Use NEAT Activities To Burn More Calories

when possible, I sit on an exercise ball when I'm on my computer so I can bounce while I read and review files. Kinda hard to do long bursts of writing & bounce, though.

@dsh: just one tho or you will have to stop your meds

jono_

@elsifer: surely you could brush you teeth while waiting for the shower

jono_

@Shezbo:

love the vibrating leg. I can't make myself sit still so my leg vibrates pretty much all day long. 9 hours of that has to get rid of a few calories

kenton86

I live in Winnipeg MB (Canada) and the bus routes are pretty bad, so I often will walk along my bus route until my bus catches up with me. This often translates into 30-45 min of walking where most people will be sitting in a shelter. In the winter, I will usually walk towards the bus so that I can get into something warm sooner, but I still get somewhat warmed up from the walk.

uberben

During my two-minute teeth brushing routine, I first stand on one foot for a minute, then the other. It's good for the balance, and bone density.

When I'm waiting for the shower to warm up, I march in place briskly. I also march or side-step while blowing my hair dry.

I call these "situational" exercises.

elsifer

Cool idea... only one question - why the picture of the ridiculously obese (although super-cutesy) cat?

lauran

@@MostlyHarmless: Don't forget the diet! If you eat healthy and cut most (if not all) sources of processed sugar from your diet it should help too. No soda, no chips, no pastries!

tracynagel

Best of all... vibrating leg. Not the simple type of vibrations that your niece or nephew rides on... were talking vibrations that shake the glass of water on your co-waters desk 8 feet away. That's my favourite NEAT.

This sounds like it's suspiciously paraphrased on wikiHow from a book called "Hunger Free Forever," which I just read. The whole idea really makes me want to find a way to work at the computer while standing.

sceo

@Popstar Dave: I know, me too...I'm like, the biggest fidgiter on the planet. Perhaps that is why I'm so skinny.

@AmphetamineCrown: ... and, to be fair, 5 of my preceding 10 posts haven't linked. I only link where there is something of interest or value-added about the original LH post. Which is community spirited and what my site is actually all about. I do tend to mainly comment on LH posts that are in my research area though, which makes it more likely I'll think a link is useful. It might lead to wordy comments without them! All that said, I'm neither cynical nor petty so please feel free to have the last word and let's call it a day. I've calories to burn.... All the best.

@Rectangle: I'm the same way (See above post). When I was young, I got told constantly to "Sit still!" =)

@hakujin1: I suppose that means I should consider myself lucky. I'm sure the constant fidgeting doesn't hurt, at the very least.

@Mossy: Cool tip, thanks!

For a moment there I almost passed out at the thought of working off 2300 calories a day. :D

But thats good. I have calorie values for all my regular diets figured out. So based on that, on an average I just need to burn about 750-800 calories a day. I'm burning about 600. So Looks like 15-20 extra minutes of exercise.

@MostlyHarmless: If you calculate your input and output (calories consumed and energy expended), a deficit of 500 is a good number to aim for; i.e. burning (output) about 500 more calories per day than you eat (input). This level of deficit gives about 1 lb. weight loss per week.

When you calculate calorie burn for these purposes, you don't count only the exercise you do; you also have to add the baseline calorie consumption of 1500 calories that you use every day simply by being alive.

There are websites you can use to estimate your BMR (basic metabolic rate) based on your body size and age, and websites where you can enter in your food intake and activities to get estimates of your intake and total output.

Mossy

@Michael Lerch: So true. You can eat back in a few seconds the amount of calories that take an hour to burn up.

Mossy

The wikiHow article "How to Burn Calories’ linked in the post led me to this related article, http://www.wikihow.com/Exercise-While-Sitting-at-Your-Computer... which has some really useful ideas. I’m going to print it out and hang it near my computer to remind me to use those ideas.

Mossy

I'm constantly jiggling my leg when I sit, and twirling pens in my hand. And I find it very difficult to sit still when on the phone - I'm much more comfortable walking around. I haven't noticed that this has helped with my weight. Maybe I should just be worried about how fat I'd be if I STOPPED fidgeting!

@the-happy-manager: My research was looking at your last four posts, which each linked to your site. Is your response above, in fact, the first time you haven't linked to your site in that many posts? A cynical person might say that you are commenting to get publicity for your site rather than in the spirit of the community. Your site is noted on your page. Why not leave it at that and let the comments page be the comments page?

AmphetamineCrown

The BIGGEST thing to remember is that no amount of time doing NEAT activities or even amount of time running full sprints can come close to undoing the damage you can do by eating poorly during all the other time in your day.

Michael Lerch

@Glass Devaney: add some random twitching and singing to yourself, and you're golden.

HIcycles

Pacing while talking on the telephone? I'd be dragging the telephone across the office! Not for office workers or cubicle-dwellers - what group is this post aimed at?

jazzybob

Does scratching my privates count?

enthdegree

@AmphetamineCrown: Hi AmphetamineCrown. No offence intended! Some (but not much) research would reveal that I often don't link to my site. Though I'm happy to (no flog intended) if a post relates to something I, or others, have already written about. :)

pacing up and down the platform at a bus/train station has the added bonus of keeping people from wanting to talk to you!

Glass Devaney

@Crashproof: Yeah, for some reason pronounced nervous twitches seem to promote weight loss and repel ladies at the same time. It's incredible.

My mistake. I've been "fudgeting" all day. That would explain why I'm gaining weight.

