Do you like fast cars? Cars that go form 0 to 60 mph in between 4-6 seconds are not only super fast, but there is an expectation for this to happen every time someone races it. That is what I commonly see in weight-loss journeys.
You get inspired by the Biggest Loser show or a Women’s Health article and say, “I too can lose 10 pounds in 10 days.” You get excited, buy new fitness gear, cut out carbs and fats, and go to the gym five to six days per week. After three to four weeks of doing this, you start to experience joint pain, and are constantly starving all time. With all this strenuous work, you only lost about 4 pounds and get frustrated and decide to quit exercise.
Why did you quit? Because you thought exercise was not working, and the pain and suffering of your stomach and joints were not positive. Basically, this situation goes from a sedentary lifestyle to full-force in just a few days, like the car.
Ask yourself, how long did it take you to gain all this weight? Or become unhealthy?
Small changes expose the biggest results long-term. You don’t have to kill yourself at the gym each session and come out sore to where you can no longer walk. You need to experience movement and build foundations in your body before you crush yourself like they do on the Biggest Loser.
I want to inform you on something’s that are often confusing to the consumer as the media spins research and such so you continue to follow the news, blog or articles.
One day coffee is good for you, one day coffee is bad for you. Research is all over the place. (It confuses me too!) What I can tell you is that there are significant amounts of research that state healthy diets and exercise are beneficial for weight loss or maintenance.
Human’s metabolism require movement. Our bodies burn calories 24 hours per days to assist our vital organs to work whether we are awake or asleep. The body requires physical activity to assist in caloric burn. The energy cost of physical activity equates to approximately 30% of our Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Energy is essentially the calories we consume via eating food.
One way to increase our physical activitiy beyond exercise is to stay active throughout the day. This is known as NEAT, Non-exercise Activity Thermogenisis. NEAT are the small bouts of energy we burn to do basic daily tasks to include, cleaning the house, gardening, physical labor, running errands, walking stairs or around town.
Something as small as shopping at the mall can accumulate up to one extra mile in physical activity.
Modern day living leaves messy houses or yards. Tomorrow, I want your body to recover and experience a NEAT session. You can clean your house, rake leaves in the yard, play with the kids in the yard, clean the gutters – whatever you can do to stay moving! At the end of you NEAT session, take a break in savasana and just relax for a job well done!
Journal
1. What are some NEAT ways you can implement during the week?
2. How is my experience been so far with implementing healthier foods and exercise?
Recent Comments