If anyone asked if I get enough exercise, my answer would be unequivocal: Yes, I make a point of carving out time to sweat, get my heart pumping and move around.
I probably would not mention that I prefer to drive the half mile to pick up my coffee instead of taking a 15-minute walk. Or that using the drive thru sounds infinitely more appealing than actually getting out of my car. Or that you’d rarely spot me choosing to trudge up the stairs at the end of the day.
None of these shortcuts on their own feel like that a big deal. After all, I worked out today, right? But added up these are slowly sapping a sometimes overlooked source of metabolic health.
It’s a concept that goes by the name non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, for short.
I always park at the far side of whatever parking lot I end up in. I don’t always take the stairs up (damn you, knees) but I do always take them down. I do this because of NEAT!
How many calories does one burn doing… Space cowboy stuff? Seems like it would be a lot.
I have a space backpack that propels me most places. It’s easier to be lazy in space so I have to make up for it when I’m planet side.
Nothing new but most obese people do not care.
Industry and infrastructure made it easy for most people to get more consumers.
I am from Europe and we don’t have: -> vehicles in grocery stores -> esculators require keys to be activated - you get keys if you are disabled from health authorities -> a bad public transport network -> way better public transport in EU (-> people walk, cycle etc. more)
With that being said: NEAT of a human decreases if infrastructur and industry support mobility in range of living. NEAT of a human increases the more infrastructur and industry supports a “moving” life style.
Quick example of negative and positive NEAT (stupid example I can think of to make it easy): Positive NEAT: McDonalds gives you free (insert non caloric intense food) for example water if you order inside and walk around the building to get the “free water token”. Negative NEAT: McDonalds delivers your food to your window if you stay in your car (drive thru)
Nothing new but most
obesepeople do not care.Fixed that for you. A lot of people don’t take care of themselves, whether or not it results in them being fat.
