What is NEAT and How Will it Help You Reach Your Body Goals?
LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY | STITCHER
Have you ever considered the impact of everyday movements on your fitness goals?
In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we dive into the often-overlooked aspect of fitness: NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). NEAT encompasses the everyday movements that contribute to our energy expenditure, offering a subtle yet powerful way to enhance our fitness journey. From improving metabolism to boosting mental health, NEAT plays a role to building the body you desire.
Tune in to this episode for practical strategies to integrate NEAT into your daily life, paving the way for sustainable progress and a healthier, happier you.
What I discuss:
NEAT improves your metabolism.
Increases your longevity.
Help overcome your sedentary lifestyle.
Give you boosted energy levels.
Increase your mood and mental clarity!
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
Get my eBook: FREE Macro Counting Ebook
Amazon Storefront: Julie Ledbetter's Amazon Page
Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey there, beautiful human you're listening to Embrace Your Real With Me, Julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I get you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it. Let's go. [00:00:21][21.0]
[00:00:27] Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast. If you've been following me for any length of time, you've likely heard me talk about honor your body with movement. I've talked about it so much on just on my socials, on the podcast, and I'm constantly encouraging you to honor your body with movement. But what if I told you that there's actual science to back it up like it could? It could be the transformative thing that could actually help you to finally build the body that you want. And this when I talk about honoring your body with movement, I mean in any way, shape or form, this doesn't even necessarily have to do with exercise. This could be walking your dog, scrubbing your bathroom floors, vacuuming, dancing, walking over all over the grocery store, carrying your baby. This type of movement that I refer to is, yes, I like to refer to it as honor your body with movement, because in my mind it reframes your mind and it reframes movement and reminds you that movement is not a punishment, but movement is as a form of honoring everything that is good in our body. And, you know, God has allowed us to be able to move, and so why not honor that? But it actually is referred to kind of in the sciencey world as neat and neat. [00:01:38][70.8]
[00:01:39] So if you've ever seen that in like a fitness article or fitness person, talk about this, it's the actual acronym is Neat, but it stands for non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, which I know sounds super complicated but it's not. And I'm going to explain why in today's episode I'm kind of going to kind of explain the science behind me and how it can help you to reach your body goals. But before I dive in, I want to share this review. It comes from K pack seven G of a five star review and said, I'm so thankful to have found this podcast. I love how Julie brings God into our fitness routines. He is the reason for everything and even being able to have these bodies to transform. I love this podcast, I love this so much and I couldn't agree more with you. And that's why I've talked and really tried to reframe Nate, which is, you know, non exercise activity thermogenesis, which is very sciencey and doesn't have any like personal connection. And I really try to reframe that into honoring your body with movement, because I believe that God has allowed us the opportunity to move our bodies. And by reframing that and looking at movement as a form of celebration and not punishment, I think it just gets me more excited to do it and do it on a regular basis. Okay, so let's talk about knee. So knee in a nutshell represents the energy that you burn throughout the day, doing everything besides sleeping, eating and your standard workout. So this can be anything from fidgeting in your seat to walking upstairs downstairs throughout your house during the day, going grocery shopping, walking your dog. Nate includes all of these super seamless like seemingly neat. [00:03:12][93.3]
[00:03:13] Includes all of these super seemingly insignificant movements that you do throughout the day that actually compound and compound and compound. So why does this matter? And why should we care about neat? So I want you to imagine something. I want you to imagine your body is a furnace. It is constantly burning fuel to keep you going. Well, think of me as the simmering flame beneath the surface, which is quietly adding to your daily energy expenditure, so it might not be as intense as a furnace roaring aka the calorie burn during your workouts, but it's the constant slow burning that adds up. In fact, studies estimate that meat can account for 15% of your daily calorie burn, and for some individuals, that number can be even higher, reaching up to 30%. And this is quite significant because especially if you consider how it really is just involving activities that we're doing unconsciously, like fidgeting, you know, taking the stairs, cleaning the house. I mean, think about it, if you burn 2000 calories a day, neat could contribute to a minimum of 300 calories just from your everyday activities. And that's like, you know, walking for 20 to 30 minutes or doing light mobility stretches, cleaning your house all without hitting the gym. And this is very important to note that meat isn't just about burning a few extra calories. It actually has so many other benefits that I want you to know about, because once you know about them, I think then you'll get even more excited about increasing your need, which is just, again, just reframing that, honoring your body with movement consistently throughout the day. So number one, neat improves your metabolism. So it's not just about the burn, it's about the afterburn. So unlike one hour of cardio you know that sends your metabolism into overdrive for a limited time. [00:05:00][107.0]
