The E in “BESLIM”
Exercise. Some of you hate it. Some of you love it. I once heard someone say, in explaining how they gained weight as they aged, “I found I couldn’t “out run” my fork forever” – meaning that eventually the “calories in” grew larger than the calories he burnt running.
Though there is no end of opinions on what exercises are “best”, or how much is “enough”, there is no question that, assuming you are free of particular medical conditions, activity, including elevating your heart rate, is beneficial to your health.
But, what I want to point out in this Thursday’s notes is that how beneficial NEAT exercise is. Yea, I know, an acronym in a post about a word inside another acronym.
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis
NEAT is all the movements your body makes outside of planned exercise. It is actually a better way to fight calorie creep than planned exercise. Walking, talking, toe tapping, playing guitar, dancing all burn more calories than sitting.
Lay a foundation of daily non-exercise activity. Use the time you presently use searching for a parking spot close to the door for walking further to the door. When you can, take the stairs. Many little additions, add up to big changes.
Then slowly integrate planned exercise into your life, but make it fun. Along with helping you maintain a healthy weight, regular moderate exercise can:
- Help prevent heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and other chronic disease
- Boost your overall mood
- Lower your blood pressure
- Reduce stress
- Strengthen muscles, bones and joints.
- Improve metabolism and increase your energy level
- Strengthen your immune system while decreasing CRP levels and inflammation
- Help prevent depression
- Increase your bone density and help prevent osteoporosis
So… now that you’ve finished reading my blog, get up and take a walk!