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Episode 2747:
Emma Hogan explains how to extend the benefits of exercise beyond your workouts by embracing Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). Simple actions like walking more, taking the stairs, or even tidying up enthusiastically can significantly boost calorie burn and improve overall health, making your everyday routine more physically active and rewarding.
Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.lesmills.com/fit-planet/fitness/the-neat-effect/
Quotes to ponder:
“It’s no good powering through an early morning workout if all you’re going to do is sit on your butt for the rest of the day.”
“These somewhat trivial-sounding physical activities can actually have a remarkable impact on our metabolic rate and, as a result, stimulate greater energy expenditure over time.”
“By moving regularly throughout your day you can keep LPL levels stable - and support your body to burn fat.”
Episode references:
NEAT research by Dr. James Levine: https://mayoclinic.org
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[00:00:27] This is Optimal Health Daily. Can you get the benefits of exercise between workouts? By Emma Hogan of lesmills.com and I'm Dr. Neal Malik.
[00:00:37] Welcome back to another episode of Optimal Health Daily. This is where I read to you from some of the best health and fitness blogs on the web, kind of like an ongoing audiobook, and always with my commentary at the end.
[00:00:48] And with that, let's get right to the post for today as we optimize your life.
[00:00:57] Can you get the benefits of exercise between workouts? By Emma Hogan of lesmills.com
[00:01:04] Whether you go hard on the gym floor, sweat it out in the studio, or pound the pavement, there's no doubt exercise is a good thing.
[00:01:12] But according to Bryce Hastings, Les Mills' head of research,
[00:01:16] Quote,
[00:01:17] It's no good powering through an early morning workout if all you're going to do is sit on your butt for the rest of the day.
[00:01:23] We know that even the most well-intentioned exercisers run the risk of negating their efforts by being less physically active than normal for the rest of the day.
[00:01:32] Or in some cases, they eat more and consequently overcompensate for the calorie burn.
[00:01:39] End quote.
[00:01:40] It's no surprise you can easily undo the positive effects of exercise.
[00:01:44] What's remarkable is how easily you can amplify the benefits of exercise when you're not working out.
[00:01:50] It all comes down to the science of non-exercise activity thermogenesis, otherwise known as NEAT.
[00:01:56] NEAT is the energy expenditure that we don't typically take into account.
[00:02:03] It might be energy expended as we work, stand, walk, talk, tidy the house, or even just fidget.
[00:02:11] These somewhat trivial-sounding physical activities can actually have a remarkable impact on our metabolic rate,
[00:02:17] and as a result, stimulate greater energy expenditure over time.
[00:02:21] The scale of this effect depends on the amount and type of physical activity you engage in,
[00:02:27] and, most importantly, its thermogenic cost,
[00:02:30] which means how much the activity drives energy expenditure above your resting metabolic rate.
[00:02:37] Do we all benefit from non-exercise activity thermogenesis in the same way?
[00:02:42] Not all NEAT is equal.
[00:02:45] Our individual biological factors such as weight, gender, and body composition can create significant variances.
[00:02:53] Essentially, the larger your body is, the more energy it takes to move it,
[00:02:58] although overweight people often don't see the benefits due to a tendency to sit more than lean people.
[00:03:04] Studies show that lean men and women stand, walk, and fidget significantly more during the day,
[00:03:10] which results in an additional 350 calories expended above their obese counterparts.
[00:03:16] Environmental factors such as culture, wealth, and work setting can also have a big impact.
[00:03:22] Those engaged in manual labor tend to have a high NEAT,
[00:03:26] while levels of wealth and industrialization appear to decrease NEAT.
[00:03:30] According to researcher Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic, who has studied the NEAT effect,
[00:03:35] it can vary between two people of similar size by up to 2,000 calories a day.
[00:03:40] A typically healthy individual can burn around 330 calories a day,
[00:03:45] but it is possible for NEAT to burn between 700 and 1,000 calories per day.
[00:03:51] Is this something you should measure?
[00:03:53] In the past, obtaining a good gauge on NEAT relied on the development of sensitive physical activity monitoring devices
[00:04:00] called inclinometers and triaxial accelerometers that were attached to the hips and legs.
[00:04:06] Combined with other energy expenditure measurements,
[00:04:09] these provided data on body position across all planes of movement 120 times a minute to calculate NEAT.
[00:04:16] These days, modern fitness trackers provide useful data on the effects of intentional and non-intentional exercise.
[00:04:23] Using these personal devices to monitor your activity levels can be interesting,
[00:04:27] but as Hastings points out, you're better off simply focusing on making your lifestyle as active as possible.
