A quick word about T.E.A. (Thermal Effect of Activity). T.E.A. refers to your general activity level outside of "dedicated" exercise time. Where do the calories we consume go? Here’s a breakdown:
- Approximately 40% of the calories we consume can be burned through dedicated exercise.
- Another 30% are burned via digestion.
- Another 30 – 40% are burned via T.E.A. This is where many people fall short, and an area to concentrate on when attempting weight loss.
Tapping into the T.E.A. can really up your caloric expenditure. Ways to up one’s T.E.A. might mean taking stairs instead of an elevator, standing vs. sitting, making multiple trips to & from the car to carry in groceries, etc. Not that one has to do all of these things every day, but choosing a couple to implement will add up. Here are more practical suggestions I obtained from A.C.E. (American Council on Exercise):
Lifestyle Suggestions to Be More Active During the Day:
- Walk during your lunch hour.
- Take a family walk after dinner.
- Walk your dog.
- Get off the bus a stop early and walk.
- Wash the car by hand.
- Run or walk fast when doing errands.
- Pace the sidelines at your kids’ athletic games.
- Walk to a coworker’s desk instead of emailing or calling.
- Take a walk break instead of a coffee break.
- Play with your kids at least 30 minutes a day.
- Dance to music.
- Walk briskly in the mall.
- Take the long way to the water cooler, break room, etc.
Carving out just five minutes daily to be more physically active will provide more functional fitness/endurance and burn more calories. Do it every day for a week and you've racked up 35 more minutes of physical activity then you had before.
