By regelzamora

Today’s guest post is by Travis Saunders, MSc, Certified Exercise Physiologist. Travis and his colleague Peter Janiszewski, PhD Candidate, MSc, are both PhD trained scientists who have a fantastic blog (sound familiar?) Obesity Panacea.

While Summer Tomato is more food-centric, Obesity Panacea focuses on exercise and physiology.  Perfect match, right?

I asked Travis if he would be kind enough to write a post on how to get more exercise without having to actually go to the gym (NEAT), something both busy and lazy people alike can appreciate.

Personally I’m a big believer in NEAT. A year and a half ago I stopped taking BART to work and started walking instead. To my surprise this added only 5 minutes to my commute time and is infinitely more enjoyable.

Even though I already logged 4-6 regular cardio and strength training workouts per week, this added mileage caused me to drop another 3-5 lbs that has never come back. It also gives me time to listen to my favorite podcasts!

But what is NEAT exactly? For that I’ll turn the mic over to Travis.

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis – It’s NEAT!

by Travis Saunders

For decades, we have been told of the benefits of physical activity, and with good reason – regardless of body weight, people who exercise live longer, healthier lives than people who don’t exercise.

In the past, the focus has been on performing structured sessions of moderate or vigorous exercise (e.g. 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise on a bike or treadmill).

While intense physical activity has a tremendous health impact, a growing body of evidence suggests that accumulating short bouts of low-intensity physical activity throughout the day can also have substantial health benefits, which may even rival those associated with more vigorous sessions.  This low-intensity physical activity is known as non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT.

The concept of NEAT was proposed by Dr James Levine, who defines it as:

“…the energy expenditure of all physical activities other than volitional sporting-like exercise. NEAT includes all those activities that render us vibrant, unique and independent beings such as dancing, going to work or school, shoveling snow, playing the guitar, swimming or walking in the modern Mall.”

I can understand why some people would be skeptical that activities like gardening or mall walking could have a measurable impact on health.  After all, those things aren’t exercise, right?

Fortunately, it turns out that the body doesn’t care whether those activities are exercise.  James Levine’s work has shown that NEAT burns an average of 330 calories per day in healthy individuals (and up to nearly 700 calories/day in some people!), and that obese individuals perform drastically less NEAT than their lean counterparts.

Levine has also made convincing arguments that NEAT could burn up to 1000 calories per day when properly incorporated throughout the work day.  These results suggest that NEAT can burn a tremendous amount of calories, which has obvious implications for weight maintenance and obesity prevention.

But the other key benefit to increased NEAT is that it reduces sedentary time, itself a strong predictor of both death and disease.

Independent of total physical activity levels and other risk factors like abdominal obesity, recent evidence suggests that time spent being sedentary (e.g. sitting or lying down) is a strong predictor of metabolic risk, as well as mortality.  This means that regardless of how much they exercise, people who spend more time sitting are at a higher risk than those who sit less.

New research has even shown that merely taking more frequent breaks from sedentary activities (e.g. standing up) is also associated with reduced metabolic risk and abdominal fat levels.  The reasons for these associations are still being worked out (it probably is to due to changes in LPL and glucose transporter protein activity in skeletal muscle, which are altered by even short bouts of inactivity), but the findings are consistent and have been observed in both adults and children.  Since NEAT includes activities like standing and walking, any increases in NEAT will obviously result in reductions in time spent in sedentary activities.

So, how can you reduce your time spent being sedentary and increase your NEAT levels?  Luckily, it’s not very hard.

Here is a brief list, and for more suggestions, please read “10 Ways to Become More Active”, which can be found on Obesity Panacea.

6 Ways To Get More NEAT

1. Buy a Pedometer

Pedometers are beeper-sized devices which are worn on the waist and keep track of the number of steps taken each day.  They are cheap (a good one costs about $20), and are a great way to assess your level of NEAT.  Each week, try to increase your daily step count by 1,000 steps/day, with a goal of reaching at least 10,000 steps per day.  Friendly step-count competitions with co-workers can also be surprisingly fun, and are a great way to promote increased physical activity within the office environment.

