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James Levene explains why walking to lunch every day beats going to the gym
February 26, 2009 12:40
It’s the news many have been waiting for. You don’t have to go the gym to lose weight. Science says so.
According to US-based Dr James Levene, one of the world’s top obesity specialists, all you need to do to shift the pounds is increase your ‘nonexercise activity thermogenesis’, or ‘Neat’. Neat accounts for much of our daily movement and calorie expenditure, through activities such as walking to lunch, climbing stairs and cleaning the house. Dr Levene’s research shows that daily Neat activities burn more calories than running on the treadmill.
“By weaving more Neat into our everyday lives, we can burn an extra 800 calories a day,” Dr Levene, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis, tells People.
He explains all in his newly published book, Move a Little, Lose a Lot, which shows people how they make small changes to improve their Neat.
“Someone can burn 200 to 300 calories by walking to the Tube instead of driving to work,” says Dr Levene, who has studied calorie burning for more than 20 years. “You could go for a walk before your morning shower, do some yoga or pace when talking on the phone. By incorporating these into your day, you burn an extra 500 to 1000 calories.”
Worryingly, says Dr Levene, he is witnessing an overwhelming increase in the number of children with obesity problems.
“We used to have half a clinic a day for this. We have now had to take on new staff.” He has taken his Neat concept into schools, several of which are planning to roll out the programme. He is also working with a number of multinationals, including Wal-Mart, GlaxoSmithKline and Best Buy, to help employees incorporate more movement into their work routine. “Just by standing and moving, you can boost your metabolism, lower you blood pressure and lose weight.” Does walking to the vending machine count?
Move a Little, Lose a Lot is published by Random House
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