Physical activity

First, Lead a NEAT life: 

Increasing your NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) has profound effects. All that finger tapping, knee bobbing, foot tapping, and finger twiddling is good for your health. More commonly, standing up more often, walking, cleaning, making your bed in the morning; doing these more regularly, and with some vigour, makes a measurable difference. This non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), and along with other types of low duration, low intensity, movements they have a beneficial impact on your health. 

How to be NEATer: 

Look for opportunities throughout the day. Walk on the spot while brushing your teeth, talking (on the phone or in person), and on your commute to/from work. Take your bike instead of car when doing grocery shopping, picking up the kids or visiting friends close by. 

· Stairs: If you only have a few flights to go, take the stairs. It’s quicker than the elevator and it requires twice the amount of work compared to standing still. 

· Movement snacks: Set an alarm to remind you to get up and walk around every 20-30 minutes. Walk in place while watching TV or stand up or do easy movement exercises during work hours and suggest meetings where you can move (e.g. walk) . 

· Change your chair: No matter how active we become it’s still going to take a lot of our time each day. Spend some of that time sitting on a body ball. The increased effort needed to keep you balanced with a good posture works your core muscles and requires more energy. 

· Do your chores: Embrace vacuuming and washing windows. They create similar energy output as a leisurely walk. Other tasks such as making your bed each day, washing the dishes and daily dusting all add up. 

Increasing your amount of NEAT activity will reduce your time in purely sedentary activities and increase your daily physical activity. It’s also a great option for people who are living with function-limiting conditions, or who may have challenges with more vigorous activities. 

It is important to note that most NEAT activity is too low of intensity to improve your fitness and therefore it should be used to complement (not replace) your daily target of at least 20-30 minutes of moderate/vigorous activity per day. 

Walking your way to better health: 

Achieving 10,000 steps per-day is roughly the equivalent of walking 8 kilometers and creates a calorie expenditure of approx. 300 – 500kcal. Walking wakes the body system up, increases blood circulation, causes us to breathe more deeply, and means that we engage, physically, in the world around us. This alone has profound mental health benefits that are well documented in the research literature. 

Example: 

Week one; Aim to achieve 5,000 steps a day. This will be easy, so easy that you will probably not even consider it any real effort to achieve. This is a good thing and a great start. Humans love success, it drives us forwards for more.  

Day two, now it’s time to apply the 10% rule. Today, you will perform 5,500 steps. Not a lot more than yesterday, but an improvement all the same. It still feels easy, you are still succeeding, and most importantly you are still winning. 

By continuing to grow by 10% each day you will hit 10,000 steps in eight days! 

By changing your walking behavior in this way, you have divided the task down into smaller, far more achievable, goals. A part of the problem we face when we make big changes is the dealing with the disruption to our old routine. By taking this measured approach you increase your chances of overall success, and likewise increase the likelihood of developing a life-long health habit. 

Daily physical activity hacks 

There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. Become a movement opportunist using the following strategies. 

Get off earlier: 

Think about your daily commute to and from work, simply by getting off the train/tram/bus a stop early you can add valuable steps and activity to your day. Or, if the surroundings and weather make it possible, use your bike instead of vehicles with motors. 

Park it: 

Instead of trying to secure a parking space for your car that is close to work, find a spot that is at least a kilometre away. This simple strategy creates a movement opportunity and means that finding those extra steps each day soon starts to take care of itself. Parking further away is convenient for your walking habit. 

Embrace the ‘No elevator or escalator’ rule: 

Your mantra is simple – climb your way to the peak of health!See every staircase as an opportunity to move more. Be strict and have a firm policy of no elevators or escalators anywhere! 

Suggestion on actions: 

Set a movement-alarm during work hours 

Increase daily steps / aim for at least 10 000 steps a day 

Take a short walk after meals (e.g. use 10 minutes of your lunch break to move after you have eaten, include a short 10-min walk in the neighbourhood after dinner, walk for 10 minutes before breakfast) 

Play with your kids / engage in their hobbies (e.g. football / bicycling / dancing)