I'm a morning exerciser, so whether I went for a run or hit up a CrossFit class, I'd be done in 30 to 60 minutes, then sit at a desk the rest of the day. That one workout was great for burning calories and building muscle, but sitting for eight or more hours wasn't.
"NEAT is a huge part of the weight-loss puzzle that many people overlook," Eric Bowling, an NASM-certified personal trainer at Ultimate Performance in Los Angeles told POPSUGAR in a previous interview. NEAT refers to the activity you do throughout the day that doesn't include your workout, such as walking your dog or carrying bags of groceries up the stairs.
"Your hour in the gym will only contribute so much to your daily energy expenditure; it's what you do in the other 23 hours of your day that has a much bigger impact on your overall energy expenditure," Eric explained. Monitoring your daily steps is a great way to make sure you get in NEAT; aim for at least 10,000 steps a day for weight loss.