Get Fit and Stay Fit!!

I think there is a misconception that exercising for an hour at the gym makes up for hours of sedentary living.

According to James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, people who lead a less sedentary life are less likely to gain weight and it isn't because they spent their hour at the gym.

In his study, subjects were given 1,000 calories more than they normally eat and they wore sensors that monitored all of the movements. Dr. Levine stated, "We had one person store those excess calories as body fat, and another essentially burn off all that extra fuel." How was this possible?? The answer lies with NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), which is the calories one burns living life: washing dishes, doing laundry, snow-blowing the driveway..."People who can switch on their NEAT are able to remain thin, despite periods of overfeeding," states Levine.

Hey all. Check out this! It's a wonderful website on NEAT!

Natural Health Magazine has put together the charts below for us to enhance our NEAT opportunities:

 NEAT at Home

 

Do This!	Not That!
Hang up laundry to dry	Throw it in the dryer
Wash dishes by hand. Calories burned: 50 in 30 minutes; more if you dry by hand	Use a dishwasher
Use a push mower to cut your grass.	Drive a sit-down mower.
Rake the leaves from your lawn. Calories burned: 200 an hour.	Use a leaf blower.
Shovel snow from your driveway and walkways. Calories burned: nearly 350 an hour.	Hire someone else or use a snowplow or snowblower.
Cook meals at home.	Go to a restaurant.
Cook meals from scratch. Calories burned: 100 an hour.	Microwave prepared foods.
Pick up takeout (on those nights you don’t have time or energy to cook at home).	Have food delivered.
Invite friends over for dinner or game night.	Watch TV all night.
Limit your time answering e-mails and surfing the internet.	Sit silently in front of a screen.

NEAT At Work

Do This!	Not That!
Walk to a colleague’s office. Calories burned: 60 in 15 minutes, if you maintain a brisk pace and carry paperwork.	Call or e-mail.
Hand-deliver your message	Use interoffice mail.
Leave the office to meet a friend or eat outside. Calories burned: 100 for a leisurely pace.	Eat at your desk.
Take the stairs. Calories burned: 12 per minute.	Take the elevator.
Stand up and walk around while talking on the phone.	Sit while on the phone.
Use water bottles as hand weights and stretching bands when seated.	Sit still.
Host an office party at a bowling alley or driving range.	Have cake and coffee at a restaurant or in the conference room.
Hold walking meetings in the park. Calories burned: 150, if walking at 1 mph.	Hold a seated meeting at the conference table.
Create a walking track at the office with colored tape and engage everyone in the task.	Sit in your chair all day.

NEAT in Life

Do This!	Not That!
Get out of your car and walk to banks or take-out restaurants.	Use drive-up windows or drive-throughs.
Walk, ride your bike, or use public transit whenever possible.	Get in the care
Shop in stores. Buy online only for items you can’t get locally. Calories burned: 100 per hour; more if you walk to the store and tote your own shopping bags in lieu of using the car and a grocery cart.	Buy everything online.
Walk your dog. Calories burned: 200 an hour; 300 if you go for a run with your dog, depending on your pace.	Hire a dog walker.
When you have to drive, park in a central spot and walk to where you need to go instead of driving to multiple destinations. If it’s too far to walk, bring your bike.	Drive from shop to shop.
Walk to whatever’s in walking distance.	Drive everywhere.
Walk or cycle with your children to school activities. Calories burned: 500, even at a leisurely pace.	Jump in the minivan.

I think you get the point...I know I did...I need to GET MOVING!