Burn calories without workouts

Some people naturally burn as many as 350 extra calories per day – not because they exercise more and not because they have faster metabolisms. They can do it because of something called non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). And the good news is it’s something we can do too.

What the heck is NEAT?
I’ll start with the basics of how we use energy throughout the day. Our basal metabolic rate (BMR) describes the energy expended by our bodies when we are completely at rest. Each of us has an individual BMR that tells us how many calories our bodies need just to perform the most basic functions.

After that energy is used to digest, absorb and store food, which is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). Finally our bodies expend energy through something called activity thermogenesis, which can be exercise or non-exercise related.

You may be surprised to hear that most people burn fewer calories through exercise than they do through NEAT. That’s because exercise is often a once daily (or less for some people) calorie-burning spurt, while NEAT describes the calories we burn through any sort of activity all day long.

According to the Mayo Clinic people who are very sedentary may only be able to credit NEAT for 15 percent of their total daily energy (calorie) expenditure, while in active individuals it can account for up to 50 percent.

Things that affect your NEAT
•    Occupation – People with active jobs can burn up to 1,000 calories more per day than those with sedentary jobs. But you’re not a hopeless case if you’ve got a desk job. Get up often to take short walks around the office or walk to a co-worker’s cubicle to give them a message instead of using email. If you’ve got a really great boss, convince them that a standing desk will boost your productivity.
•    Leisure time - Do you spend most lounging in front of the TV, or are you always moving? I’m not saying you have to go outside for a run, just puttering around your yard or organizing a closet can elevate your daily energy expenditure.
•    Fidgeting - People with fidgeting habits – whether they gesture with their hands while they talk, bounce a leg while they sit or twirl their hair around a finger – might just have discovered the secret to staying in shape. These people are constantly in motion. Even though it may not seem like much, a day full of fidgeting can really add up.

What you can do to take advantage of NEAT
Since NEAT is a combination of everything you do throughout the day, it’ll take a lot of lifestyle adjusting to get the full benefits, but there are many easy ways to start.
•    Use a push or manual mower when you’re cutting the lawn
•    Avoid drive-through windows
•    Choose stairs over elevators
•    If you must watch television do a bit of household tidying at each commercial, and change channels without using the remote.
•    Get a little restless – If you have the urge to move your hands, feet or other body parts don’t fight it
•    Laugh out loud, and do it often
•    Tell great stories – the more wild gestures the better
•    Stand instead of sitting whenever possible

crystals Uncategorized strength training, weight loss

It’s impossible to target just one area

Have you seen one of those countless new ab (lounger, rocker, blaster) machines that promise to help you tone your midsection? Do you believe they will do everything promised, from flattening your tummy to helping you lose weight? If you believe the hype it’s time for a spot reduction intervention.

Working only one part of your body, be it your arms, thighs, abs or butt, won’t get you the results you crave. And no, buying a several hundred dollar machine to target that area won’t make a bit of difference.

Why women want spot reduction
Every one of us has a body part we loathe. Even women who are generally happy with the way they look can pinpoint at least one body part they wish was a little smaller, firmer or more defined.

In an ideal world we could decide to work just that one area until it suits us. You’re satisfied with your weight overall but wish you could remove some of the fat on your thighs? Go out and purchase a thigh machine and use it everyday religiously until the fat starts melting off your legs.

You know as well as I do (probably from experience) that it’s never going to happen, but when you’re unhappy with the way your body looks it’s easy to get caught up in a product that promises easy solutions.

Why is spot reduction impossible?
• Fat can’t turn into muscle – The idea behind some of these spot reduction promises seems to be that training one body part will transform the fat in that area to muscle. Muscle and fat are two completely different things, one can’t turn into the other.
• Ab exercises don’t burn calories – After my last point you may be thinking, “It shouldn’t matter if fat can’t be transformed into muscle. If I work my abs shouldn’t I be losing fat in that area while also building muscle?” The answer is no. Losing weight (fat) requires expending more calories than you take in. About 3,500 less calories a week will result in one pound lost. Ab exercises (or most other isolation exercises) done alone burn a very small amount of calories, meaning no weight loss. So although you may be building ab muscles, they’ll likely be hidden beneath layers of fat
• You can’t choose where your body will gain or lose fat – Look around your group of girlfriends the next time you’re all together. Chances are you all have very different shapes. Even women who are the same height and weight carry their pounds differently. Some (apple shapes) store fat in the middle, while other (pear shapes) have small waists and larger hips and thighs. You can’t control where your body stores fat, so there’s no use trying.

