You are what you do everyday. So how can you burn more calories if you are already locked into a routine? You make small changes to that routine that you won't even realize until you're shopping for tighter clothes... NEAT right?
1. FIDGET
Every teacher's worst nightmare, but toe tapping, hand rubbing, stretching, all add to your NEAT score. What is NEAT? Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis: energy expended from everything that is not sleeping, eating, or sports like exercise. These are the things that a lot of people do naturally, and sometimes these people can have an easier time managing their calories. In fact those people sometimes have difficulty putting weight on!
2. STAND
Some offices are making it easier for people to be able to work standing up by offering special work tables and surfaces - it's worth asking. One of my most painful injuries was a pain in my hip brought on by almost 6 weeks straight of 8-10 hours sitting down. Take a break every hour and get up for a couple of minutes to pace or stretch which brings us to...
3. PACE
I'm one of the world's best pacers. And I get a lot of phone calls, so since I make sure I'm pacing (or something is annoying enough to cause me to anyway) I burn a lot of calories doing "nothing". You can do this while texting or e-mailing (just don't do it in the middle of the street!)
4. STAIRS
Always, always, take the stairs. Free cardio! And less waiting. And fewer awkward silences...
5. PARK FARTHER AWAY
Don't be one of those people with a turn signal on for 5 minutes at the supermarket waiting to get the "good spot". The best spot is realllllly far away. Free cardio and you won't even remember it. Clark W. Griswold was on to something...
