The NEAT Workout

     Can’t make it to the gym? These activities might just be equally as effective and will help you keep your body and your home tip-top

We all have home projects we need to get to, but we just can’t get ourselves motivated enough to start. And we all find it hard to get motivated to go to the gym or start a fitness routine. Even if you do workout regularly, some days- or weeks- its hard to get to the gym. But what if we could kill two birds with one stone? What if the things we do around the house could help not only keep our homes, but our bodies in shape?

     “NEAT stands for Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis”  Kevin, a personal trainer in Fairfield explains, “while I want my clients training in the gym- or even if I am coming to train them at home- just moving around throughout the day is actually more effective at getting in shape and staying in shape. If you think about it, running on a treadmill for a half hour each day, and spending the next12 hours sitting in a chair will net you fewer benefits than having a daily routine that includes a mix of moderate, light, and vigorous activity.”

     But can housework really serve as a substitute for exercise? “I think they work hand-in-hand, but your daily level of activity is definitely more important for lasting fitness. No Doubt.” When you begin to realize that fitness is about small battles and small victories rather than trying to do everything at once, It begins to change the way you view ”exercise.” As we get older, we want to preserve our ability to move around and do things without feeling awful or dealing with nagging, chronic pain. “Your time in the gym should not be an end in itself, it’s a means to make life easier and feel better.”

     But how many calories can you burn doing work around the house? The answers might surprise you. Scrubbing floors, heavy weeding, mowing the lawn, and cleaning windows could each burn as many calories as walking or jogging slowly for 1 hour! So the next time you can’t make it to the gym or can’t get yourself to do those chores you have been putting off realize just how much those seemingly small tasks can help. “The bar doesn’t have to be so high, little things add up, they’re easier to start and easier to sustain, fitness is all about maintenance and sustainability.”