Want to know the best way to supercharge your daily calorie burn? Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis is the best way to burn maximum calories and lose weight easily without ever breaking a sweat!
As we get older it becomes harder to lose weight. One reason for that is because we become less and less active as we age. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis is the best way to lose weight over 40.
In this blog post, we will discuss what it is and how it works. This article also gives strategies on how you can incorporate NEAT into your life for faster weight loss results! I am also going to share with you my favorite tip for increasing your NEAT!
You are going to learn about what Non exercise activity thermogeneisis is, how it helps you lose weight, and what activities you can do to increase your NEAT and torch your daily calorie burn.
After learning about all of these NEAT tips, you are going to be a pro and extra prepared when incorporating non exercise activity thermogenesis into your day.
This post is all about how non exercise activity thermogenesis helps you lose weight (easily) over 40!
DISCLOSURE:  This post may contain affiliate links which means if you click on a product and make a purchase I will earn a small commission.  I only recommend products that I truly believe are great so you get an awesome product and I get a small commission.  It's a win-win. Â
What is Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis?
Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is defined as the amount of energy expended by someone at rest. It includes the amount of energy needed to digest food and keep the body functioning on a day-to-day basis. Basically, if you didn't get out of bed all day this is the number of calories that your body would need to survive.
But most of us do get out of bed and move around and as we do we increase the number of calories we burn. Let's say that your BMR is 1200 calories to sustain you. Then every day you will burn 1200 calories. Each day as you go about your day and move around you increase the amount of calories that you burn.
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis is often referred to as NEAT. NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. This is the energy that your body expends when you are performing non-athletic activities.
This term was first used by Dr. James Levine. He is an expert in obesity. Dr, Levine worked with the Mayo Clinic Active Life Research Team for 10 years. They researched how to prevent weight gain and obesity. The conclusion of this research was that one cause of the obesity problem is people not moving enough because they are doing too much sitting.
Your basal metabolic rate (or daily calorie burn) can be increased in a number of ways. One way is to increase your your muscle mass. This is because muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue. You can also increase your resting metabolic rate by eating a healthy diet and getting enough sleep.
Another way is to increase your basal metabolic rate is to increase your NEAT. This can include things such as fidgeting, walking around, or climbing stairs. NEAT is a large component of your basal metabolic rate. In fact, sometimes we may burn far more calories throughout the day by being active and doing chores or other low level physical activity than the 20 minutes that we spent on the treadmill.
This means that you will burn more calories, even when you are not working out. By focusing on increasing our NEAT, we can easily increase our total daily calorie burn and lose weight without having to spend hours in the gym each day!
Why non exercise activity thermogenesis is important for those of us over 40
When you’re over 40, non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) can be one of the most important things for your health. The older we get, the more sedentary we become, and that can lead to weight gain and other health problems. NEAT is the energy we expend outside of formal exercise, and it’s a crucial factor in maintaining a healthy weight as we age.
When we are in our teens and twenties, many of us have active occupations that keep us on our feet all day long. However, by our forties, many of us have committed to office jobs where we sit at desks all day. This means that for a full one third of our day we are barely burning any calories. The other one third is spent sleeping so also barely burning any calories.
So then, what are we doing with our leisure time? A lot of us are doing nothing even if we schedule a 45-minute workout the rest of the time is usually spent on screens, getting ready, assisting children with their homework, etc. You can see how weight builds up as we become older.
As we become more sedentary, our metabolism responds by slowing down. This means that the number of calories burned throughout the day also becomes lower. And, the less calories we burn each day, means that we are unable to eat the same amount of calories without gaining weight.
This is another reason that people over 40 find it harder to lose weight – because as we do less activity, our metabolism slows down. This means that even if we do eat the same amount of food as we did when we were younger, we are more likely to gain weight because our body is not burning as many calories.
The great news is that our metabolism is not set in stone. You can boost your metabolism by incorporating NEAT into your daily routine. Any type of activity that gets you up and moving will help to boost your metabolism. The result? You burn calories throughout the day without having to go out of your way for a workout session even if you don't have time for a formal session at the gym!
How non-exercise activity thermogenesis works
NEAT is non-exercise activity thermogenesis. This is the energy that your body expends when you are performing non-athletic activities. This can include things such as fidgeting, walking around, or climbing stairs. NEAT is a large component of your basal metabolic rate. The basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy that your body needs to perform the basic functions of life, such as breathing and keeping your heart beating. When you increase your NEAT, you also increase your basal metabolic rate. This means that you will burn more calories, even when you are not working out.
There are several ways to increase your NEAT. One way is to make small changes to your daily routine. For example
If we were cars, calories would be the gas that fueled our engines. If we are going on a long road trip then we will need a full tank of gas. But after driving a while our fuel will be used up. We will have to either stop and refuel or the car will just stop running.
