How To Burn More Calories When You’re Tight On Time

@blubel

Ten Simple Ways To Increase Your Neat Activity

"I haven't got time to exercise." Sound familiar? When we're busy every day it can be hard to find time to fit in "exercise" which can be frustrating if we're trying to lose weight or improve our health.

The thing is, we need to move our bodies, they are designed for movement. Exercise isn’t only important for our weight and health, but studies have shown that it can reduce stress, improve our mood, increase energy levels and help us sleep better. According the NHS, just 15 minutes of exercise a day can boost life expectancy by three years. The UK government currently recommends that we should be exercising for at least 2 and half hours per week, but starting small is better than not starting at all.

What is NEAT Activity?

Our bodies burn calories in different ways and not just when we are at the gym or officially exercising. NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) is the energy our bodies burn when we are doing every day tasks, such as shopping, gardening or housework. This can account for 25% of the calories we burn each day and more if we increase our activity levels. However, for many of us the amount of energy we burn through NEAT activity is actually far less than this. Our sedentary lifestyles mean that we are just not moving as much as we used to. Many of us spend hours every day sitting at our desk and then sitting in our car, before returning home and sitting down to watch TV.

NEAT activity is often overlooked, but can make a huge difference to your weight loss. If you increase your NEAT activity in small ways every day, you'll increase the amount of calories you burn, which will help with your weight loss. Small changes really can make a big difference. Regular movement is not only good for burning calories, but essential for our overall health.

If you can’t find time to fit an official workout into your day, don’t panic, below are my top ten tips for easily increasing your NEAT activity.

Ten tips for increasing your NEAT activity

These tips will help you to burn more calories without spending hours in the gym:

1.     Instead of sitting down when you’re on the phone, why not take a short walk. If it’s not possible to go for a walk, stand up so you’re reducing the amount of time you’re sat down.

2.     Take the stairs instead of the lift. Every time. I've found that, most of the time, using the lift doesn't save much time anyway!

3.     Instead of surfing the internet at lunch or break times, take a 15-minute walk outside. This has the added benefit of exposing you to natural light. If done in the morning, this can help to reset your circadian rhythm and support better sleep, so it’s a double win!

4.     Do some squats or lunges while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil. This is one of my favourite NEAT activity hacks because it also stops you from doing what many of us do when waiting for the kettle to boil, looking at your phone.

5.     Start your day with some movement. This is huge because I believe that our morning routine can set the tone for the rest of our day. In case you’re thinking, “There’s no way I have time to go to the gym or for a walk in the morning,” don’t worry. Do you have a spare minute to do some star jumps? Five minutes to do a quick yoga routine? Moving your body and getting your blood pumping first thing is a great way to boost your mood and your energy.

6.     If you work in an office with more than one floor, use the loo that’s a floor above or below the one you work on. Remember to take the stairs! If you’re working from home and have more than one bathroom in your house, always use the one furthest away from you.

7.     If you spend a lot of time sitting down during the day, set a reminder on your phone or computer to remind you to move. Then get up and go for a short walk or take a few minutes to grab a drink of water.

8.     An easy way to increase your movement is to park your car as far as possible away from the shop when you do your weekly shop. You’ll burn even more calories if you carry your bags to the car instead of pushing them in the trolley.

9.     Gardening is a fantastic way to stay active. Did you know that digging your garden for just 30 minutes can burn the same amount of calories as 45 minutes of gentle cycling?

10.  Stick on your favourite music while cooking, cleaning or tidying. This is likely to motivate to work a little faster and you’ll have fun while you’re doing it. Why not channel your inner Beyoncé and add a little dancing too?

If you’re trying to lose weight you absolutely have to be in a calorie deficit. Finding an hour to work out every day is hard. But you can definitely make your weight loss easier by adding more NEAT activity into your day. Small changes to the amount of activity you do each day can increase the amount of calories you burn, which may have a significant impact on your weight loss goals. Little things really do add up over time. It’s always better if you can have fun doing them too. Why not choose 1 or 2 of these suggestions in this post and add them into your daily routine.

Which of my top ten tips for increasing your NEAT activity is your favourite? I’d love to know how you get on, so let me know in the comments .