Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis has actually been proven to burn more fat and calories than some workouts do!

I put it to the test myself and increased my walking this year. My exercise and nutrition stayed the same but on weeks that I went for my daily walk (and got my steps in!) I saw improved fat loss. That being said.. I know it wasn’t rocket science, I was moving around more which expended more calories which directly correlated to weight loss.

Say whaaa? Tell me more about this crazy walking thing you speak of and why it’s so neat (see what I did there? 😜):

1. We can do these activities for extended periods of time everyday (the longer we can do anything the more calories it expends, right?). Obviously it varies but N.E.A.T. can burn up to 2000 calories per day depending on the person!

2. It doesn’t put extra stress on the body like increased intense exercise does. In a perfect world I’d love to see everyone doing some sort of exercise, but over and above 5 times per week it can start putting added stress on our bodies. Enter N.E.A.T. where you can still burn those calories and it can even promote your recovery from your workouts by flushing lactic acid and keeping the muscles from getting stiff and mega sore. ⠀

3. Some studies have shown that walking 3-5 times per week for 30-45 mins at a pace where we could still carry on a conversation but our heart rate has increased enough to make us a bit sweaty, can actually transfer over into increased cardio capacity in other forms of higher intensity exercise.

Now you could say “But Ashlyn, I walk so much at my job!” but in working with clients I have seen a trend where if a person who works a sedentary job strives to hit between 8,000-10,000 steps per day, someone who is moderately active throughout there day strives to hit between 10,000-12,000 and someone who is on their feet most of the day strives to hit between 12,000-14,000 everyday (not just workdays) then their weight loss increased. Whether people who spend more time on their feet just adapt to moving around that much in the day that it doesn’t boost their metabolism to target fat loss as much or if because their non-work days were quite sedentary that it ended up averaging out to much less energy expended then they think they are doing, striving to reach the same goal every day proved greater results. For instance let’s say on average you walk 12,000 steps per day at work. I would still recommend for you to head out for that daily stroll for maximal N.E.A.T. performance.

TLDR? Making a conscious effort to get up and move around more during your day will burn more calories and help you lose weight.⠀

– Ashlyn

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