A 'NEAT' trick to keep in shape over the break!

On behalf of the team at Be Well Health Group, we would like to extend a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. This year has been one for the records regarding craziness, and we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting our clinic and our community during this time.

We’ve been thrown from the frying pan that was 2020 into the fire of the busy Xmas period, with school breakups, final sports events, shopping, work breakups, family gatherings and trips away flooding the schedule and not leaving much time for our health.

Just because we aren’t doing structured exercise, doesn’t mean that we cannot lean on other methods of keeping in shape over the Christmas period. This is where NEAT comes in!

NEAT = Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. This has been called ‘incidental activity’ since the dawn of time and it’s time to put it to work over the break!

There are many ways to expend energy. Some are:

· Sleeping

· Resting metabolic rate

· Eating (yes, digestion takes energy!)

· Structured exercise (gym, swim, surf)

And last of all, NEAT! Here are some ways to increase your 'incidental activity' over the break:

1. PLAY! If you are surrounded by family on the holidays, release your inner child and go play with the young ones! Kicking a football, playing tiggy, hide and seek or just running in a circle will take a tremendous amount of energy.

2. GARDEN! Those weeds that are devouring the yard, those unruly hedges that have been staring at you through the window at you for the last 3 months… now is the time to get them sorted. This will burn a huge amount of energy.

3. BE FIDGETY! Extended periods of time sitting over the break lowers the amount of energy we expend significantly. Get up and move around the house a lot, or take advantage of the late sunsets in a post-meal “passeggiata” – a walk around the block after dinner with the family!

4. GET OUTSIDE! We live near the coast for a reason. The beach is calling, and a stroll through the sand does wonders for the feet (for more information on healthy feet, see our blog post here).

We hope your break is equal parts fun, exciting, restful and a great reset for what was a year for the history books. We are closed from 1pm on Thursday 24th December and reopen Saturday 2nd January. If you are in need of an appointment in the New Year feel free to book online or call our receptionists once the clinic reopens.

Yours in health,

The team at Be Well Health Group

Stay Healthy over the Holidays