FORT BENNING, Ga., (June 26, 2013) -- Albert Einstein said, "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
This is too true in several areas of life. When it comes to finding the balance between exercise, diet and fulfilling every other expectation in your daily life, people always want to look for the quickest way to accomplish it all. But all you need to do is keep moving.
NEAT is an acronym for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. This is the process of burning calories doing every day activities that do not include working out, eating or sleeping. By simply increasing your daily activities you will burn fat, increase your body temperature and decrease your risk of developing heart decrease and obesity. Examples would be walking up the stairs, gardening and walking while you talk on the telephone. Find ways to be on your feet and make that time productive to your day.
Dr. James Levine has researched this type of thermogenesis and said by doing extra activities you can burn roughly 300 more calories per a day. In addition to these calories, you will jump-start your body to burn fat more efficiently. When you are watching TV or sitting down, snacking is easier. Levine reports that persons who are more active and take more than 10,000 steps per a day snack less and have a lower body mass index.
Think of agricultural families from more than 100 years ago. Obesity was not a common concern for men and women due to several factors. Food was not bought at a dollar menu, delivered or unplanned. Families didn't wait until 5 p.m. to start making dinner; it was carefully proportioned and thought out. These families were also active. From fishing, sowing the fields and tending to livestock -- constant movement was the key factor.
Today, many people have to drive to work. They sit in their car, only to walk into their office to sit at their desk until lunch. Their meals are eaten sitting in the break room or in the car driving back from their favorite drive-thru. Upon returning to work, they will sit in front of their computer until the end of their workday. And after the drive back home, their evening ends with several hours of watching television.
Get moving. Drop the remote, step away from the couch. You would be pleasantly surprised how balanced your life can become.
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