How we can exercise more without even trying
Incidental activity can reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease and even death. You can try some simple forms of it in a meeting, on a flight or while reading this article. It can be easy to spend an entire day sitting. First at your desk at work, then perhaps in your car, followed by a […] The post How we can exercise more without even trying appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle .
Incidental activity can lower our risk of cardiovascular disease and death. It is easy to spend the entire day sitting, whether at work, in a car, or on the sofa. Numerous global studies have shown that a sedentary lifestyle can lead to serious health issues. Reducing sedentary time is beneficial for overall health. However, finding time for exercise can be difficult.
This is where incidental exercise comes in. Incidental exercise, also known as non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), refers to any energy we use for movement that isn't sleeping, eating, or deliberate exercise. Examples include tapping your leg while sitting or doing the dishes. This type of exercise can help us burn more calories, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and even lower our risk of death.
Once we become aware of incidental activity, we can incorporate more of it into our daily routine with a few simple changes. Here are some ways to increase incidental exercise:
1. Fidgeting: Shifting posture, rolling shoulders, and flexing feet during prolonged periods of sitting can increase muscle activity and help burn more calories compared to sitting still.
2. Move often: Household activities such as cooking, gardening, and vacuuming can decrease sedentary time and provide health benefits. Even brief, incidental bursts of activity lasting less than a minute can help offset the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases from sedentary time.
3. Move faster: Walking with a faster pace than usual or parking further away when going to the shops can help increase the intensity of these activities.
4. Piggyback on activities: Incorporating movement into activities you are already doing can make it easier to increase incidental exercise. This could include doing calf raises while brushing teeth, leg raises under a desk, or walking while on a call instead of sitting down.
Written by urgent.news from The Chronicle Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
