Burn More Calories By “Sweating” The Small Stuff

by Matt Tucker

I like the big picture. At the end of the day, the big picture is most important. Still, I think the little things are what make it so great. I like people with an outstanding attention to detail. Maybe it is because I pride myself on paying close attention to the little things. (I have been known to proofread and edit other people’s grocery lists for no reason other than the fact that ‘broccoli’ was misspelled. I know, it is borderline OCD, and I’m fine with that).

I think it is the spices and herbs that turn a meal from good to great. It is the fine, hand-carved woodworking and stained glass that make European cathedrals so glorious. It can be a comedian’s subtle facial gesture that determines if an audience is laughing hysterically or hearing crickets. A well timed, nicely written greeting card can revive a relationship, help land a job, or seal a business deal. No one will argue that the attention to detail – a focus on the little things – can make a huge difference in business, relationships, art, cooking, and sometimes even grocery lists. But what about fitness?

Little things make a huge difference with fitness and athletics too. Professional cyclists and their coaches meticulously monitor heart rate, lactic threshold, and power output. Bike manufacturers go through unbelievably great lengths to make a cyclist’s rig lighter, more aerodynamic, and more efficient. All of these details combine to paint the big picture – winning or losing. In some cases, even a second, gram, or watt can decide if a cyclist is standing on the podium or not.

Sure, it makes sense that a professional athlete monitors as much as possible including nutrition, training, power, etc. They have a lot at stake. It’s their job. How about the rest of us? Most of us don’t have the means to monitor our power output and lactic threshold. That’s fine. We do have the means to monitor what we eat and how much we exercise. Still, one of the biggest factors that determines a person’s weight is a very subtle, yet extremely important characteristic.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota reported in 2005 that “non-exercise activity thermogenesis” is more important than formal exercise in determining who is lean and who is obese. They did this by attaching motion sensors to twenty people (ten who were lean and ten who were overweight) for ten straight days.

James Levine, M.D., the Mayo Clinic endocrinologist that lead the study, explains that the calories that people burn in their everyday activities are far, far more important in obesity than they previously imagined. The data from the sensors showed that an obese persons sit, on average, 150 minutes more each day than their naturally lean counterparts. This means obese people burn 350 fewer calories a day than do lean people.

People who are naturally compelled to stand, walk, pace, and fidget, rather than sit down, are burning more calories everyday. All of the small movements create a slow burn throughout the day.

Does this mean that people who sit still and don’t fidget are destined to be obese? They are certainly at a disadvantage, but a person can still create their own fate. What this means is that they are going to have to work a bit harder to find ways to burn more calories to keep up with their leaner, fidgety friends. For some this could mean spending more time on the treadmill. Or as the study shows, it could mean making a conscious effort to move around as much as possible.

Here are a few ideas to help a naturally sedentary person start moving:

• Pace or walk around the block while talking on your cell phone.
• Watch where you sit. Avoid the couch at all costs. Sit on the floor when watching TV. Sit on an exercise ball when at your desk. In both cases, you will constantly shift your weight to stay comfortable.
• Clean the house. A 135 pound woman can burn 113 calories doing general house cleaning for a half hour. Raking the leaves for the same time will burn another 130.
• If you have multiple bathrooms in your house, walk to the farthest one when you have to go.
• Forget the escalator, use the stairs.

Want more info about how small things can have a big impact? Check out my article, “Your Fitness Program’s Worst Enemy.”