{"id":58890,"date":"2017-12-20T04:59:34","date_gmt":"2017-12-20T09:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=58890"},"modified":"2017-12-31T03:41:55","modified_gmt":"2017-12-31T08:41:55","slug":"a-neat-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/a-neat-idea\/","title":{"rendered":"A NEAT idea"},"content":{"rendered":"

You have the best of intentions. \u00a0After years of sedentary living, you now realize that exercise is really an essential part of healthy living. \u00a0Besides that, your wife has been on your case to start getting in shape and reducing the size of your continually growing stomach. \u00a0And every single Motzei Shabbos, you reaffirm that this is the week. \u00a0You have already mapped out a course for a 35 minute walk daily and you even purchased a book about muscle building exercises for beginners. \u00a0You wake up Sunday morning all ready to go. \u00a0But on Sunday your Shul has a later minyan, you don\u2019t work at your job Sundays and there is a family gathering in the early afternoon. \u00a0Okay, but Monday is the day you are really going to start, until there is overtime at work, your son has a <\/span>Gemara<\/span><\/i> test on Tuesday and need some help preparing and you have to drop in to a Bar Mitzvah later that night. \u00a0Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday don\u2019t fare much better and now that <\/span>Shabbos<\/span><\/i> is early, you are just happy to make it home in time to shower, put on your <\/span>Shabbos<\/span><\/i> clothes and get to <\/span>Shul<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0But Sunday will come again, and again, and again. \u00a0This was exactly Zevi\u2019s situation week after week after week. \u00a0It wasn\u2019t just his wife that was on his case, but his doctor had implored him to start getting active in order to counter his newly present high blood pressure and his growing girth. <\/span><\/p>\n

Zevi works, learns, is a good father that gives his kids attention, and is up early every day. \u00a0He is not a time-waster. \u00a0So he is one of those rare breeds who really doesn\u2019t have much time to exercise. \u00a0As a matter of fact, after going through his daily schedule, I was shocked that I really couldn\u2019t find significant time for him to exercise. It is extremely rare that I can\u2019t pinpoint times to set aside for formal exercise. \u00a0So when plan A continually fails, it is time for plan B. \u00a0And the emphasis now changes to NEAT or Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis.<\/span><\/p>\n

The dangers of sitting too much<\/b><\/p>\n

NEAT encompasses the calories burned while living life\u2014walking to work, fidgeting, typing, folding clothes, washing dishes, running errands and so on; only sleeping, eating and formal exercise are not included. Research suggests that prolonged sitting can be as bad for health as smoking (Owen et al. 2010). Sitting \u201cdeactivates\u201d the brain and lowers metabolism. Limited physical activity, low levels of mental stimulation and the absence of socialization (too much time on screens and mobile devices) have a detrimental effect on the human brain over time (Nussbaum 2006). Experts have concluded that brain health should be a priority given the threat of dementia, data indicate that most people are more reactive than proactive with their health and lifestyle (Nussbaum 2011). The good news is that movement can help, and it doesn\u2019t have to be a marathon. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to the Centers for Disease Control, chronic diseases are the number-one threat to public health, far surpassing infectious diseases. Eighty-six percent of our healthcare costs go toward chronic diseases (CDC 2017), and prolonged sitting is a significant contributor. When people get up and move, they\u2019re likely to see big benefits:<\/span><\/p>\n