The same is true for us humans. If you are about to run a marathon then you will need to have eaten healthy and have plenty of fuel in your tank prior to starting the race or else you won't even have the energy to begin. And, because you will be burning through your energy stores (gas) as the race goes on, you will need to fuel yourself during the race or be completely depleted. This is obvious and most people who are setting out for a big exercise session or marathon plan accordingly.
But what if you are just using your car to do errands around town. You're not driving very far but just doing short trips here and there all day long. You will notice that even though you haven't really gone very far, the frequent activity still runs down your gas tank.
The same holds true for our bodies. Even though we may not run a marathon, but if we are constantly engaged in low level activity our energy stores (calories) will still be depleted. When trying to lose weight this becomes a huge benefit because you are able to burn a significant amount of calories each day but it doesn't feel as exhausting or overwhelming as scheduling a two-hour gym session or running a marathon.
How to do non exercise activity thermogenesis
The best part about non exercise activity thermogenesis is that it is easy to do. All you need to do is make small changes in your behavior and purposely move more throughout the day.
Here are some tips on how to increase non-exercise activity thermogenesis
Take your dog for a walk instead of letting him just go out in the yard
Put on your favorite song and have a dance party with your kids
Park at the far end of parking lots or at a meter instead of closer to the door.
Walk upstairs instead of taking the elevator.
Can I increase my NEAT when I have a desk job?
A lot of people (especially those of us over 40) have desk jobs. We sit all day at our desk looking at our computers. That means that a large number of us are just sitting around doing no physical activity for 8 hours (or more) at least five days a week! This is not only unhealthy but it since we aren't really moving we aren't burning many calories.
To make matters worse, many of us snack throughout the day while sitting at our desks. This means that not only are we not burning many calories, but we are also eating unhealthy snacks and taking in extra unnecessary calories. This is a double whammy when it comes to weight loss.
Well, the great news is that if you have a desk job, in addition to the tips listed above there are two great ways to increase your NEAT and TORCH your daily calorie burn.
The first is to use a treadmill desk. I use a treadmill desk and this is a huge factor in increasing my daily calorie burn! On the days that I use my treadmill desk for the full day, it can increase my daily calorie burn by up to 800 additional calories (according to my Fitbit)- without ever breaking a sweat!! If you are interested in learning more about how I use a treadmill desk to lose weight, check out my article here.
If you don't want to use a treadmill desk, then use a standing desk. Research shows that standing burns more calories than sitting (but I find nowhere near the increase I see with the treadmill desk).
-Leave your desk every 30 minutes and move around, stretching or doing a set of bodyweight exercises.
-Take a five-minute break every hour to stand up and stretch.
Walk to your co-workers office and have a conversation instead of sending an email.
Stand while talking on the phone
Schedule to return calls at a certain time and leave the office and return the calls while taking a walk.
Should I Only Do Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis?
Although NEAT should be a major component of your daily calorie expenditure, it should not take the place of a solid exercise regimen that includes both cardio and strength training.
Cardio exercise is important for overall health and weight loss. When done in conjunction with non-exercise activity thermogenesis, it can help you lose weight more quickly. Some good cardio exercises include running, biking, swimming, and hiking, or my favorite, the Peloton bike!
Strength training is also equally important. When you combine strength training with non-exercise activity thermogenesis, you create a powerful one-two punch for weight loss. Strength training helps you build and maintain muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat. So the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you burn each day. Some good strength-training exercises include squats, lunges, bench presses, and pull-ups.
By combining increasing NEAT and including regularly scheduled intense workouts you can torch your daily calorie burn and lose weight fairly quickly (while also being able to eat more calories and maintain a deficit - yes please!).
How To Calculate non exercise activity thermogenesis
The best way to calculate how many calories you are burned is to wear a device that tracks your heartbeat 24/7 and calculates your daily calorie burn.
As you can see above, NEAT has a BIG impact on how many calories you burn each day. Â
For reference.  On Sunday, I was fairly sedentary just ran errands and did a short workout.  Friday, I was semi-busy and did a hard workout.  Thursday, I did a hard workout and used my treadmill desk for most of my work day.  Just by adding in the extra non exercise activity thermogenesis hugely impacts my daily calorie burn. Â
I use a Fitbit Sense and I LOVE it! If you want to read about how I use my Fitbit to lose weight, check out my article hereÂ
If you are interested in using a Fitbit to achieve your weight loss goals, I HIGHLY recommend the Fitbit Sense!Â
Conclusion
Non exercise activity thermogenesis is the best way to lose weight over 40 because it means you are not only burning calories but also staying active and healthy. If non-exercise activities aren't enough for your desired level of calorie burn, then consider adding a solid workout routine that includes both cardio and strength training into your daily schedule. With non-exercise activity thermogenesis as well as regular workouts, you can torch your daily calorie intake while maintaining a deficit in order to lose weight quickly!
This post was all about Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis!
