When Exercise is not Exercise

Copyright (c) 2007 The Brain Code LLCBenefits of Fidgeting
One of the biggest reasons we are getting so fatSome folks, like me, are very fidgety - when I
is no secret, we eat more calories than we burn.was little my parents always told me to stop
For example, if you take in 2000 calories a dayfidgeting so much. Other people sit motionless
and you only burn or excrete 1900 then youmuch of the time. These �innate'
have a net increase of about 100 calories perbehaviors account for a lot of calorie burn.
day, which translates to about 10lbs of increasedIt turns out, according to estimates from the
body weight per year. Do this year after yearresearchers, that fidgeting can actually differ by a
and you find yourself 50lbs overweight in just acouple of hundred calories per day between
few years.fidgeters and still people. If you think about that in
There are three main ways that we burn caloriesterms of weigh gain that can add up to 10 - 20
First, is our basal metabolic rate (called BMR).lbs. per year. That's a huge difference and may
These are the calories that we burn just lying still.be one of the reasons that some people just
The calories we burn just breathing, pumpingdon't gain as much weight as others, even when
blood around and basic physiology. In individualsthey seem to eat and exercise about the same
that have a sedentary occupation and don'tamount.
exercise much, this accounts for most of theThis does not mean that if you are a fidgeter and
calories burned.seem to be protected against weight gain that
Second, are the calories burned from eating andyou do not need to exercise. The benefits of
digesting food. These are called the TEF orgetting your heart rate up go far beyond burning
Thermic Effect of Food. This accounts for aboutcalories and losing weight. Exercise also contributes
10 � 15% of total daily calories burned byto cardiovascular strength, muscle tone and even
most people.brain function, as I have discussed in the past.
Third, are the calories burned by physical activity.NEAT things to do
Most people think of these as the calories burnedFidgeting is not likely something that you can
by the amount of exercise that you get. Thereadopt if you are not a fidgety person. It seems
are all kinds of formulas to calculate how manyto be programmed in. However, you can do a lot
calories you burn while exercising and mostof things to increase your level of NEAT and burn
exercise equipment can do this for you.a few more calories every day, which can add up
Activity is not always as it appearsto big effects.
However, there is another form of calorie burningHere are a few suggestions:
from physical activity that is under appreciated.Stand up and walk around when you talk on the
These are the calories burned from NEAT, whichphone instead of sitting at your desk or on the
stands for Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.couch.
Kind of a mouthful, so let's just stick with NEAT.Don't sit in your chair for more than 15 minutes
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic are heading upwithout standing up and stretching a little.
much of the NEAT studies, but it is catching onTake the stairs instead of the elevator.
elsewhere as well. In fact, one of my colleaguesPark further away from the store and spend two
at the University of Michigan is working with theextra minutes walking instead of two extra
Mayo people to study NEAT in a pre-diabetic ratminutes driving around looking for the closest spot
model that we are studying.to the door.
NEAT is essentially the energy that you burn justPark a block away from work or get off the bus
by moving around. If you have a job that keepsa block early.
you active then this will account for much of yourThese are all simple things that don't seem like
NEAT. But tapping your fingers, shifting in yourmuch but when you think about these in terms of
chair, bouncing your leg, etc. all add up to somecutting 10 � 20 lbs per year off your
calorie burn as well.waistline, it should be worth it.