[00:05:00] Meat keeps your body its engine going throughout the day aka it's also called the afterburn effect. And this afterburn effect is, if we want to get super technical, is actually called excess Post-exercise oxygen consumption, which is Epoc epoch and it continues for hours after you honor your body with movement. So, you know, cleaning, walking your dog, taking the stairs. This leads to a potential increase of 50. To 100 calories burned even after the activity is over. So over time, this consistent metabolic boost can lead and will help you lead in building the body that you want. Kind of. As a side note, this is why I personally people ask me this all the time. Like how much cardio do you do? And I'm very intentional with my steps, but other than that, outside of my steps, I mean, I am doing little to zero cardio on a weekly basis other than the cardio that's programed inside movement with Julia. So whether that's the, you know, 30 minute workout that's cardio and core or it's the, you know, typically takes 15 to 25 minutes to get through the cardio section on the 60 minute version of the cardio Core inside my app. I mean, but that's pretty much the only cardio that I'm doing intentionally on a weekly basis. And, you know, sometimes I do more because I want to, but I would say 95% of the time that is what my cardio consists of. And I tell people this all the time and they don't believe me, but I'm here to tell you that you genuinely don't have to deal with any sort of cardio at all to build the body that you want. Cardio only burns calories during the workout itself, whereas dumbbell training and honoring your body with movement and taking advantage of this knee is so much more beneficial as it gives you that afterburn effect. [00:06:42][101.8]
[00:06:43] So if you're looking to build the body that you want, I want you to focus on these two things in terms of movement regularly throughout the week. Number one, resistance training. So whether you know that's dumbbell training, strength training, whatever type of weights you prefer to do, I prefer to do dumbbell only workouts. That's my programing. That's what I do. But some sort of resistance or dumbbell training. And number two, adding in more non exercise movement throughout your day aka honoring your body with movement. Just being super intentional with movement throughout the day. So this could be walking, it could be cleaning, it could be movement that is, you know, mobility or Pilates. It could be getting your steps in. It could be cleaning. I mean, so many different things. But really focusing on that non exercise, that non workout movement, that's just something that you're not even thinking about throughout the day, but being more intentional throughout the day. Number two though, this is something that I don't talk about often, but neat will actually help your health in the long run. So need is not just about esthetics. It's an amazing way to prevent chronic illnesses and increase your longevity. Meaning you increase the length of your life and now you feel so much better for the length of your life, right? Studies show that increasing your knee helps to protect your heart, your muscles, your blood sugar levels. All of these things aid in increasing for longevity in your life, right? Increase meat prevents blood sugar spikes, which reduces the chance of weight gain and also the risk of type two diabetes. This also strengthens your heart, lowers your risk of heart disease by improving blood circulation, and reduces inflammation and knee also helps to increase bone density, which is a huge key player in aging gracefully. [00:08:25][102.1]
[00:08:25] Which if you haven't tuned into last week's episode, that's what we talked about. We talked all about, you know, increasing muscle mass and the bone density and how important that is as you age. Number three, you can overcome this sedentary lifestyle that many of us are stuck living in, right? Actually, someone just recently in my private Facebook group left a comment saying that she got a new job and now she's sitting all day due to, you know, office hours and being in a longer commute to and from work. And she was just asking for more ways to move throughout the day to kind of combat this new sedentary lifestyle that she's not used to having and what she might not maybe she did, but maybe she didn't realize. What she was essentially just asking is, how do I increase my meet? And this is really by prioritizing small bursts of movement throughout the day and breaking it up so that it doesn't feel like it's another workout because it really isn't another workout. It's small bouts throughout the day that you're not even thinking of, right? Maybe you're on a phone call, and instead of just sitting down on the couch on the phone call, maybe you take that phone call and you walk around the block, or you go for a mile walk as you're on the phone call. Or maybe instead of sitting on the couch watching Netflix, you have a walking pad. You know, walking pads on Amazon are so popular now I have one. I'll put it on my store front. You know, there are two $300, so they are a little bit of an investment. But I'm telling you, it is so easy. It is is easier than ever to be able to get your steps in and just combat that sedentary lifestyle that you're stuck in, which many experts are actually deeming to be the new smoking. [00:10:00][94.8]