Here is an interesting one:
a 12 ounce glass of water just above freezing takes 12.6 calories, which you body has to expend, to get it up to 98.6º, the same glass at room temp (75º) takes only 4.2.

similar math can be done for things like turning down the temperature or not wearing a jacket if you do not need it. Shivering definitely qualifies as a "NEAT" activity.

nickrp88

I fidget more than I would like to, but it doesn't seem to be doing me a lot of good.

Crashproof

@zombies.like.lattés.too:
It's understandable. I read something in PopSci once that said the heart rate of a pro-drummer is on par with that of an Olympic athlete during competition.

AtomFury

@Rectangle: took the words right from my fingers. albeit i'm still a bit overweight, i've stayed a constant weight for the past several years, and now with no more late night eats, and joining a gym, its going to be a brighter future for this fidget-er.

@the-happy-manager: Why do you feel compelled to flog your site in every post?

AmphetamineCrown

If you're sitting at your desk, listen to music and bop your head. Sounds stupid but we all do it here. Or, try sitting on an exercise ball. It'll help firm up that six pack that is hiding under all the "skin"...

lacykemp

@SnickerHaHa: If it's neat, you're not doing it right. ;-)

Fabrictramp

Dancing. I dance to my ringtone when phone goes off, I do a funky jig down to the kitchenette at work for a coffee, I dance to hold music. I tap my feet to the beat of my iPod on the train, play air drums at my desk. I find it not only burns a few calories but lifts my mood no matter how down it gets. You can't be sad if your dancing.

SharvaniImber

@planetarian: high metabolism fore sure. most who eat a whole large pizza daily for lunch and work out rigorously 3 times will still gain weight. I know I would. I watch what I eat, fidget; and run 9-12 miles a week. I'm slightly overweight.

hakujin1

I'm wondering ... would one consider SEX a NEAT activity?

@badger500: Yeah, abdominal fat is a bitch. I dont have much fat anywhere else either. But I would like to go back to my college days when I had no "cubicle gut". In those times I could eat just about anything and still not gain weight.

Funny thing is right now I am more athletic and stronger than the college days.

And I dont really care how long it takes, I'm doing it for the health benefits. Now its nice to have washboard abs, but I wouldnt mind taking a fit and healthy body even if it had some residual fat.

This makes a lot of sense. My friends hate that I can eat a whole large pizza for lunch every day and not gain a pound. I always attributed it to me only eating that and a small dinner each day, but this makes sense since i've always been extremely fidgety -- I feel like I have to stay in constant motion, be it swiveling or moving my chair around, tapping my feet and/or fingers, swaying to/fro or side/side, pacing while thinking about something or talking to someone, etc.

For some reason I feel uncomfortable if I'm not moving in some way. Along those same lines, I always have music playing 24/7 as well, and always seem to want to do things to some sort of rhythm. (It should come as no surprise that I'm also in a local band...)

I was always told that I have a high metabolism. Maybe this is a better explanation.

I fidget constantly, and I always seem to be able to keep my weight constant. I pace while talking on the phone. I tap my leg while sitting. I swivel my chair constantly.

My wife tells me to knock it off! But I know better. I'm burning 350 calories a day by being annoying!

Rectangle

@MostlyHarmless: You can lose...what you can safely lose. It depends on your metabolic needs. Sounds like you are very close to achieving stellar fitness and impressive leanness. Just give it time (months) and if it is not kicking in, ratchet things up a bit. And know that even as you get leaner, abdominal fat in men is often the last thing to go. I went from 213 to 145 (5'9") and at 145 *still* had abdominal fat visible when shirtless. Hey, you can't win 'em all. :D

@★_red3001: I'm a phone pacer as well. It's good that my ADD is useful. I wonder if there's any research on why we do it.

ARP

Interesting post. Once I stopped to think about it I realized I do fidget quite a bit. Probably the highest calorie burning NEAT activity for me during the day consists of an intense pencil spinning habit. Seriously. I ALWAYS have a pencil with me at work and it only leaves my hand when typing is required.

Cloudwalker

I can say this is fairly effective, for me at least. I tend not to do much except maybe walk around the house in terms of physical activity, but I fidget on a rather consistently high basis. My weight sticks around 120 or 123 pounds seemingly regardless of overall diet.

What about the social implications. I could see this quickly turning into a habit that conveys nervousness and weakness. I'm pretty lean and though I would like to be even more cut, I'm not sure this is the best way if it puts people off.

ArlenBandersnatch

Moral of the story... Be a lazy bum to avoid ending up as a lazy bum. ;)

Me likey.

Also, a question for health nuts here... How many calories can one safely lose per day, assuming a diet of 2000 calories. I have a couple of inches on the waist I would like to lose, but otherwise I am fairly fit. My weight and body fat percent are in the decent range too (173lbs for 6'1 and 16.5% body fat). I work out for about an hour 5 days a week, losing typically about 600 calories. Am I doing enough?

(I started kickboxing and spinning classes recently, so I might be losing more or less calories on those days. But they sure feel more tiring.)

@the-happy-manager: My wife hates it when I pace on the phone, now I have a reason to have her quit harassing me while conversing with other people.

shave some calories playing Rock Band (the drums, anyway).

Seriously.

zombies.like.lattés.too

Finally my ADD is good for something; I've been fidgeting all my life. Looks like I earned myself a bag of Cheetos!

Standing, or better still, pacing while talking on the phone is a great way of subtly burning bonus calories. It has a dual benefit also, as it's one of Gretchen Reuben's tips for making yourself happy within minutes. So long as it's not stress-related pacing!

http://www.the-happy-manager.com/how-to-be-happy.html