2. Take the Stairs

This one is obvious.  I can’t tell you how often I see people taking the elevator up or down one single floor.  It doesn’t save any time, and it deprives people of physical activity.  You don’t have to walk up twenty flights of stairs to make this worthwhile – try to walk up at least one flight, and down at least two, and build up to more flights as you feel up to it.  If you have to go further than you can walk comfortably, take the elevator the rest of the way.

3. Active Transportation

Walk or bike to work and when performing errands whenever possible.  If that is not an option, consider taking public transportation, which almost always involves a short walk at both ends of the trip.  And if you absolutely have to drive, park as far from the door as possible.  It might only add 5 minutes of walking to your day, but that’s 5 minutes you wouldn’t get otherwise.

4. Drink Plenty of Water

This sounds odd, but it’s a trick that I’ve been using for years. If you are constantly sipping water throughout the day, you are going to have to pee at least once every couple hours. Every time you have to pee, you have a guilt-free excuse to go for a 5-minute walk to the washroom and back! To crank it up a notch, use a washroom in another part of your building, which may give you an opportunity to use the stairs as well.  It’s easy to forget to take a 5-minute walk-break every hour, but it’s impossible to forget to go pee.

5. Have “Walk” Meetings

These types of meeting are becoming increasingly popular at my workplace.  Think of all the times that you need to have a 5-10 minute chat with another co-worker or superior.  Instead of doing it at your desk (and potentially annoying your colleagues), why not talk while casually strolling down the hall?  This is another great way to accumulate activity without even noticing that it’s happening.

6. Walk During Your Lunch Break

If you are one of those lucky individuals who has a daily lunch break, why not use it for a short walk?  A ten or twenty minute walk on a daily basis can add up over time, and you’ll almost certainly feel better than if you spent your whole break sitting at your desk.

These are only a few examples, but I hope they illustrate how easy it can be to incorporate more NEAT into your daily life.  Give it a shot, and good luck with your healthstyle!

Let’s have a big round of applause for Travis!

Tags: Exercise, fitness, guests, NEAT, Obesity Panacea

Romanesco Broccoli in a Beaker

One of the most consistent themes of nutrition science is that vitamin supplements (pills, powders, liquids, etc.) are almost never able to mimic the beneficial effects of foods that contain the same vitamins. Now new evidence suggests that high doses of these antioxidant supplements–but not whole foods containing them–may actually block the beneficial effects of exercise on insulin sensitivity and metabolism.

Exercise has countless benefits for people of all levels of fitness. One of the most important of these is its ability to improve insulin sensitivity and increase metabolism. For this reason, exercise is considered among the most effective ways to protect against type 2 diabetes.

One of the byproducts of exercise, however, is the production of free radicals that results from the breakdown of oxygen in the muscles. These reactive oxygen molecules can damage cells and DNA, and are implicated in many chronic diseases. Since antioxidants can easily neutralize these reactive oxygen molecules, it has been assumed that antioxidants such as vitamins C and E could only benefit the body.

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that rather than help protect against oxidative damage from exercise, high doses of antioxidant supplements may actually hinder the body’s natural protection against oxidative damage and block exercise-induced metabolic benefits.

In the study, human subjects were given either placebo or 500 mg vitamin C twice per day and 400 IU vitamin E. They were then trained in both cardio and strength training workouts at the gym for 5 consecutive weekdays, 4 weeks in a row. This trial was performed on both previously trained and untrained individuals.

Metabolic rates were tested by blood sample both before the trial and after 1 and 4 weeks of training. Muscle biopsies were taken both before and after the trial for all participants. Several measures of metabolism and insulin sensitivity were measured including plasma glucose concentrations, plasma insulin concentrations, maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂ max), as well as several molecular markers in muscle that are linked to insulin sensitivity and are known to promote the body’s natural defense against oxidative damage.

The researchers found that exercise improved measures of insulin sensitivity in all individuals except those given antioxidant supplements. Also, molecules that protect against oxidative damage are upregulated in response to training, but not when antioxidants are administered.