[00:10:01] They're saying that this prolonged sitting, this prolonged sedentary lifestyle is is essentially the new smoking, right. It has so many negative benefits, are not benefits, has so many negative correlations and connotations to it that it's I don't I don't want to equate it to, you know, just like smoking a pack of cigarets a day. But there are so many things that can lead to your body not properly optimized. Because of your sedentary lifestyle. It's actually been shown. You know, that sitting all day shaves years off of your life. So remember this every little bit counts. No movement is better than another. All movement is going to compound into living and feeling and having a healthier lifestyle. And for that girls question in the Jewish community, many of the recommendations was to first make sure you knock out your workout in the morning so you know everyone in the group uses the movement with Julia app, which allows them the opportunity to work out at home with minimal equipment. And they were just encouraging her. Like, if you can get it done first thing in the morning, that will help to rev up your metabolism for the rest of the day, but also it will allow you the opportunity to do other types of movement throughout the day. And by the time you get home from work when you're tired, you don't have to think about an actual workout because you already knocked that out in the morning. And you know, if you want to get home and you want to watch a 30 minute show, hop on your walking pad instead of sitting on the couch and walk while you're watching a show. Or if you want to read a book, hop on the walking pad and read the book. [00:11:29][87.9]
[00:11:29] Or take your dogs out for, you know, 15 20 minute walk. Those are things that can be very beneficial that all add up and they compound. Another suggestion was, you know, she has a 20 to a 60 minute depending on how long her lunch break is to go outside if she can, and to get a walked on her lunch break. Whether that is, you know, eating for ten, 15 minutes and then the rest of the time you're walking or it's walking as you're eating. I mean, there's so many different things that you can do throughout the day that will help, but just by kind of breaking up that sedentary lifestyle will help you so, so much. Some other suggestions that I saw was parking farther away. So depending on how big the parking lot is, parking farther away, obviously you want to be safe. If this is something that you're going to be going out to your car late at night, you want to make sure you're doing it in a safe way, but taking the stairs instead of the elevator just kind of fidgeting. And then someone also suggested like, hey, could you ask your boss if you could have a walking pad and have a stand up desk? That's definitely something that a lot of companies are now prioritizing. Obviously they want their workers. They want their employees to feel their best so that they can do their best type of work. And so if this is something that you feel will help you and age you, and becoming a better employee, a better person at your work or at your job, then that is definitely something that I, I don't see any problem in. At the very least, just asking if that's something that they can provide for you or if that's something that you can bring in on your own. [00:12:55][86.0]
[00:12:55] Number four me will give you boosted energy levels, which we all know that we need, and we all know that we want. Right? Feeling like you're dragging throughout the day, this is the worst feeling that you can have. And neat can actually be your natural energy booster. I want to get a little bit sciency on you, so increase movement throughout the day. This can help to improve your circulation, which just essentially means that you're delivering more oxygen and nutrients to the cells through these small bouts of movement, which will help you to feel more energized and feel more awake throughout the day. In fact, studies have shown that even these short bouts of light activity can combat fatigue brain fog, leaving you feeling sharper and more focused throughout the day. So kind of think of this as a natural pick me up without the jitters or the crashes of caffeine. So if you feel like you're jogging, take a ten minute walk, stand up, work standing up instead of sitting. I will tell you that I do so much of my job sitting down, which people all the time, you know, once they actually think about it, they're like, oh yeah, that makes sense. But when I say I'm a fitness instructor and I say I do it online, oftentimes people don't equate that to having a very sedentary job. But essentially I'm sitting at the computer day in and day out. Besides my workouts and besides filming for my workouts, you know, I am sitting at a computer programing. I'm sitting at the computer responding to emails, responding to guys, commenting all of those things. And so that is a very sedentary job. And I will tell you that having a stand up desk with a walking pad and not even just the walking pad, but just the stand up desks alone is so helpful. [00:14:32][96.9]
[00:14:33] And, you know, they make desks where it's it's a stand up and a sit down so I can move it depending on, you know, sometimes I want to sit, other times I want to stand for an hour, walk for 30 minutes or whatever while I'm doing some emails. But it is so helpful and that's just a super easy thing that you can do. So, you know, standing up instead of sitting doing a few air squats at your desk. Nothing crazy, but these little bouts of movement go a long way. And lastly, number five, boost your mental health with me. So here's something super interesting. Studies have shown a direct link between increase activity and improve mental well-being, and neat can actually help to reduce the stress and anxiety by releasing endorphins, your body's natural feel good chemicals or aka you've probably heard them as referred to as your happy hormones. But this is honestly how honor your body with movement came about five years ago, I felt like I was in a rut, so I decided to do kind of an. Honor Your Body challenge, and I just put this up on my Instagram story. It was a super. It was not professional. It was not even like a whole challenge, which later turned into an actual challenge. But I just said, hey, I'm going to challenge myself to honor my body with movement for at least 30 minutes a day. Who's in? And just encouraging people to to move more. And I made a little calendar that they could check off. And I, you know, every single day I was, I was accountable, I was showing up saying, hey, this is my movement for today. Have you guys moved? Is holding you guys accountable? And it has transformed my mind and it has built my community. [00:16:00][86.9]
