Today’s guest post is courtesy of Jason Johnson, the founder of JMJ Fitness in Frisco, TX. He is an ACE-Certified Personal Trainer and a former collegiate-level soccer player who has always been a self-professed fitness fanatic. His foremost goal as a Certified Personal Trainer is to help individuals reach their immediate personal fitness goals, but his ultimate goal is to help you make exercise and nutrition a permanent part of your lifestyle.
This 4-letter acronym could be the key to you losing that last 5-10 lbs.
In my emails and newsletters I always advocate living the fitness lifestyle. A key component to living the fitness lifestyle is to increase your N.E.P.A, and lead a more active lifestyle outside of the gym. Think of it as sneaky little ways to add physical activity to your lifestyle. Here are a few examples on how you can increase your N.E.P.A:
- Take the stairs
- Stand more often during the day
- Do your own dirty work: clean your house, wash your own car, mow your own lawn, do your own gardening work, do your own painting
- Park further out in the parking lot at your destination
- When you run in to the grocery store for a few things, use a hand basket, instead of a shopping cart
- Race your 5 yr old to the mailbox
Play with your dog in the yard- Instead of sitting in the car in the drive-through, walk in to order (grilled chicken salad with light dressing on the side, right?)
- Volunteer to go upstairs to get your child’s favorite toy they left in the playroom
All of these activities increase your heart rate, increase your metabolism and burn calories. You can probably think of other ways to increase your N.E.P.A, but I think you get my message. It’s all about living the fitness lifestyle, and becoming more active. Every little bit adds up.
Let’s say you worked out 2 times last week, just look at how you can add another workout without actually working out: Saturday: go wash your car. Do it yourself. Clean the dash. Vacuum the interior. Bring your own towels, dry it off. You just got a nice 1 hour workout. Without stepping foot in a gym. On Sunday: clean your house. Wipe down counters. Clean your bathroom. Vacuum the entire house. Another 1 hour workout. Without stepping foot in a gym.Your spouse will love you for it. And your body will love you for it. I personally know a lady who lost weight last summer simply by mowing her lawn every week. That’s all she did. Never stepped foot in a gym. Just mowed the lawn, once a week. Yes, it’s dirty work, yes-it’s hot in Texas in the summer. But that was her N.E.P.A. And it worked.
For those who really don’t like working out, and dislike traditional exercise, increasing N.E.P.A should be your most important 4-letter acronym. Every little bit adds up.
And if you are one of the dedicated 4-5 times a week gym-goers, adding N.E.P.A to your week could be the key losing the last stubborn 5-10 lbs.
photo credit: Yoshi Huang
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April 20th, 2009 at 8:33 am 1
[...] Excerpt from: What is N.E.P.A? It’s an acronym that stands for Non-Exercise Physical Activity [...]
April 20th, 2009 at 9:14 am 2
[...] Read more here: What is N.E.P.A? It’s an acronym that stands for Non-Exercise Physical Activity [...]
April 20th, 2009 at 11:25 am 3
Just the impetus I need to (GULP!) clean my house!!!!!!
April 20th, 2009 at 2:57 pm 4
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April 20th, 2009 at 4:24 pm 5
Yes, being physically active throughout the day makes such a difference! I think we often focus only on working out at the gym and don’t even count other activity. I have a little “mental game” and challenge myself to go up and down the stairs in my house as often as possible. It really adds up!
Andrea@WellnessNotess last blog post..Shopping at the Farmers Market
April 21st, 2009 at 12:39 am 6
[...] What is N.E.P.A? It’s an acronym that stands for Non-Exercise … [...]
April 21st, 2009 at 8:42 am 7
Excellent advice. You don’t need a gym membership or fancy equipment to live an active lifestyle.
Mocha Dads last blog post..An Artistic Journey
April 21st, 2009 at 11:55 am 8
I’m not much of a gym person… the BEST kind of exercise is the lifestyle kind!
Sagans last blog post..The Slow Food Movement
April 21st, 2009 at 5:25 pm 9
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April 21st, 2009 at 10:30 pm 10
Thanks for posting Lisa. Yes, the main point I was trying to make is “every little bit helps.” All of the increased activity helps with health & fitness. My wife and I have a 14 month old little boy, and I’ve now started to realize how much extra “deadlifts” and “squats” I’m doing just by picking him up numerous times throughout the day.