If you can’t or just don’t like going to the gym, don’t worry, your fitness routine does not need to suffer. Get in great shape right from your own home or office. Try these tips on how to get fit at home.
NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. NEAT means calories burned as you go about your daily routine. It is not planned exercise. You have heard that prolonged sitting has been equated with obesity, heart disease, joint and muscle problems, and a myriad of other ailments. The more active you are, the more benefits you will reap from NEAT!
Try These Exercises While at Home
It is not recommended to sit still for more than 45 minutes at a time. I have the perfect solution for you. Every time a TV commercial comes on, get off the couch and do some exercise. It will be good for your body and brain to get that blood circulating!
Warm Up Those Muscles
A smart workout begins with a good warm up your muscles. Give your body about 3 minutes to jog in place or go the stairs. Even tiding up the house is a good way to warm up. Once your muscles are warm, your body is ready to go.
Exercise for Your Lower Body
Lunges are one way to tone your thighs, glutes, calves, and even your abs. To do this, place your feet shoulder-width apart. Step forward, with one foot planted firmly on the ground. Shift your weight on to the forward foot. Slowly lower your body to a comfortable position. Raise your body to the starting position and repeat. Climbing the stairs will also strengthen your lower body.
Upper Body Exercises
Play softball with the kids. Take a break from your daily activities, and swing that bat! Try football, throw that ball around. Hand-wash your car, use a basket, instead of a grocery cart. These are all great ways to give your body NEAT benefits!
Wall Push Ups
If you are at work and can’t get down on the floor, the wall makes a great option. For another variation you can try a one arm wall push up. Place one arm on the wall and place one arm behind your back as you do your push-ups! Try NEAT fitness in your daily activities.
Get Tight Abs
While you watch TV you can find other ways to increase your NEAT. You can do a basic plank exercise. You can hold this position from your hands or from your elbows. Take a break when you can no longer hold the proper form. You may only be able to hold a consistent plank for 15 seconds at the beginning. As you consistently practice, you will increase the time you can hold a plank.
Add Some NEAT to Your Life
Cooking, cleaning, shopping, and fidgeting all are activities which burn calories. It may not seem like a lot, but it can turn out to have quite a substantial impact on your metabolism.
According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, NEAT could be a major determining factor of those who are obese and those who are not.
More NEAT means less risk of cardiovascular events and death. The more you move throughout the day, the better it will benefit your metabolism. When you fight sedentary behavior with NEAT the more rewards you get from your intentional exercise as well.
Ways to Increase NEAT
Children are active by nature. Sometimes you have to tell them to sit down and hold still. There is a time and place to hold still, but you should be active in a good way during the day.
The National Academy of Sports Medicine says that a 145-pound person burns approximately 102 calories an hour while sitting and working at his/her desk. The same scenario while standing and doing desk work, would burn 172 calories. That adds up to 18000 calories extra burned a year. That would be an approximate 5-pound weight loss with no specific exercise done except standing.
How to Get Fit at Home
There are other everyday activities you could do. You could consciously carry a basket instead of using a grocery cart or take the stairs instead of using an elevator. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic felt that, NEAT could be a determining factor as to whether you lose, or gain weight.
According to the American Heart Association, obese individuals tend to sit more hours per day than their lean counterparts.
Sitting is more commonly done now than years ago when people had to be more active. The labor-saving devices available today, lead to a more sedentary lifestyle.
NEAT Makes You a Unique Individual
NEAT involves all those activities which make you the vibrant, autonomous individual that you are. Going to work, playing the piano, tapping your toes, or walking about as you talk on the phone, all make you unique. The hours each day that you are engaged in being an individual, determine the activities that you will do for leisure and for work.
Compare Two Office Workers
Two different lifestyles. One person works in an office and comes home from work by car about 5 p.m. His/her primary activity until an 11 o’clock bedtime is to operate the TV remote while relaxing on the sofa.
Consider the same office worker who comes home from work riding on a bicycle. He/she is aware of an unpainted bedroom or a flower bed that needs to be weeded and decides to tackle these tasks after making supper and cleaning up the kitchen.
These hypothetical office workers could have a difference of perhaps 1000 calories or more in a day.
Other Options to Get Fit at Home
- Hold business meetings at a standing location instead of sitting in a conference room.
- Don’t sit for more than 45 minutes at a time. Set a timer and stand up!
- Walk around while talking on the phone.
- Get off the bus a stop or two early, and walk the rest of the way.
- Return the grocery cart to the store after the groceries are stowed in the car.
- Lace up your boots and head out for a hike.
Hiking burns more calories than walking on the level because of the different terrain you encounter. In just 15 minutes you can burn 100 calories. Walk for at least 20 minutes a day. Get those legs moving! They are your second heart!
Get Fit While Doing Chores
Standard house cleaning burns 100 calories in 30 minutes. Simple chores like vacuuming and dusting can involve stretching and some lifting.
Gardening burns about 100 calories for every 25 minutes you spend planting, digging, and weeding. Gardening is something those in the Blue Zones had in common. They lived to a healthy old age and most of them cultivated crops and enjoyed reaping a harvest from them.
Be the Life of the Party While Getting Fit!
When you gather at your next social event, talk to as many at the event as possible. Be on your feet to welcome the ones as they arrive. Circle the room and make new friends. Offer to help clean up in the kitchen.
The next event you go to you can increase your NEAT by becoming more social. Surprise yourself and become the life of the party!
Do Some HIIT – Play with Your Kids
Play ping pong with your kids: in 20 minutes you can burn about 100 calories. In a vigorous game, you can burn even more.
Kickball or tag can use up to 100 calories in a high-intensity workout. It also builds a bond with those little ones whom you love.
Ready for a challenge? Try roller blading. For this you need smooth trails. You don’t have to be a pro; a beginner session can burn 100 calories in just 10 minutes.
Jump rope for 20 seconds the stop for 10 seconds – Repeat! Seven minutes of jumping rope you will burn 100 calories. Jumping rope will raise your heart rate, improve your coordination, and increase strength in your lower legs.
Start Small
Before you climb Mt. Vesuvius, you need to climb the smaller hills. Just get moving! Start small and form good habits before going on to the grand schemes in fitness.
Run for the length of one song, then slow down to a walk. Work out during the TV commercials. Do some HIIT during the commercial then you don’t need to feel guilty sitting on the sofa for a while.
Start with 10 repetitions. When you find 10 reps too easy then step up the pace.
Get an Activity Tracker
There are many activity trackers on the market today. They monitor how many steps you have taken and how active you are. Some monitor heartbeat, and sleep patterns.
An activity tracker will help you see just how active you are in a day. It can encourage you to get up and move if you are sitting too much. An activity tracker is a great way to measure how to get fit at home.
In Conclusion
NEAT, stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. It is exercise that you get during the day that is not a structured exercise routine. You will expend more calories and perhaps lose more weight, simply by increasing the Neat in your life.
These are some NEAT tips on how to get fit at home and increase your metabolism. You can do these things and hardly realize that you are doing anything out of the ordinary. Just get up and get moving!
Please Leave a Comment
I would love to hear from you. How active are you every day? Do you find yourself becoming more sedentary as you get older? How can you add NEAT to your life?
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. No content on this site should be substituted for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare practitioner. The information contained here is for informational purposes only. It is from my research and personal experience.
