Seriously, you know how they told us when we were kids to “sit still and not fidget so much…” Well, according to scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, that’s exactly the opposite of what we need to do if we want to be slimbos!
The small but important study took 10 ‘obese people’ and 10 ‘slim people’ and put them in top and bottom underwear that used sensors to measure their movements and posture (whether they were sitting, standing or laying down). What they found was that the slim people fidgeted considerably more than their plump counterparts as they went about their day.
Scientists also discovered that the overweight study participants were actually sitting down for an average of 150 minutes more in the day AND they burned 350 fewer calories. This is even though they were all in the same laboratory conditions…
***350 calories a day = 36.5 pounds in a year! A heck of a difference…***
Dr Jim Levine, the lead researcher, designed the study to work out the role of calories burned during daily living (or NEAT – Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, all the things we do that don’t involve deliberate ‘exercise’, eating or sleeping).
“A person can expend calories either by going to the gym, or through everyday activities. Our study shows that the calories that people burn in their everyday activities are far, far more important in obesity than we previously imagined,” says Dr Levine.
So all that fidgeting that you used to do as a kid – shaking your arms, kicking out your feet, tapping that pencil, nodding your head to imaginary music, pacing… Now, just go for it! And if you aren’t a natural fidgeter… Become one! It,’s a small adjustment that can make a load of difference. 🙂
I’m here rooting for you.
love,
The Lifestylista
xox
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