NEAT and weight loss
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Feb 27, 2019
- 2 min read
The Key to Losing Weight Isn't Diet or How Much Time You Spend in the Gym, It's NEAT
Diet with appropriate nutrition along with exercise are important for weight loss but they are not everything. Exercise is really important but this does not mean that you need to spend many hours in the gym to have weight loss.
You are missing one important thing which is non-exercise induced thermogenesis. As exercise in the gym can contribute to one hour of your energy expenditure while what really matters is the remaining 23 hours which contribute to the majority of your energy expenditure.
What Is Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis?
Non-exercise induced thermogenesis is what you do out of sleeping and exercise. Like you walk to the store, wash your car or using stairs. If you have office job or you spend more times behind your T.V. screens or behind your desk than you are at risk of weight gain as you will eat more and move less. So now you can benefit from NEAT even if you don’t have time for going to the gym or doing any other type of exercise.
How Can NEAT Help You Lose Weight?
Losing weight can be just an easy equation by creating negative balance so you need to burn more calories than you consume. It is done by either by decreasing your caloric intake or increasing your energy expenditure by moving more or you can do both of them.
NEAT contribute to weight loss by increasing energy expenditure. Don’t forget that your energy expenditure varies according to your height, weight, and sex, and the kind of activity you do so for sure you will burn more calories while you are standing than simply sitting. As on NEAT you will rely less on calorie restriction to lose weight.
How Much NEAT Should You Aim For in a Day?
You can increase your NEAT by simply increasing your steps and you can download an application like pedometer to track your daily steps. As a start you should aim for 6000 steps daily and you may increase your steps to 10000-12000 steps to lose weight.
If you are a person who is not engaging exercise daily you can add extra steps like parking your car away from your home or work and have a walk to reach your destination. You can also start your day with a quick bodyweight circuit or go for a walk after dinner. Other activities, such as raking leaves, vacuuming, playing tag with your kids, or going bowling, all count.
Other Benefits of NEAT
NEAT helps in weight loss, but many other health benefits exist like relieving headache and stress, support blood flow to muscles and relieves fatigue.
Just taking small steps can make big differences like use a standing desk, meet friends for a hike, play table tennis, or try some PIY projects. Don’t forget every little walk or step makes a big difference.
Sources:
https://blog.nasm.org/certified-personal-trainer/neat-approach-weight-loss/
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