Have you heard of NEAT? It is the non-exercise exercise that can apparently make the difference between being lean and being plump. NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis, which is a long way to say all calorie burning activity other than exercise. So, NEAT involves any movement like pacing, fidgeting, climbing stairs and even yard work. To me, it sounds like a good way to make sure I can enjoy life's extras like a cupcake or slice of pie.
I’m trying to use the concept of NEAT to embrace yard work. My husband and I recently purchased a home. We’ve owned other property before, but those places were condominiums and townhouses where we paid homeowner’s fees so someone else could mow the tiny patch of lawn, edge the sidewalks, trim the hedges and put flowers in the planters. Now at age 33, I am faced with learning how to mow a lawn for the first time and to train myself to loathe weeding and sweeping and watering less. Don’t get me wrong, though, since I would much rather do yard work than step inside a gym.
• General yard work burns about 250 to 300 calories per hour. For me, a strenuous hour on the treadmill burns about twice that. I’d rather do two hours of yard work!
• Gardening offers a balanced work out: it requires lifting, stretching, bending, and walking at different levels of effort. There is an opportunity to warm up, do vigorous work and cool down with simpler tasks.
• Using a reel mower, women can burn between 400 and 500 calories an hour.
• Composting or turning dirt can burn up to 400 calories an hour.
• Gardening activities such as weeding and watering done three times a week for 30 minutes can be a form of moderate exercise, which can reduce risks for obesity and related health concerns.
Don’t undo your day’s work in the yard. Try this 30 minute Dinner: Light Lemon-Sesame Chicken.