How To Use NEAT to Increase Metabolism?
Many people have encountered the same question: “I’m already eating healthy, but why am I not losing weight fast enough? This sounds frustrating and most people may choose to give up trying and return to the days of eating whatever they want. In reality, there is a key detail that people overlook, and that is metabolism. But don’t worry, read on and you’ll soon learn how NEAT can boost your metabolism!
Unhealthy habits, gradually increasing mental stress, aging, and even cold weather can slow down our metabolism. So if you suddenly find one day that you don’t lose weight as easily as you used to, then it’s likely that your metabolism has slowed down.
What is Metabolism?
Metabolism is all the processes by which the body alternates old and new substances and converts energy to sustain life and allow tissues and organs to function properly, such as growth and development, repairing cells, and digesting food. While absorbing new nutrients, metabolism also allows harmful waste and toxins to be eliminated from the body and burns calories.
The minimum amount of energy that the body needs to expend to sustain life at complete rest is called basal metabolism. This energy is mainly used to maintain the functions of organs such as respiration (lungs), heartbeat (heart), glandular secretion (brain and other nervous systems), filtration and excretion (kidneys), detoxification (liver), muscle activity, blood circulation, etc.
We often hear about metabolic rate, which is the rate at which the body burns energy (or burns calories). You can achieve weight loss by measuring your basal metabolic rate (BMR).
Why is Your Metabolism Slow?
Many factors affect the body’s metabolism, including:
- Age – Older people have a slower metabolism than younger people
- Muscle Mass – more muscular people have a faster metabolism
- Height and Weight – larger or heavier people have a slower metabolism
- Hormones – Hormone levels such as thyroid hormone, growth hormone, and adrenaline can affect your metabolic rate
- Diet – A chronic unhealthy diet can slow down your metabolism
- Activity Level – people who are sedentary have a slower metabolism
In addition, poor sleep quality, a stressful life, and certain medications you are taking can slow down your metabolism.
How Can I Increase My Metabolism?
Although certain factors that affect metabolic levels are beyond our control, such as genetics, gender, age, etc., there are still many ways to help improve your metabolic rate. Eating foods that increase metabolism such as high protein foods, berries, garlic, coconut oil, etc. can also have a good effect.
- Eat Spicy Foods Regularly – Studies have shown that spices such as allspice, cinnamon, turmeric, and cayenne pepper can speed up the metabolic rate and suppress appetite.
- Drink More Water – Studies show that water has a thermogenic effect. Drinking 500 ml of water can increase the metabolic rate by 30%.
- Eat More Protein – Protein has a greater thermogenic effect (TEF) than carbohydrates and fats. Your body needs to burn more calories when digesting these types of foods.
- Build Muscle – Increasing muscle mass boosts your metabolism, which causes your body to burn more calories.
- Non-Exercise Thermogenesis (NEAT) – Many people overlook the role of NEAT, but it can be a big help in the weight loss process if used properly!
Does Increasing Metabolism Help With Weight Loss?
While a faster metabolism means you do burn more calories, it still depends on your calorie intake and eventual consumption. If you take in 5,000 calories a day and rarely exercise, then even if your metabolism is fast, you still won’t lose weight, it’s going to get fatter and fatter.
The best way to ensure fat loss is to control calories and make sure you eat fewer calories than you burn that day. The best way to burn calories is to exercise, even a simple walk can help you burn fat and make you walk and lose weight. This brings us to NEAT.
What is Non-exercise Thermogenic Consumption NEAT)
NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), also known as “non-exercise activity thermogenesis” refers to any physical activity that burns calories every day, except for deliberate exercise and sports (such as running, swimming, jumping jacks, strength training, etc.), including cooking, cleaning, shopping, walking the dog, or even playing a musical instrument.
A healthy person is active to varying degrees for most of the day, except for sleeping. And the body burns energy as it moves around. Therefore, if you can increase your NEAT, even without participating in more physical activity, your metabolism will increase, which will burn more lipid defense, which in turn will improve your overall health.
Studies have shown that up to 2,000 calories per day can be burned off through NEAT. While different lifestyles, as well as work and living environments, can affect NEAT, it is an easy way to stay healthy and control your weight at the same time.
What NEAT Activities are Available?
There are many ways to incorporate NEAT activities into your life, and even if you have to sit for long periods because of your job, you can always find some way to get active. If you move, your blood will circulate more smoothly and your joints and muscles will be more flexible and stretchy.
- Walking – This is one of the most popular activities today and is easy to incorporate into your daily life. The U.S. Department of Health has been encouraging people to walk at least 10,000 steps a day.
- Dancing – Dance to the music as much as you want. You can even dance while you do your chores. This NEAT activity is a great way to burn fat and lose weight while having fun!
- Play With Your Kids – There is no better way to exercise than to spend time with your kids. People often complain that they are too tired of their kids! But if you change your mindset and think of spending time with your kids as losing weight, you won’t be tired.
- Go Up And Down The Stairs – If you don’t have knee problems, taking the stairs every day is a great activity. Even if you live on a very high floor, taking a few flights of stairs and then taking the elevator shouldn’t be hard to do.
- Work Standing Up – Working at a desk and sitting in front of a computer is not good for your cervical spine, lumbar spine, and brain. Try standing up, either with your laptop up high or at a standing computer desk, which can increase your resting heart rate and burn more calories at the same time.