7 Things You Didn't Know About... Burning Calories At Christmas

‘No-exercise exercise’ could keep you fit over the holidays

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Low motivation and lack of time are two of the most common reasons why we skip a workout, says research*. So it’s no surprise that fitness goals can take a back seat as we hunker down for the holidays.

But what if there was another way to lose weight, stay fit, and feel strong over the festive period without having to do conventional exercise? Sounds ideal, right? By making some daily habit changes this month and increasing what’s known as your ‘NEAT’, it’s entirely possible. Find out how…

1 What is NEAT?

NEAT is short for ‘non-exercise activity thermogenesis’, and is the energy used and the calories burnt from everything we do outside of sleeping, eating, and regular exercise.

Walking the dog, getting the decorations out of the loft, and even seemingly trivial physical activities such as typing, all increase our metabolic rate, which is the rate at which our bodies burn calories,’ explains PT and sports coach Craig Dyce. ‘The impact of a multitude of these actions does add up, so it’s not surprising that NEAT accounts for a significant amount of our energy expenditure.’

2 Burning energy