Metabolism: The Role of Movement

Let's talk about metabolism and movement.

When it comes to movement, there are different kinds. There's the movement you do throughout the day which is called N.E.A.T. - Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. Then there's the activity you get from exercise. It's really super important to be very purposeful about your movement when it comes to your metabolism. What's interesting is that you burn a larger percentage of calories by the movement you take throughout the day. That means the errands, the laundry, the housework, the dishes, the fidgeting, the standing desk, all of those things actually burn a larger percentage of calories than your dedicated workout routine.

If you're working out for an hour, or even 30 minutes, you're doing weight training, cardio, all of the things. That NEAT is actually burning more calories than your workouts. But don't kill yourself everyday with workouts, be very purposeful and really focus on getting more NEAT. You want to have adequate weight training, 3-4 days a week, building muscle through weight training helps with preventing injury and your mobility, and then you also want to make sure you have some cardio for heart health 2 or 3 times a week doing something that you enjoy, it doesn't have to be anything crazy. Because what happens is when you overtrain through exercise, you drive up those cortisol levels, that's stress hormones. So be sure to have an adequate amount of weight training, cardio and then things like yoga, pilates, where you're working on your flexibility that's also going help prevent injury and increase your mobility.

So when it comes to metabolism, movement is super important. It's going help you fire up that calorie-burning metabolism, but you want to make sure you're very purposeful in how you select and implement your workouts.