In Chapter 15 of Dr. A’s Habits of Health^®, Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen offers some NEAT pointers for reaching or maintaining your healthy weight. By making small healthy choices and implementing exercise at your own pace, here are some ways you can make the most of NEAT in your daily routine:

• Stand when you can. Get out of your chair as much as possible. Instead of sitting at work, stand while you’re at your desk. If you need to share a message with a colleague, get up to talk to them instead of sending an email.
• Actively relax. Instead of sitting on the couch, try active relaxing activities such as yoga or taking a casual walk. If you do choose to sit and relax, take note of your posture and focus on your core position. Try to get up and take a few steps every 20 – 30 minutes.
• Use the stairs. Climbing one flight of stairs is equivalent to walking 100 steps. Instead of taking the elevator at work, use the steps to burn some extra calories.
• Have fun cleaning. Chores don’t have to be boring. Turn on the music and get moving while you clean! Or try simple exercises such as bicep curls while taking out the trash or lunges as you vacuum to enhance your motion and burn more calories.
• Create a wellness challenge with colleagues. Form a walking team or have a push-up competition with your colleagues. Make it a friendly competition by setting a goal, such as target number of steps or push-ups each week.
• Go manual. Do things by hand instead of using a machine. Instead of loading the dishes in the dishwasher, take the time to wash them by hand. Instead of going to the car wash, do it yourself on a warm spring day.

Ask me, your OPTAVIA Coach, about other ways to get moving on your journey to Lifelong Transformation, One Healthy Habit at a Time™.