Do you ever feel like you have no time to get to workout? You want to do some sort of physical activity, but then you feel too overwhelmed and end up doing nothing? Although a gym or fitness studio is a great place to get a workout in, there are many things you can do at home or at work to increase your physical activity! In fact, these small things can make a huge difference in your overall activity level.
What is NEAT?
NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. In simple terms, this is the energy that we expend for everything that we do that is not sleeping, eating, or planned exercises like a workout at the gym or a sports game. Increasing your NEAT throughout the day can help immensely in your journey. You may burn more calories than you thought were possible by adding in a few of these simple activities.
Here are some examples of how you can increase your NEAT today!
Getting Up and Moving at Work
If you have a very sedentary job where you are sitting for an extended period of time, you may want to consider doing some movements at work. Focus on getting up every 15 minutes to do a few squats in place or go for a stroll around the office. During your breaks at work, do some stretching or take advantage of the time and go for a short walk outside. While you are reading work emails, you can move your arms and legs by doing some circles or stretching. All the little movements add up when we become creative!
Cleaning
We all need to clean, but a lot of us don’t always want to! However, cleaning can greatly increase your NEAT and get you moving more than you may think. Clean your car and move back and forth multiple times between either side to increase your steps, or save cleaning your whole house for one day instead of in parts. Although this may make take up multiple hours, you will get lots of movement in!
Introduce Walking into your lifestyle
Walking is a very simple way to increase your NEAT that can be done nearly anywhere. Perhaps you plan to get up 10-15 minutes earlier to take a morning walk, or go for a longer walk in the evening after dinner. When possible, try to get multiple walks in per day. You can get steps in at the grocery store, while waiting for your child to finish practice, or at home with your dog. Parking your car farther from the entrance to the store will also add to your daily total!
The next time you feel stressed or overwhelmed when trying to plan your physical activity, don’t forget that all the small movements and steps add up! Try out one of the ideas above and see how much activity you can really get in during a week’s time!
