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Everyday Movements Can Help Burn Calories?

Posted May 7, 2008 at 04:00 PM by Denise Musumeci

Section: In The News, His Fitness, Cardio Training, Alt. Therapies, His Health, Physical Health

Ever wonder how some people eat whatever they want, never exercise, but still maintain a healthy weight? Some experts think that one factor may contribute, called NEAT, or Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis . NEAT is the energy expended in our activities that do not involve eating, sleeping, or exercise activity.

I recently read about a study on Thats Fit, which looked at a group of people, some thin, some obese. Each subject was given a pair of underwear that measures every move they make, then fed 1,000 calories more than what is recommended to maintain their weight. As a result, those who used their NEAT didn’t gain weight, while those who didn’t gained ten times more weight than usual.

Many of the things that you do on a daily basis are considered NEAT. Walking from one place to another, typing, cooking, cleaning, and even fidgeting all fall under that category.

Diet-blog.com says that NEAT accounts for more than 30% of our energy expenditure each day.

How can you increase the amount of NEAT in your daily routine? You could try cooking or playing with your kids, run errands for the home or office, clean the clutter in your home that you have been putting off, or even work on the yard. You will be surprised how much NEAT can help you take control of your weight.

Using NEAT doesn’t magically make anyone thinner and is not recommended as a weight-loss technique, but that 30% extra energy that we use when we aren’t exercising, eating, or sleeping really does add up. So if you fidget a lot or don’t enjoy sitting still for long periods of time, just remember that it is your body using some of its excess energy.

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Tags: activity, eating, energy expenditure, everyday movements, exercise, exercise habbits, neat, sleep, thermogenesis, weight control

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