[00:16:00] I truly believe it's a fabric of my community. It's kind of the foundation of the community that we have inside the Julia app. And so many women have adopted that mantra because I believe it is so transformative, because it's helping you to reframe movement in a positive way and reminding you that movement is not punishment, but movement is an opportunity. It's a celebration. And it's wild how my mindset and attitude have completely shifted. And, you know, I have maintain that I am a huge advocate for at least moving your body for 30 minutes a day, every single day. And again, remember, knee is not about replacing structured workouts. It's really a supplement to your workouts. Many of us, you know, maybe many of us only have time to workout three four days a week. So how can you get movement in throughout the week outside of those three workouts? And if you can honor your body movement with movement daily throughout the other types of movement, you will see amazing results from your three workouts a week and just increasing your need. You know a lot of ladies inside my Mo actually app though they're only doing three days a week, and even though there's five brand new workouts every single week put into the app. So if you want to work out five days a week, amazing. But sometimes, and for some ladies, just depending on their season of life, that's just not sustainable for them. And so they'll do three of the workouts, right. And if that's your case, if you need to only do three, or you only have time for three workouts a week, that would be lower body, upper body and full body. And many of them do the 30 minute workouts. [00:17:26][86.2]
[00:17:27] Right. And they're they're doing the 30 minute variation. They don't have time for the 45 to 60 minute variation. And so they're working out a total of 90 minutes per week. And they're still seeing amazing results. And that's because they're also prioritizing honoring their body with movement outside of these workouts daily. And of course, you know, you're going to see the best results when you pair that with proper nutrition. Because nutrition and properly fueling your body through utilizing the 12 macro counting can be a huge key player in building the body that you want. But three things. Number one, at least three dumbbell workouts a week. So lower body, upper body, full body. Number two commit to honoring your body with movement daily outside of those structured workouts. And number three, properly nourish your body through utilizing the tool of macro counting. That's really the key to building the body that you want. So let me kind of recap what I talked about in today's episode. So knee is not about replacing traditional workouts. Instead it's about complementing it with the power of everyday movement that is just comes common. That's something that you're not even thinking about doing. And this will help so much to do. The following number one help you to burn more calories. Number two rev your metabolism. Number three increase your longevity and help you to overcome your sedentary lifestyle, give you boosted energy levels, and lastly, increase your mood and mental clarity, which is pretty awesome, right? So if you are ready to start building the body that you want, you actually want to be consistent with that. Here are some things that will kind of set you up for success. Honor your body with movement daily to increase your knee like I talked about. [00:19:04][97.7]
[00:19:05] So whether that is walking your dog, whether that's cleaning, whether that is getting more steps in as you're watching Netflix or whatever, it is just being intentional for at least 30 minutes. And this doesn't have to be 30 minutes, all at one time. This can be, you know, three, ten minute bouts. It could be five minute bouts, whatever is most realistic for you. But focusing on that. Number two, get access to the Julie app because this is going to be your dumbbell workouts, your resistance training. So you know, at the very least do three workouts a week. So three workouts for 30 minutes. I believe anybody has time for that. You can absolutely fit that in to your day, whether that's waking up early or staying up a little bit later. Prioritizing those structured workouts. You can go to Sal. That's Sally, that moment with julia.com. I'll link it in the show notes below so that you have a plan for your fitness. And then lastly, utilize the 12 macro counting properly fueling your body so you can get your macros calculated. We do have an online academy. It's called macro counting made Simple, and I will link that in the show notes below. But that will really give you all the tools that you need to be consistent and make it a lifestyle. And again, all of those links will be found in the show notes, so you can easily go check those out. But I hope that this gave you just some encouragement, especially as we're heading into the semi warmer months. I say that, you know, springtime in Colorado. Is very, very unpredictable. Our wedding was in May and we had a foot of snow for our wedding. So oftentimes many people say, oh my gosh, you have such a beautiful winter wedding photos. [00:20:37][92.3]
[00:20:38] And I'm like, actually, that was in the middle of May and here we are with a foot of snow. But as we head into spring and summer months and it just getting more warmer and thank goodness for daylight savings, can everybody give me an amen? We have the opportunity to just get outside more and do more movement. Hopefully this gave you some good ideas and also kind of gave you the science and the nitty gritty to back it up as to why I'm a huge believer in the honor your body with movement and try and why I believe everyone should adopt that because there's so many benefits to it. Now, if you love this episode, it would mean the world to me if you could take a few seconds. Silly review on Apple Podcasts and share it with a friend. These reviews help so much to get the word out, so that we can reach more women and help them change their relationship with food, fitness and their bodies. But that is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so much. I mean, I'll talk to you next one. [00:21:28][50.2]
[00:21:36] All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace it real because you're worth it. [00:21:36][0.0]