(The lesser known sequel to Oscar Wildes, The Importance of Being Earnest) You want to lose body fat, become fitter and healthier. You’re hitting the gym 4-5 times per week, adjusting nutrition, getting plenty of rest and sleep, but you’re struggling to make significant progress. What’s the missing factor? Movement. Specifically; how much time you spend moving, or not moving. I know, your immediate fear is that I’m going to tell you to get off your extremely comfy sofa, pop your trainers on and go for a run. That’s not what I’m going to do. Instead I’m going to offer you the missing piece to your fat loss puzzle, and I’m going to use maths. I know, I’m as shocked as you are. THE MATHS There are 168 hours in a week. That’s quite a lot. Let’s say the average adult spends 40 of those working, 49 of those sleeping (if only), 10 of those eating, that leaves us with 99 hours leftover. Of course I’m not including the time spent doing other everyday activities - I’m keeping it broad. Maths isn’t my strong suit. Fat loss however, is. If you spend 4-5 of the remaining 99 hours in the gym... that’s 94 hours left. That’s still quite a lot. If you spend the majority of those 94 hours (+40 if your job involves a lot of sitting) not moving much, then it’s going to hinder your progress. The solution - get moving. I don’t mean increasing time spent at the gym, or going on 13 mile walks every morning, I mean the other stuff - the everyday things. Maths over, now for... THE SCIENCE By increasing your daily activity levels, what you’ll be doing is increasing your NEAT or None Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. Which is the energy we expend for everything we do outside of exercise, sleep, eating etc. Put simply - It’s the everyday activity, walking about, housework, gardening, fidgeting, etc. ‘the other stuff’. THE ACTION Now you might be sitting there thinking ‘That’s all well and good Melissa but I how am I supposed to do that? I can’t sit in my weekly meetings fidgeting all the time. People will talk’. Have no fear, I’ve got you covered. If you have a job that requires you to sit for long periods of time. If you have a busy home life, kids, spouse, particularly needy pets, full social life etc. If you lack a lot of genuine spare time. Here’s a list of suggestions that can be seamlessly applied to your day to day routine. These are things you can action TODAY. The best thing is - they require very little time sacrifice.
Parking further away. Next time you’re off to do the weekly shop; when you pull up, don’t go for the space closest to the entrance (I’ve seen you, I know you do it). Instead find a spot at the back of the car park. The Outer Hebrides if you have to.
Speaking of shops - take the scenic route, go up and down every aisle. You’d be surprised the mileage you can get in around the big shops.
This is an obvious but often overlooked one: Walk instead of driving. You heard me. If your trip to work, or the local shop or a friends is within walking distance- then step away from your car keys! (Also the environment will thank you for it and David Attenborough will be happy and really that’s what we all want)
My personal favorite. Take. The. Stairs. Do not get in the lift, do not step foot on an escalator. STAIRS.
General advice:
Get yourself a smart watch or something that can count your steps. It doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy. For the purposes of this - its a helpful tool to give you an idea of where you’re at.
Find a friend! This is the usual ‘strength in numbers’ scenario. If you know someone who is in the same boat as you - be each other’s motivation. Hold each other accountable for daily steps/activity/hours spent in front of the TV.
Be HONEST with yourself. If you’re not honest with yourself the only person missing out is you. Telling yourself ‘well I went for a walk on Saturday’ but you conveniently forget to mention the 4 hours you spent sitting watching TV the same day, you’re doing yourself an injustice.
Take these suggestions on board and before you know it you’ll have established healthy habits that are part of your routine. Which in turn means you’re more likely to see results from it because your efforts are consistent. My clients have seen significant differences in progress as a result of following the above suggestions. Win - win! There it is. Some simple solutions to increasing your NEAT and therefore making more progress with your goals. It could be the difference between a 2Ib loss and a 3Ib loss. Which as we know, all adds up. Challenge yourself to include just one of the above into your routine next week and see how easy it is to make a significant change. If you want any other advice - I’m forever coming up with creative alternatives and ideas on my social media @melissagracept and if you are giving one of these suggestions a go - don’t forget to tag me in stories and posts.
Thank you for joining me on my first ever post.
Melissa x
Comments