Please Stand Up!

According to James A Levine MD., PhD, in his new book Move a Little, Lose a Lot our bodies weren't made to spend long periods of time sitting down. We are meant to be moving. We have gotten too clever and efficient at using machines to do things we used to use energy to do before. His goal is to get us to increase the NEAT in our lives. NEAT stands for nonexercise activity thermogenesis. It sounds complicated, but it couldn't be more simple. NEAT is the calories you burn living your life. It is the calores you burn walking to lunch, running errands, folding laundry, tapping your toes, standing up, even chewing gum. It is not going to the gym. It is the energy we use simply living.

When we sit at a desk we are burning 5 calories/hr. When we are standing we burn 15 calories/hr. If we throw in a little gum chewing for 20 calories/hr, walking at 100 calories/hr and stair climbing at 200 calories/hr it becomes obvious that we can increase the number of calories we burn a day without having to go to the gym! His research shows that the loss of NEAT from work and play, when we are spending our day sitting down, can decrease our daily calorie use by up to 2000 calories a day.

Dr. Levine has set up his office so that he can walk on a treadmill while he works at his computer or talks on the phone. He is only moving at 1 to 2 miles an hour so he doesn't even break a sweat. Don't have a treadmill in your office - stand up while you talk on the phone, or better use a cordless phone or headset that allows you to pace as you talk. You can put a simple stair stepper by your desk or sit on an exercise ball rather on a desk chair. Doing these things while you work helps your body work better without having to find time during the day to go to the gym.

Don't forget to think about NEAT movement when you are at home. Multitask while watching tv or surfing the internet - stand up, ride an exercise bike or pace. While sitting you can use a peddler or knit or use stretch bands or weights. Stand up and stretch during commercials or while waiting for a website to load. It's the little movements that add up for great benefits!

Sitting all day can be a brain drain! NEAT movement can also help in brain cell growth. Moving about improves the blood flow to your brain! This increased muscle movement and blood flow to your brain triggers changes that increase the production of new brain cells. This growth of new brain cells appears to be in the parts of the brain that affect memory, multitasking and decision making. Try to remember when your best ideas come to you - are they while you are sitting at your desk or while you are moving around?

Try to add more NEAT movement into your day. By the very act of standing and moving you can boost your metabolism, lower your bood pressure and increase your mental clarity. You probably will find that you are also less tired at the end of the day.

Links:
Mayo Clinic NEAT laboratory
Muveinc: we believe desk-sentenced workers should stand up.