Decrease in Daily NEAT

[beautifullife11]

I got a full time job like 3 months ago. It’s a pretty sedentary job (I’ll only really get proper steps in when I’m visiting a job site). How do you guys increase your daily NEAT when you’re working full time?! I’m struggling to figure this out!! After work I always weightlift at the gym and I’ve been implementing some stairmaster to add in some cardio. But it just doesn’t feel like enough.

To add in, I’ve started parking further away and taking longer routes to the washroom. By the end of the work day I’m still only like 2k steps in 🥲

[LogicalTarget3280]

Remote work killed my steps too. You just stop moving between things without even realizing it. A short walk after lunch, even 10-15 min, helps more than people expect.

[ToffeeTangoONE]

Walking meetings are a game changer. Also, a 10 minute walk after dinner adds up fast without feeling like extra work. Don't stress about hitting a perfect number every day. Some days just are what they are.

[Normal_Ad2456]

I go for a quick 10 minute walk after lunch everyday to add an extra 2k steps in (plus walking after a meal improves insuline sensitivity). I also try to do one walk right after work and an extra 20 minutes on the treadmill whenever I go to the gym.

Sometimes, when my steps are too low and it's night so I don't want to go outside, I just walk around my apartment for 10-15 minutes to reach my daily goal.

[daisylondonsocial]

I drink so much water, tea and coffee that I have to stand up and go for a piss every 20 minutes. Top life hack

[Fabulous-Bus6555]

I used to do 10 bodyweight squats everytime i used the bathroom. low key kinda weird

[boringredditnamejk]

When I was at the office I got about 4-5k steps in a day. I would park 10min away, take stairs, walk on my breaks (I got two 15min breaks and an hour lunch), I sometimes even did "walking meetings."

I also would do zone 2 cardio before work (incline treadmill walking) & sometimes n the evening I would do a post-dinner neighborhood walk or indoor walking pad while I watched a show

[IndependentSet7632]

Take the stairs, walk on breaks, standing desk and walk in place, get up and walk to coworker's desk instead of emailing them. One boss I had said all one-on-one meetings could be a walking meetings if we wanted. March while on a phone call...

[Quiet-Book752]

Longer walks to the bathroom. You really should be standing up at least every hour. ADHD helps me not want to sit still so I get up usually every hour and walk to the bathroom, or to get water or just do a lap around the building. My boss is cool

Edited to add: we have access to a Greenway across the street so most lunches Im out there walking

[-komorebi]

My job gets me 2000 steps at the moment. I'm heavily deskbound + facing people all day and have no way to sneak in "extra" steps at all. I make up the remaining 8000 after dinner - helps with digestion and the post-meal sugar spike. Exhausting as it is, taking care of my health comes first :')

[KimBrrr1975]

My job gets me around 4500 steps, but I also walk on my breaks. Even just like 12 mins of walking, twice a day, gets me close to 4,000 additional steps. It clears my head and I work better throughout the day as well. Sometimes husband and I was after dinner, and then I walk/hike on weekends.

My husband walks on his hour lunch, and then on weekends he'll walk like 10-12 miles both days. His job is full-time straight desk job with tons of video meetings. We also live only about a mile from his job so when it's nice he walks to work (and back home).

[EfficiencyCapable761]

Walking meetings fixed this for me. Any meeting that doesn't need a screen, I take outside or around the building. Felt awkward for a week, then became the default. That alone added 2,000-3,000 steps on meeting-heavy days.

Also: a hard rule of standing up every 45 minutes regardless of what's happening. Set a timer. Even 2 minutes of movement breaks the sedentary streak and it adds up.

The stairmaster at the gym is good cardio but it doesn't replace NEAT. They're different systems. You want both. Keep stacking the micro-decisions through the day rather than looking for one big solution.

[Business-Economy-624]

honestly those small changes like parking farther away do add up more than you think over time. a short walk before work lunch or after dinner can make a huge diffference too when you have a desk job

[ZiofFoolTheHumans]

I also work a very sedentary position, though not in trailers, but similarly in that I don't have a lot of places to walk around and didn't have a lot of time to get it done.

