I.e. Working out vs going for a walk. 

So much emphasis is on working out to achieve weight loss and general health benefits. But, something that has been well established for DECADES is that exercise alone is a poor method for weight loss. For overall health, yeah, of course, exercise is good, but it can’t make up for a sedentary life.

Many people want to avoid hearing about successful weight loss and healthy living. You HAVE to start getting active each day. For some people, this will need a complete shift in mindset and personality. It’s hard to flick a switch and go from being the sort of person who hates getting outside and being active, so it has to be done gradually. 

Make no mistake, NEAT is and will always be the single most significant determining factor in health, longevity, weight loss, or stable weight maintenance.

NEAT stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, aka everything you do outside of training. 

We evolved by having to move and do manual labour. What’s also part of our DNA is to conserve energy and survive. Going back 1,000 years ago, that survival mechanism was important because we would have been physically active every day. But now we’ve skewed this towards conserving energy, which manifests a lack of desire to exercise. 

Easier said than done, right?

It’s a massive challenge for people with jobs that keep them locked to their desks or other barriers people face, but trying to do whatever you can, no matter how small and insignificant it might seem, is still worth it.

Movement is accumulative.

Take calls on the go, get a standing desk, plan to meet friends for active catch-ups, take the stairs, not the lift, get off the tube or bus one stop early and walk, and get your partner or spouse on board to help keep you both active.

 If you can get in the habit of prioritising NEAT, it will go a long way to helping ALL training goals. 

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, where I share exercise techniques and show you how to maximise your training. I hope you enjoyed this blog post, if you have any questions, I host a weekly  Q&A session on my Instagram channel. Otherwise, please feel free to email me at andy@andyvincentpt.com. 

If you want to get in touch and see how I can help your fitness and become your Online Personal Trainer, click here.