That's NEAT! Non-exercise activity thermogenesis and its role in obesity
Posted on Dec 19th 2006 9:00AM by Bethany SandersFiled Under: Diet & Weight Loss
Are you a pacer? Do you twiddle your thumbs, fidget in your seat, or stand when you should be sitting? Are you always on the go during your waking hours? You may have high NEAT -- non exercise activity thermogeneses.Researchers have recently discovered that obese people sit an average of 150 minutes more per day than lean people. Interestingly, they think this is not due to being overweight itself, or a lack of motivation, but a possible difference in brain chemistry. Even when people lost weight, or lean people artificially gained weight, their NEAT never changed -- making researchers think that NEAT is a significant part of treating obesity, possibly an even more important component than diet or exercise.
Want to raise your NEAT? Keep moving. Work in your garden, dance or walk in place during commercials, put your phone on speaker and pace during long conversations. Stand when you can sit, move when you could be standing still. Diet and exercise will always be the cornerstones of good health, but being generally more active throughout the day appears to be key to successful weight loss.