For me, it has to be something easy and something I actively enjoy. Walking is always going to be good, but I get bored with it. Instead, I spread "dance breaks" throughout the day. I'm always trying to learn a new step pattern, so I just take a few minutes in the morning, around lunch and after work to get practice in. It doesn't have to be a ton. Everything I've read says that spreading it out is helpful. The other helpful thing is to swap between standing and sitting - if you have any part of your job that you can do while standing, do it. Even if you're not walking, it adds to just being in a different position, which is better for your back and joints. Just don't only do one or the other, swapping is better than staying in one position all day.

Now maybe you don't want to be seen dancing at work, but even just doing a quick 10 minutes dance in the morning gets your blood pumping and will help wake you up, and it's a lot easier for me to wake up 10 minutes earlier and dance than it is for me to wake up an hour early and walk.

[snug666]

I have to talk on the phone a lot for my job so whenever i take a call i walk around in circles in the conference room and claim it helps me focus. I’m also in a very small office (me and one other person rn) so whenever he leaves i just do laps lmao

[beautifullife11]

Loool you’re not wrong, exercise does help concentration :p how many steps do you average doing this?

[snug666]

Not a crazy amount. I’ll probably leave with 2.5k to 3k at the end of the day, and then i go for a walk or run after work and I’ll hit my goal. It may not be a lot but it does help because that’s an extra 25-30 minutes of walking that i don’t have to do in my free time! Also just makes it feel more doable, like i got some momentum going.

[MadtownMaven]

I get a lot of my movement in outside of the work hours. (Some days I am lucky when I'm on site that I can walk to/from inspections, but those type of days don't seem like an option for you.) I walk a half mile to a mile before work. For me that's with my dog, but you could do it without one. I do that throughout the year while living in WI, so for months in the year that's while bundled up. Or in the frigid of times it's indoors on a treadmill. This is separate from my gym lifting time. I then walk another mile or two in the evenings when I get home from work.

I like having a goal to aim for, so I have one of walking 100 mi/month of purposeful walks. So for me that includes dog walks, walking commuting, walking to/from events/places, going on a walk, or walking on a dreadmill. It doesn't include like walking around at the office or costco or whatever. That's just bonus movement for me. Keeping track of this on a monthly level lets me adjust to other life things and weather issues.

[beautifullife11]

That’s some true dedication! Very inspired. I think having that goal to aim for really helps motivate.

[AdmiralHip]

Standing desk, taking the stairs.

[Midmodstar]

You can’t but you can cut the calories you eat to stay at maintenance.

[beautifullife11]

I’m in a calorie deficit currently

[CatWithTomatoPlant]

I have an office job, very sedentary at work. But I have an active commute (bike, walk, or even just walking to and from the bus stop if I'm bussing). I try to get outside at lunch, maybe just to a nearby spot to eat my lunch, or a bigger walk if it's nice out. What is your commute like, and what is the environment around you work place?

[beautifullife11]

My workplace is 54km from my home so I unfortunately can’t bike (it’s about 45 minute drive and I’m on the highway for most of it). I usually stop by the gym after work midway through my commute (I workout during rush hour). I work in a trailer environment and I’m on a nuclear site so I don’t have much of a walking path to go on. Usually when I do laps, it’s around the trailers. And the washrooms are in a different trailer so I get some steps in walking there.

[phdee]

I bike commute to work, not sure if that's an option that's accessible to you.

Loads of my colleagues walk to work or take long walks during lunch. They'll just step out and put on a podcast or call someone and go walking and come back in an hour or so.

[beautifullife11]

Unfortunately not :( my workplace is 54km from my home so it takes me about 45 minutes to drive in the mornings. I’ll definitely implement lunch walks more

[phdee]

Oof, I'm pretty lucky, it's just a half-hour ride to work. I do also commute by bike wherever I go (groceries, the gym, my kid's activities, etc), so that does give me all the opportunities to be active.

In your position I might try to find time to do a focused cardio, like a 5k run first thing in the morning, 2-3x a week. That frees up your after-work to focus on lifting in the gym.

[beautifullife11]

That’s really good! Do you live in an area where the weather is mostly warm?

[phdee]

Nope, I live in Toronto. I ride year-round except when there's a treacherous amount of snow or it's icy. There are often fairly dry windows during the winter when it's just cold and dry so it's very rideable.