Previous studies suggest that the body’s natural defenses against oxidative damage require activation by a small amount of reactive oxygen chemicals in the body. These same chemicals have been shown to mediate insulin sensitivity in muscles, and in this study both were shown to be blocked by high antioxidant administration.

The researchers suggest that small doses of reactive oxygen molecules such as the amounts produced by exercise are necessary to induce the body’s natural defense against oxidative damage, and that this process is essential for mediating exercise-induced insulin sensitivity. If this is true it could mean that some (but not all) of the metabolic benefits of exercise could be limited by taking high doses of vitamin supplements. This may be particularly important to individuals at high risk for type 2 diabetes.

Interestingly, foods that contain high levels of these antioxidants have previously been shown to be protective against type 2 diabetes. Although the reason for this is still unknown, the authors suggest the benefit is unlikely due to the antioxidant content of the foods and may depend on other factors.

Even if we do not understand the reason vegetables and fruits are the best source of nutrition, we can still enjoy all their benefits. If you choose to continue taking vitamin supplements, it is advisable to stick to a basic multivitamin that does not contain megadoses of one particular nutrient.

Do you take vitamin supplements? Why? How much do you take?

Tags: antioxidants, insulin, insulin sensitivity, metabolism, PNAS, Synapse, type 2 diabetes, vitamin C, vitamin E, workout

High blood sugar levels are known to accelerate aging and decrease longevity in many different species. Now it seems blood sugar may also be tied to how well you keep your memory as you age.

A new study published in the December issue of the Annals of Neurology examined the effect of high blood sugar on the region of the brain responsible for memory formation, the hippocampus. Researchers examined patients with either diabetes or stroke (in other, non-hippocampus, parts of the brain) and determined that both groups had defects in the hippocampus compared to normal patients, but the problems were in different hippocampal subregions.

What does this mean for you?

Tags: Annals of Neurology, blood sugar, memory

A recent New York Times article questions the conventional wisdom of the value of stretching before a workout. Instead, the best way to prepare for physical exertion is a brief, easy cardio workout followed by a series of sport-specific movements designed to loosen joints and increase blood flow to the muscles you will be using.

Multiple research studies over the last several decades have shown that stretching does not help prevent injury during a workout. Even more surprising is that stretching appears to actually weaken the muscle for a period of up to 30 minutes following the stretch, thereby hurting overall performance.

But this does not mean you should skip your workout warm up. Scientists now recommend that you begin your workout with a light, 5-10 minute aerobic exercise, such as a jog. This movement will increase blood flow to your muscles and make them more pliable and ready for additional exertion.

To improve performance in a specific sport, dynamic stretching is recommended. Dyamic stretching is a way to stretch muscles while moving, a practice that actually does appear to increase muscle power, flexibility and range of motion. Data is also emerging that it reduces risk of injury.

The goal of dynamic stretching is to perform “range-of-motion exercises that activate all of the joints and connective tissue that will be needed for the task ahead,” says Team Running USA coach, Terrence Mahon. For example, runners should do movements that activate hip and knee joints (such as squats and lunges), while golfers should perform shoulder and back movements.

That’s right, even golfers can improve performance with dynamic stretching.

A few of the best dynamic stretches are described in the article.

In sum, the new recommendation for beginning a workout is an easy, 5-10 minute aerobic exercise followed by a five minute recovery, and then a series of dynamic stretches appropriate for your sport. It is important that you complete this warm up immediately before you begin your training. Waiting too long (30 minutes) before beginning your workout can be detrimental, increasing muscle stiffness.

Although I read and believe the accuracy of this story, I think it will be hard for me to stop touching my toes and hanging my heels off a stair before going on a run. It is such a regular part of my routine and feels so natural. But according to this article that may actually be hurting my run.

What do you guys think?

Tags: New York Times, stretching

Do you ever find yourself on Monday wondering if you went a little overboard with the chips and dip over the weekend? And maybe even with those brownies at the party the weekend before? Oh yeah, and that “fourth meal” burrito from El Farolito Saturday night?

