After last week’s blog regarding posture, the New York Times published a piece that makes for a great follow-up. In the article, Is Sitting a Lethal Activity?, the author gives a great overview of the dangers associated with sitting. One of the most intriguing topics is the concept of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT), which refers to the metabolic effect of micro-movements we make in our everyday activities. This can include walking, cooking, putting on clothes, getting in and out of the car, and even fidgeting.
The most interesting thing about NEAT is how important it can be in relation to weight loss. Diet is always number one when it comes to weight loss (especially fat loss) but exercise is only as good as its surrounding activity. If you exercise for one hour a day, but then sit for the rest of the day, you will not have achieved nearly the same effect as if you had worked out that one hour and been active throughout the day. All of these micro-movements burn fat, help your muscles to recover, and can lead to increased metabolic demand. Our bodies are meant to be doing A LOT of little movements throughout the day and they can really add up. Just think how much more you would move if you had to walk everywhere, pick, clean, and cook all of your food, and wash your clothes by hand.
This plays in beautifully with our need for better posture, because the most detrimental activity we can do for our posture is sitting. Sitting is just an all-around bad idea, and any way we can avoid it would be worth the effort. If you have not already, please read the New York Times article and start thinking of ways to add more movement to your day!
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