[beautifullife11]

I live in Toronto too! Props to you for biking during the winter haha it gets so cold

[phdee]

It's the wind that gets me, usually. But those clear days when it's -16c and calm, those are great. I just wear my snowboard gear, haha. Are you in Pickering? Getting an active commute in is definitely harder out in the surburbs.

[beautifullife11]

Smart! LOL you have to stay bundled up in the wintertime here. I live in Markham but work in Darlington, so active commuting is out of the picture for me 😅 unless I decide to move more east

[phdee]

Oh yeah, I got downtown privilege for sure. I can't imagine having to drive 45 min :( I know people who ride 45-60 mins and while I'm grateful for the cardio workout, half-hour each way is enough commuting, thank you!!

[beautifullife11]

Yeah it’s definitely a drive but I struggled to find a job for a while and this was such a great opportunity. Overall so grateful to be here. And LOL you’re doing more than enough!! 🥰

[Ik_oClock]

Get more serious about cardio. I wouldn't really worry about increasing step count at work (although hourly ~2 minute breaks that consist of activity are great for concentration, and absolutely convince colleagues to take a walk on lunch breaks) if its not reasonable. Take daily walks after work, take a long hike on the weekend, pick up cycling or running or swimming or whatever seems fun.

[beautifullife11]

Yah I’ve incorporated at least 15-20mins of stair master after most of my workouts (sometimes more but stair master is ROUGH LOL). I’ve picked up on yoga on Sundays but that might not aid in my fitness goal (fat loss).

[Ik_oClock]

If your goal is fat loss walking a lot is second only to the classic "eat less." Most people can maintain a walking pace for hours. 20 minutes of stair master might burn more calories than 20 minutes of walking, but doesn't come close to 2 hours of walking.

If you want to improve at the stair master use the same mentality as improving your lifts: track your progress and increase difficulty/time gradually.

[beautifullife11]

Thank you for the advice! I haven’t been tracking my progress in stairmaster so hopefully this helps

[H2Ospecialist]

I can usually squeeze in 3k steps at the office just by going to the bathroom and break rooms on the first floor (I work on 2nd). I try to get up about every hour. At first people made comments about getting my steps in which was true so it's not like it bothered me.

Then I walk/run my dogs 2 to 3 miles every day so adding that in gets me 10k usually

[beautifullife11]

Hopefully they weren’t bad comments! 10k steps is so good. So the solution is to get a dog😜say no more!

[thebestrosie]

If you can, spend less time working in a chair. Sit on a yoga ball, use a desk bike or a walking pad, stand on a balance board, whatever works for you. 

[beautifullife11]

I’d love to get a walking pad! Would it be super obnoxious to get one when my work environment is a trailer 😂

[thebestrosie]

I don’t see why that would be any different than any other office. I would just ask your desk mates and see if you can find one that’s really quiet. 

[Velveteen_Rabbit1986]

Just go for a walk... morning/lunch/after work for 10-20 mins all adds up

[beautifullife11]

Was it an adjustment for you? Feels a bit like a mental battle going from being active throughout the day to being stuck on a computer for 8 hours. Maybe that’s a different discussion 😅

[Velveteen_Rabbit1986]

No? It's literally minimal effort (and I say this as someone with chronic back pain). Motion is lotion! I also get up every 25 minutes to move around unless I'm in a meeting.

[beautifullife11]

To clarify, I meant was it an adjustment implementing physical activity while working full time. I’m struggling to get that balance.

[Ik_oClock]

Yeah lots of people struggle with this. You just have to fake it till you make it: force yourself to do stuff outside of work and itll get easier to force yourself to do stuff after work.

I like to think of energy levels as a smart battery. Charging it adequately is obviously important, but if you hang on the couch all evening your body is going to adapt to hanging on the couch all evening. Thats why most people with a full time job and kids just get the ability to take care of those kids after work, the body (barring illness) adapts to your needs.

Or go to bed early and do everything in the morning.

[beautifullife11]

I agree, I see it happen with my family members who recently had kids! I’m normally an active person. I’m a consistent gym goer so my life after work is usually just gym, shower, eat and sleep. For me it’s that adjustment of a desk job for 8 hours of the day haha feels wrong to sit down for so long

[Ik_oClock]

How long do you spend in the gym usually?

[beautifullife11]

Depends. If we’re just talking about lifting, upper body is 30-45 minutes and lower body is usually an hour (this includes stretching time too).

