We are all so time poor these days aren’t we? I don’t have time is one of the most common cries I hear from those looking to lose weight.
When designing a nutrition plan for clients, one of the first steps I go through is to see how many calories they burn in their daily routine. I can tell you on average – it’s not a lot.
Australian studies confirm this. According to the 2011-12 Australian Health Survey in to physical activity, Nearly 70% of Australian adults (i.e. almost 12 million adults) are either sedentary or have low levels of physical activity. 60% of Australian adults did less than the recommended 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per day and less than one in five adults (19%) recorded 10,000 steps per day on average.’
That 10,000 steps is one the easiest way to get you calorie burn up without going to the gym.
Its called NEAT
Non-Exercise Associated Thermogenesis
Thermogenesis is the scientific way to explain burning calories. We burn calories to produce heat. Your metabolism is more like a thermometer than a calculator. Ever wondered why people with “slow metabolisms” or on very restrictive diets get cold hands? They aren’t producing any heat!
And you thought going low calorie would make you hot!
So think of NEAT as the calories burned daily activity that is NOT exercise (eg: washing, walking, talking, shopping, working). ie: INCIDENTAL EXERCISE! It is something that everyone has a good amount of control over.
There’s a reason you’ve heard people say take the stairs, walk to work, get off a stop early, stand and move around. It adds up!
Where could you get more incidental activity in your daily life but also get a massive lift in spirits at the same time?
The NEAT Gratitude Walk
Try this for physical and mental health boosting properties.
A Gratitude Walk – After dinner, try going for a walk and go over all the great things that happened to you today that you haven’t acknowledged yet because you were “too busy”.
- You got a compliment here
- Had a good laugh there,
- Was praised at work for your stellar effortbecause your boss knows how to appreciate her staff
- And you’re pretty sure you caught that co worker lingering on your new outfit a tad too long.
- Yep Yep!
Our minds can easily filter out all the wonderful things that happen in a day and filter in only the perceived threats so we need to draw our minds eye back to these things as often as possible.
This shines a light on all the positive things we have in our life. It makes us feel great and gets us ready to rumble, not ready to grumble.
Try it – It will do a lot more for you than watching the freakin news. That shit is depressing. We live in the safest time in history, but you wouldnt think so watching that shit.
I didn’t invent this by the way. I adapted it from what my favourite zen monk Thich Nhat Hahn does. He practises walking meditation
Truth
No it’s not going to do the same job as 1 hour of weights or some uphill sprints, but over the course of a month it matters, because you matter, and how you think matters.
So if you’re serious about your health and fitness and you’ve finally stopped buying into all the short cuts and scams out there looking to take your money, see if you can bump up your NEAT.
It all adds up!
Here’s a link for more sneaky ways you can exercise more from mydeal.com.au
See you in the gym
Brad
( Image by Angus Todman – click image for more )