If you generally use weekends as an excuse to indulge a little, you are not alone. And according to a study published last month in Obesity, there is a good chance that weekend splurges are the reason you are gaining weight (or at least one reason it is so difficult to lose it).

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis wanted to understand how weekends affect weight fluctuations in free-living individuals under different weight loss plans. To address this, they split participants into three groups and followed them for one year. One group was put on a calorie-restricted diet and another was given an exercise regimen. Both the calorie restricted and exercise group interventions were designed to create similar calorie deficits – 16-20 percent of total baseline energy expenditure for each individual – so that the effects of weight loss induced by each method could be compared. The third group was not given any intervention.

Because one goal of the study was to observe free-living individuals (i.e., people at home and not in a clinic), researchers utilized a comprehensive battery of measurements to determine energy intake, physical activity, energy expenditure, body composition and body weight. For instance, participants were provided with a special scientific scale that was collected at the end of each recording period. Body weights were then double checked on a calibrated scale in a clinic on several of the weight recording days. Duel-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure body composition (lean mass versus fat mass) on multiple occasions throughout the study. Food diaries were kept by the participants to record daily food intake, and they received detailed instructions on how to weigh, measure and record everything consumed. Physical activity was measured with both triaxial accelerometers and urine samples using the doubly labeled water method.

Detailed documentation of variables and outcome measures is critical in experiments where people’s activity is not controlled in a laboratory, because self-reporting—particularly when weight loss and eating are involved – is notoriously unreliable. Though the methods used here do not guarantee accurate measurements, the double and triple validation that the scientists performed throughout the study certainly minimizes sampling biases.

The first interesting observations were found when scientists took baseline measurements during the 2-4 weeks before the experimental interventions began. During this period body weight at baseline increased significantly on weekends and was followed by a non-significant trend of weight loss on weekdays. Unfortunately this resulted in an increase of 0.077 kilograms (0.17 pounds) per week.

This increase may not sound like much, but it amounts to about 4.0 kilograms (9 pounds) gained per year. The authors of the study suggest that this finding may be an artifact of the anticipation individuals feel when beginning a weight loss regimen, because on average people gain less than 1 kilogram per year. Regardless, the finding that weight gain occurs on weekends and not on weekdays is significant.

Also during baseline measurements the researchers found that calorie intake was highest on Saturdays, averaging about 200 calories more than weekdays. Physical activity during this time was lowest on Sundays and highest on Saturdays.

During the experimental interventions, the weekend affect on body weight was still evident. As expected, both the calorie restricted and exercise groups lost weight over the course of an average week. On weekends, however, the calorie-restricted group stopped losing weight and the exercise group actually gained weight. The control group did not have significant weight changes on weekdays compared to weekends.

Interestingly, during the experiment all three trial groups consumed significantly more calories on weekends than on weekdays. Those on calorie-restricted diets ate more on Saturdays, while those on the exercise regimen consumed more on both Saturdays and Sundays. The control group ate more only on Sundays.

In contrast, physical activity did not decrease on weekends during the experiment. In the exercise group physical activity remained constant relative to weekdays. The calorie-restricted group actually increased activity on both Saturday and Sunday. In the control group there was a trend toward more physical activity on weekends.

These findings suggest that weekend behavior has a tremendous impact on weight gain in average people and makes weight loss more difficult for those undergoing a calorie restricted or exercise program. Furthermore, the weekend calorie imbalance is primarily caused by increased eating rather than decreased physical activity.

This research is consistent with that of the National Weight Control Registry report in 2004, which suggests that people whose diets are more consistent from weekdays to weekends are more likely to be successful in losing weight and keeping it off. It also agrees with two studies published in the International Journal of Obesity last month showing that human energy expenditure has not changed in America or Europe in the past 20 years and is still comparable to the amount spent by indigenous populations and even animals in the wild.

The bottom line is that while increased physical activity can aid in weight loss, excessive calorie consumption is the primary reason for weight gain in our time.

This story can also be found at Synapse.