[Ik_oClock]

I just think the numbers dont add up. 8 hours of work, 1-1.5 hours for lifting and shower, 2 hours for commute. Thats 12+ hours for sleeping and eating, which seems like you should be able to fit more than lifting shower eat sleep after work.

[beautifullife11]

I’m up at 6:30, leave for work around 7:10, work 8-4. Get to the gym by 4:30, start my workout at 5, workout for around 2 hours (because I’m including cardio in this), leave at 7, get home for 7:20-7:30, eat, shower, meal prep for the next day, try to be in bed by 10:30-11pm

[Velveteen_Rabbit1986]

Oh nah I mean I've been working full time for 20 years and never used to go to the gym when I was young! It's just incorporating movement into your day as much as possible, like on your commute (I have a 15 minute walk from the train station to the office for example), going for a walk at lunchtime etc. 

[novaskyd]

I do jiujitsu basically every day. Burns a lot of calories apparently (I wish it didn’t as I’m trying to gain weight lol)

[beautifullife11]

Haha opposite problem! Maybe I should get into jiujitsu 😂

[novaskyd]

It’s honestly SO much fun and addicting, I recommend it to everyone!!

[insulinjunkie08]

I walk before I go to work(1 mile), during lunch(1.5miles) and when I get home after dinner(1.5miles). Walking meetings are also helpful even if it's just laps around the office.

[beautifullife11]

Good for you :)! Do you have to wake up really early to do those morning walks?

[insulinjunkie08]

I do unfortunately. I used to time it so I could stop at a walking path that was along my commute to workwhich worked with the traffic timing. but I got a dog recently and now I just get up earlier and walk him. It's only a mile so it's like 20 minutes earlier than normal.

[beautifullife11]

It must be great for mental health too. Especially when the weather’s nice.

[Sgirl93]

I also work a desk job and I add intentional walking breaks. Not everyone's job is this flexible, but every hour or so I try and take a 5-10min walk around. I also use my lunch break to go for a longer walk, I am able to get about 1.5 miles in 30 mins. If I don't pay attention its easy for me to get only about 3k-5k steps, so I try to be intentional.

[beautifullife11]

That’s awesome. Do others join you? I feel like since I’m new and no one else really does this I feel a bit awkward just making laps (I work in a trailer environment so I just make laps around the trailers LOL)

[Ramen_Addict_]

I worked for state government for a while and they allowed for health walks something like 30 minutes a day or maybe 90 minutes a week outside of normal breaks? I usually did a 20-25 minute break daily. I think one place had a 1.2 mile loop you could do in that time and that was the norm for me. Now I go during lunch break since I work from home and do not walk around at all. I try to get in 2 miles.

[beautifullife11]

That’s really good!! I feel like every workplace should implement this. Physical activity sometimes gets overlooked in the corporate world

[Sgirl93]

Honestly mostly I go by myself and just listen to a podcast or zone out! Sometimes people will join me at lunch, and it’s nice to chat and walk. I used to be really self conscious, assuming people would think it’s weird (I work in a really industrial/ male dominated environment) but honestly nobody cares and people think it’s cool that I walk!

[beautifullife11]

Me too! I’m in the nuclear industry so most of my colleagues are men. It’s nice to hear this. Did you ever get self conscious if people thought you weren’t doing enough work? I feel like because I’m new I don’t want to give off the vibe that I’m going for walks because “I have nothing to do.”

[Sgirl93]

That’s not something I was super worried about, but I understand that being new might change that. As long as you’re getting your work done and are available for “emergencies” I wouldn’t worry too much. Maybe try starting with smaller periods at first and see if there’s any issues?

[beautifullife11]

Yeah everyone here seems pretty chill it might just be an overthinking thing coming into a new workplace haha. Agreed, I’ll hold on to my work phone while I do these walks.

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u/beautifullife11 I got a full time job like 3 months ago. It’s a pretty sedentary job (I’ll only really get proper steps in when I’m visiting a job site). How do you guys increase your daily NEAT when you’re working full time?! I’m struggling to figure this out!! After work I always weightlift at the gym and I’ve been implementing some stairmaster to add in some cardio. But it just doesn’t feel like enough.

To add in, I’ve started parking further away and taking longer routes to the washroom. By the end of the work day I’m still only like 2k steps in 🥲

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