A complete approach to fitness, which includes aerobic exercise and total body strength training is the only way to lose weight and reveal a toned body. Don’t be surprised if you find your body has its own ideas about where the weight will come off first.

crystals Uncategorized, women's fitness, working out fitness myths, toning abs

Fridays at work have been reminding me a lot of grade school recently. That’s because I’ve been leading a 45 minute jump rope class. No I’m not fit enough to skip the entire time – strength training moves are sprinkled throughout. In the moderation that is my style I still haven’t jumped rope for more than two minutes continuosly, even though I’ve been at it for over a month.

Class starts with some dynamic movements to limber up, we work at swinging the rope with good technique and then add in some jumps focussing on limiting joint impact. Next comes practising the art of jumping in, which we do several times, as well as jumping out…all while keeping the rope swinging. When we do jump in it’s for 30 seconds to a few minutes of skipping at a time. Later in the class when we’ve got a good flow going we change up our jumping style with high knees, slalom jumps and jacks.

Sounds pretty tame, but believe me it’s not. Skipping as an adult is not the same as skipping on the playground and you’ll find that out within minutes as your heart rate soars and you either trip yourself up on the rope (learning how to do it again is one of the things that makes this workout fun) or quickly run out of breath.

But the chance to relive your carefree childhood aside, the reason you should try skipping again is it’s one of the best cardiovascular workouts you can get. Not to mention it strengthens your calves, thighs, butt, shoulders and forearms. It has been reported again and again that skipping burns more calories than running, around 10 calories a minute. And after my first class I believed it, but I still had to check it out for myself. The calorie counter on my Polar heart rate monitor agrees that it is one kick butt workout.

If you’re still not convinced, consider the possibility that a 10 minute skipping workout can beat your regular 30 minutes of cardio in terms of total calorie burn and cardiovascular conditioning. There’s a reason that boxers and Olympic athletes jump rope. It’s time you learn to skip too.

crystals Uncategorized, working out jump rope, skipping

Since I’ve decided this is the year to improve my long-distance running skills, I’ve been thinking a lot about speed issues. As it stands, I can run continuosly for 10 minutes. And using the word run is being pretty generous. It feels like more of a jog or possibly even a quick walk. I’m used to running fast and for very short periods of time. Sprinting has always been my preference, ever since I was 10 years old and bringing home ribbons from track and field. Back then, much like today, I was fairly impressive for short bursts of effort but completely miserable when it came to running more than half the school track.

So to find out how the speed of my new long-distance efforts measure up I again turned to the trusty Gmaps Pedometer website. Turns out the answer is pretty good. I marked the spot my run starts and the point where I consistantly give up and walk. Turns out that 10 minutes takes me to about .97 miles.

In other words I’m pretty darn close to a 10 minute mile and I’m sure next time out I can force those last few steps. There’s not a whole lot of consensus on whether a 10-minute mile is all that fast. Some people are pumped when they reach it, while others consider it a starting point. Since I’ve already confessed my inabilities I’ll go with being excited.

Next step, seeing if I can duplicate the results indoors on a treadmill with a one percent incline. That means 10 minutes at 6 MPH. I have a feeling I might not be so motivated when there’s no destination. I’ll let you know what happens.

What’s your mile time?

crystals Uncategorized running

After all my excitement about building up to running 5K this summer, it’s been weeks since I’ve actually hit the pavement and done any running. The reason isn’t important, although I can’t help but feel the need to defend myself and say it’s  because I’ve been teaching a lot of cardio classes at work lately and I try not to overdo it with my own workouts. I don’t want to burn out or get sick. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

I will get out again when I get used to my new routine, but the most important thing is that I’m not discouraged. Actually, I don’t think I’d be that discouraged if my reasons for not running were more about laziness than conflicting workouts.

I’m always hitting ruts in my routine, whether it’s not wanting to lift weights for two weeks in a row or letting cardio go by the wayside. I feel confident because I know I will bounce back. I give myself a break and then get right back into my routine, which I believe is the key to my success. If I felt down about it I’d probably just give up altogether and my attempts to eat healthy would go out the window as well.

I’ll quit rambling and get to the point. So what if you didn’t make it to the gym this week. So what if you ate that entire bag of chips. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You took a break from your healthy routine but the important thing is that you get back to it and don’t make small failures an excuse to give up.

crystals Uncategorized motivation, running, working out