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Everyday movement outside formal exercise, such as standing, walking, carrying and fidgeting, can burn hundreds of calories a day. The amount varies greatly between people and between days.

Levine et al., Science, 1999

HealthScience

The story behind the card

Scientists call this non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT: thermogenesis means the body's burning of energy as heat, and NEAT covers everything except sleeping, eating and deliberate exercise. In a 1999 study, James Levine and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic overfed 16 volunteers by 1,000 calories a day for eight weeks. Fat gain varied tenfold between them. The best predictor of who stayed lean was how much their everyday movement rose without their noticing: in some it fell slightly, in others it burned almost 700 extra calories a day. Because it is invisible, NEAT is easy to overlook, yet small movements across a whole day add up to a real share of energy use.

Türkçe oku
Spor dışındaki gündelik hareketler, yani ayakta durmak, yürümek, bir şey taşımak ve kıpırdanmak, günde yüzlerce kalori yaktırabilir. Bu miktar kişiden kişiye ve günden güne çok değişir.
Levine ve ark., Science, 1999

Bilim insanları buna egzersiz dışı aktivite termojenezi, kısaca NEAT der. Termojenez, vücudun enerji yakarak ısı üretmesidir; NEAT de uyku, yemek ve planlı egzersiz dışında yapılan her şeye harcanan enerjidir. James Levine ve Mayo Clinic'teki ekibi 1999'da yayımlanan bir çalışmada 16 gönüllüyü sekiz hafta boyunca günde 1.000 kalori fazla besledi. Aldıkları yağ miktarı kişiden kişiye on kat değişti. Kimin zayıf kaldığını en iyi, gündelik hareketinin farkında olmadan ne kadar arttığı gösteriyordu: Bazılarında bu hareket biraz azaldı, kimilerinde ise günde yaklaşık 700 kalorilik ek harcama sağladı. Göze görünmediği için kolayca gözden kaçar; oysa gün boyu yapılan küçük hareketler enerji harcamasında gerçek bir pay tutar.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Non-exercise activity thermogenesis
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