N.E.A.T.

A lot of people have been feeling the effects of shorter days and less energy. One of the main complaints I've heard recently is: "I haven't been exercising as much." This may be due to fatigue, pain, or certain exercise programs winding down for December. I wanted to touch upon the concept of "N.E.A.T." again...the concept of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis is actually well-studied, and this simple addition to your daily routine could make a difference in energy, stress, and basal metabolic rate...

Have You Accomplished Your 'N.E.A.T.' Today?

There are three components of human daily energy expenditure. One is our basal metabolic rate. The second is the thermic effect of food (energy needed to break down food), and lastly ‘activity thermogenesis'. Basal metabolic rate is the energy required for core body functions and is measured at complete rest without food. It accounts for about 60% of daily energy expenditure in a sedentary person. Thermic effect of food (digestion, absorption etc) accounts for about 10% of energy expenditure; while activity thermogenesis provides the rest.

Now, activity thermogenesis is divided into two: 1) Activity thermogenesis (voluntary jogging, swimming, elliptical etc), and 2) Non-exercise thermogenesis. It's this latter idea that I want to emphasize. Highly active people expend three times more energy per day than inactive people. It can vary as much as 2000 calories per day!

NEAT is the energy expenditure of all physical activities other than volitional sporting-like exercise. NEAT includes all those activities that render us vibrant, unique and independent beings such as dancing, going to work or school, shovelling snow, playing the guitar, or walking at the mall. To show you how dramatic this can be, compare the number of calories burned per hour sitting (5), standing (15), gum chewing (20), and stair climbing (200).

If we are aware that we can burn calories in ways other than formal exercise, then maybe we can adapt our work or home environment. It may be that NEAT is genetically induced. That is, a hormone called Orexin in the brain may modulate how much activity we do or don't do. Even so, we can override this and force ourselves to do more activity throughout the day.

One study demonstrated that obese subjects were seated for 2.5 hours per day more than lean subjects. (The lean sedentary volunteers stood and walked for more than 2 hours per day longer than obese subjects. Importantly the lean subjects lived in a similar environment and had similar jobs compared to the obese subjects. Thus, if the obese subjects were to adopt the same NEAT lifestyles as the lean subjects, they might expend and additional 350 calories per day!

The subject of NEAT is complicated biologically and genetically. However, we can improve our ‘calorie burn' throughout the day by consciously moving more. Take a 5 minute break every half hour from the computer and walk around, stretch....anything but continued sitting. (We lose concentration after 30 minutes of steady work anyway). Walk to the corner store if you are out of something. Don't drive. Park far away from the store at the Mall. Climb the stairs whenever possible. Stand and talk to a co-worker, don't sit. Stand while you are talking on the phone.

It's interesting that in some elementary schools in the States they are experimenting with having no chairs and having kids work off upright easels, or using wrap around black boards for writing. At some offices they have designed slow moving treadmills such that the worker can be on the computer but walk at the same time.

One good idea I heard was to have meetings standing. No chairs. Not only would everyone burn many more calories, the meetings would be short and efficient. Better yet, maybe companies would encourage more walking discussions with a track around the perimeter of the office. (Yes, these are being tried too).

Years ago Fitness and Amateur Sport Canada designed a program called ‘Fit-Break', where one person led an easy program for 15 minutes twice daily in the office environment. (it was way ahead of its time, never was fully promoted, and here we are 25 years later looking for ways to do what experts in Health Canada knew back then!).

Anyway, just move. Get off that computer at night and walk down or upstairs every half hour, or clean a room, or rake leaves on the weekend. Park further away if you're able to walk. Do 20 alternating leg extensions sitting at your desk. Any amount of extra movement will make a difference.

Can you imagine burning an extra 350 calories per day, without having to see a personal trainer for a hard 30 minutes!

Keep trying. Keep moving. You can do it. Don't ever give up.

Dr. Doug