours you are on your tush. What does your body do here? It responds to what you do the most. If you don’t move much it doesn’t need to keep lean muscle on and may be hindering you from seeing the results you have been working so hard for. But on the other hand, If your body moves more it will respond to that and build a strong body that needs to be prepared for movement.

Incorporating NEAT into your life

Now that we know our hours we spend sitting and now that we know how important NEAT is let’s set up a plan to move more!

NEAT movement is key in boosting your metabolism and health. Here are some ideas for you to increase your movement and you’ll not only see a difference but you will feel the difference too!

Ways to increase your NEAT:

Limit screen time and go outside to play
Take an extra walk everyday
If your job requires you to be in front of the computer – try a stand up desk or take regular breaks for walking or to hit the stairs.
Park far from entrances and return your carts back to the front of the store.
Clean your own house, mow your own lawn, rake your own leaves (you’ll save money and increase NEAT)
Dance – at the club, at weddings, and even when you’re at home in your living room. My favorite is dancing while I’m in the kitchen preparing dinner. Turn on some music and move to it.
Have fun and live this life of yours in movement!

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