[00:04:34] For some, tracking your steps and monitoring periods of inactivity can be great motivation,
[00:04:39] but it's important that you don't overcomplicate things.
[00:04:42] After all, you don't want to be sitting on your butt checking your activity stats
[00:04:46] when simply getting up and going for a walk on a regular basis is all it takes.
[00:04:51] How to maximize the power of NEAT
[00:04:53] 1. Sustain good lipoprotein lipase levels
[00:04:58] Lipoprotein lipase is a key enzyme when it comes to converting fat into energy.
[00:05:04] Lipoprotein lipase levels will drop when you are sedentary,
[00:05:07] but by moving regularly throughout your day,
[00:05:10] you can keep lipoprotein lipase levels stable and support your body to burn fat.
[00:05:16] 2. Be cleaner and tidier
[00:05:19] Switch monotonous lethargic tidying for a more enthusiastic approach to everyday chores
[00:05:25] and you'll send your NEAT through the roof.
[00:05:28] Embrace opportunities to sweep and vacuum,
[00:05:31] reorganize cupboards, or simply get out and weed your garden.
[00:05:34] Not only is it great for your body, it's good for your mental health too.
[00:05:39] 3. Make your workday work
[00:05:41] Take the stairs.
[00:05:43] Stand when you're at your desk.
[00:05:44] Have, standing or better yet, walking meetings.
[00:05:47] And instead of emailing a colleague, get up and go see them.
[00:05:51] 4. Track your steps
[00:05:53] Start using a fitness tracker and fuel your need by doing at least 10,000 steps a day.
[00:05:59] This is the number the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends
[00:06:02] as an achievable goal for daily physical activity.
[00:06:06] 5. Become an active relaxer
[00:06:09] Be more mindful about how you relax.
[00:06:11] Consider walking, restorative yoga, or chatting with a friend over simply sitting on the couch.
[00:06:17] And if you are relaxing on the couch, make the most of an activity tracker that monitors periods of inactivity
[00:06:23] and sends alerts to get you moving.
[00:06:29] You just listened to the post titled,
[00:06:31] Can You Get the Benefits of Exercise Between Workouts?
[00:06:35] by Emma Hogan of lesmills.com
[00:06:37] And I'll be right back with my commentary.
[00:06:40] Dr. Neil here for my commentary.
[00:06:42] I want to go back to the 5 suggestions today's author, Emma,
[00:06:46] shared about maximizing the power of
[00:06:48] non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT.
[00:06:51] Specifically, suggestion number 4.
[00:06:53] Tracking your steps.
[00:06:55] Emma was correct in that the recommendation for most people
[00:06:58] is to try and get in 10,000 steps a day.
[00:07:01] But 10,000 steps a day can seem like a lot.
[00:07:04] It can seem like so much
[00:07:06] that it can discourage us from even tracking our steps in the first place.
[00:07:10] We may not want to know how little we move each day.
[00:07:13] In fact, the average American takes 3,000 to 4,000 steps each day,
[00:07:18] which is, of course, well short of the 10,000.
[00:07:22] But here are a couple of things to remember.
[00:07:25] First, if 10,000 steps a day feels intimidating, I get it.
[00:07:29] Remember, today's author, Emma, said,
[00:07:32] don't overcomplicate things.
[00:07:33] We don't want to become hyper-obsessed about
[00:07:35] even the number on our step tracker.
[00:07:38] But if you do care about it
[00:07:40] and want to improve and get closer to those 10,000 steps a day,
[00:07:44] start small.
[00:07:45] Try to add in just 100 extra steps each day.
[00:07:48] And you'll see how quickly the steps start to add up.
[00:07:52] The other is that
[00:07:53] not all movements are tracked by steps.
[00:07:56] Let's say you're doing some yoga.
[00:07:58] You're getting in some movement,
[00:07:59] but if your goal is to track your steps,
[00:08:02] doing yoga may not add a lot of steps to that step counter.
[00:08:06] If that's the case,
[00:08:07] there are step conversion charts we can use
[00:08:10] to make sure activities like yoga or others
[00:08:13] count toward our daily steps.
[00:08:15] And again, there's no need to obsess over tracking these things.
[00:08:19] Instead, just aim to do a little better gradually over time.
[00:08:24] All right, that'll do it for today.
[00:08:26] Don't forget, I'll be back here tomorrow
[00:08:28] for our usual Friday Q&A,
[00:08:30] so definitely stay tuned for that
[00:08:32] where your optimal life awaits.
[00:08:34] After all, let's go around.
[00:08:34] Let's do it for a little bit.
[00:08:34] Let's do it for an hour the way.