PSA: MOST OF YOUR CALORIES AREN’T BURNED IN THE GYM
Over the last several years, I have established a lot of routines that support my health and fitness. And one of those routines that has been a cornerstone is heading directly from work to the gym. Now, given current circumstances, it feels a bit disorienting to have that established routine completely upended.
I know a lot of people who are following great at-home bodyweight workout programs or are buying some equipment to work out at home. I admire everyone who continues to make their health a priority and adapt to the strange circumstances we are currently navigating.
At the same time, I think it’s equally important to understand one key factor about our workout routines and how we are actually expending most of our energy across the day:
Most of the calories we burn in a given day aren’t during our workouts, and the majority of the differences in most people’s activity levels are unlikely to be just from that hour or so most of us are used to spending in the gym.
LET’S TALK ABOUT NEAT
NEAT, or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, is categorized as any physical movement that is not exercise or sports. And chances are, if you’re anything like me, yours is reduced significantly while working from home instead of the office. For one, my house is a lot smaller than my office. I’m not walking up multiple staircases and down many hallways running work errands most of the day; I’m hanging out in my home office, which is a mere 5 steps away from the kitchen, the bathroom, and anywhere else I need to go during the day. On top of that, I am just so comfortable at home that I often forget to think about getting up and moving around.
So, while our gyms may be closed and our fitness classes may be on pause for a while, it’s important to remember that this doesn’t automatically mean a significant difference in our energy expenditure across the day.
Rather than focusing solely on what we’re doing in the gym during our one extra active hour of the day, it’s also important to recognize what our movement looks like during those remaining hours that we are awake.
KEEPING YOUR NEAT UP
Here are a few ways you can focus on keeping your NEAT in high gear:
Shoot for a step goal
The 10,000 step goal is an arbitrary number and not the sole measure of our movement across the day, but it can be a helpful goal if you appreciate having clear outlined targets to work towards like I do. If you’re currently averaging 5K steps/day, shoot for 7K/day for a week then increase weekly. If you’re currently getting around 10K steps/day, shoot for 12K!
Take a (little) break
If you’re anything like me, you may look at your watch at 11:00 AM and realize you haven’t even stood up from your desk since you started working. Try setting a reminder alarm for every hour or two to stand up and walk around for at least a minute. I walk to the end of my block and back every other hour which not only helps me get some extra steps in, but also helps me focus more on my work.
Stand, pace, and fidget
Anything you can do while moving, do it! Whether it’s using a standing desk, fidgeting your feet while you work, or pacing while you take a phone call, it can increase your NEAT.
Do more together
Even if you’re not feeling cooped up, your partner, kids, or dogs may need some time out of the house. Spending time outside walking a trail or playing fetch in your yard is less formal than exercise, but it is an opportunity to stay moving.
Chores count!
Consider it killing two birds with one stone. Yard work, vacuuming, mopping, reorganizing the pantry - any chore than involves moving your body increases your NEAT.
The most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to increasing your NEAT is that it all adds up! So even if it seems insignificant to fidget and swivel around in your chair or pace while you’re on the phone, doing a bunch of little things every day to try to increase your movement can have a big effect overall on your energy expenditure across the day.
Like with our nutrition - it’s generally focusing on the habits we practice a majority of the time rather than the things we occasionally do that make a bigger difference in our overall health.
If you’re in the frustrating state of feeling like you’re crushing your training but not seeing the body composition or performance progress you’d like to see, how you’re fueling your body outside of the gym may be the culprit. Learn more about Individualized Nutrition Coaching and how our coaches can help you eat the foods you enjoy while also working towards your goals.