Nervous Energy

Someone commented the other day on how I seem to have a lot of nervous energy. I realized that I have always been one to move A LOT! When I'm in the car, my knee is bouncing up and down, when I was in school I was constantly tapping my fingers or a pencil, and when I'm at the computer or standing around my foot is tapping on a regular basis, even as I'm sitting on top of my foot, it is still moving.

I have always known that by my having this nervous energy, I was burning extra calories but never knew how much. So, it all seemed kind of funny to me today as I was reading an old Women's Running Magazine that it discusses the NEAT factor (non-exercise activity thermogenesis)and how to improve it. And guess what, one study found that people who fidget expend 352 additional calories per day (that's about the same as a 3-4 mile run). So want to learn ways to increase your NEAT factor?

-Set a timer every 45 minutes at work to get up and move or do a set of squats
-Park farther away from the entrance and take the stairs
-sit on a balance ball instead of a chair to activate your core muscles
-stand up and walk around every time you're on the phone.

It's time to get moving!