That's N.E.A.T.

N.E.A.T. or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, is a term used to describe the energy used for everything we do that isn't exercise (obviously), eating or sleeping. It ranges from the energy expended walking to work, typing, doing manual jobs, including household chores, and even fidgeting.

Believe it or not, even seemingly trivial physical activities increase can metabolic rate substantially, and it is the cumulative impact of a multitude of exothermic (reactions that give off heat) actions that culminate in your  daily NEAT.

So even when you're not exercising, you're still burning calories and keeping your metabolism up. Oh, and best of all, calories burned in this way are generally coming from fat! NEAT or what?!

Introduction to using heart Rate Monitors with your phone pt-1

What is a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM)?

Previously expensive devices that were only practical for elite athletes, they have come down so much in price that they’re accessible to everyone, and are an essential piece of kit for anyone who is serious about their training, and using exercise science to train smarter, not just smarter.

They are basically an elasticated strap with sensors that detect the electrical activity of your heart and send that information to a receiver, usually a watch. However, there are also several varieties that will connect to mobile phones (iphone 4s and newer, and most other BTsmart enabled phones). Each particular model will have its own pro’s and con’s, so figure out what you need before you buy.

I’m going to focus on using a HRM in combination with your phone for tracking fitness. This is done by using an app on your phone to connect to the HRM. There are even more apps than there are monitors, so I’ll take you through a few of them here.

Runkeeper on iPhone

First off there’s runkeeper, which comes in 3 versions; free, paid, and subscription.

Runkeeper is geared more towards outdoor exercisers, and will automatically track distance, height gained, speed, heartrate, calories burned while you walk run or cycle outside.  It also has the ability to give you feedback along the way, telling you any combination of the info above. Runkeeper is much more than just an app though, it provides an entire ecosystem for health and fitness tracking.

Wahoo Fitness on iPhone

Next up, and my personal favourite for gym based exercise sessions, is Wahoo fitness. This has a nice clear display of heart rate zones which makes it easy to use without having to fiddle with it. As with runkeeper, you can set up and save predefined workout types, and compare sessions as you get fitter. It can also send data to the runkeeper ecosystem, so you can keep everything in one place. It can, of course also be used for outdoor activities, and has a similar feature set to runkeeper.

iSmoothRun on iPhone

If running is your thing, I highly recommend iSmoothRun. This is a paid for app which costs less than a fiver. As well as the usual speed, distance, HR etc, this app also picks up your cadence (foot strikes per minute) and features a metronome to help you stick to your desired pace. It also features a ‘ghost’ setting, allowing you to race against your previous runs, and giving you feedback along the way. It can also send data to the runkeeper ecosystem.

All of these apps allow you to export your HR data in a format that can be used in spreadsheets such as excel to enable more detailed analysis if required. I use all 3 apps regularly, the exact app will depend on what the goal of that training session is.

Enough about the apps, on to the monitors themselves.

Cardiosport and Wahoo both make BTsmart compatible monitors.

Wahoo make an entry level strap which costs about €50-60. This will not record HRV*.

Cardiosport make a higher level strap which costs about the same, but will also allow you to track HRV.

 I’ve tested both extensively, and I’ve found the WahooBLUE to be more consistently reliable. In my experience, the cardiosport monitor has been more prone to loss of signal, both in the gym and when out running. As I train almost entirely with work/rest intervals guided by heartrate, this is very annoying for me.

*HRV is the variability in the time between beats, and is a good indicator of how much stress your nervous system is under. Too much stress on the nervous system and your heart could be in trouble. Both physical and psychological stress will affect HRV. The higher the variability between beats, the harder you can push yourself in your training. HRV is measured first thing in the morning while at rest. When HRV is low, it’s time to take a day off or do a light recovery session. When HRV is high, thats a sign you can safely give it your all and push yourself to the limit.

If you already own one of the older style polar T31 HRM’s you can use this with a dongle that plugs into your phone, either the headphone socket or the dock connector.

Got skinny nuts?

Fat Found In Pistachios May Not Be Readily Absorbed By The Body

A new study in the British Journal of Nutrition finds that fat in pistachios nuts might not be completely absorbed by the body.

The calorie information you see on the side of a food packet is obtained by 'burning' the food in a device called a calorimeter. From this the boffins can tell how much is protein, carbohydrate or fat. All well and good, but the human digestive system isn't a simple piece of lab equipment. There are far too many factors that come into play, including the persons gut health, and what else is being ingested at the time.

Mal Kelly's 3 T's for weight management

This may well be my most unpopular post ever. Because the modern lifestyle is full of distraction, instant fixes and excess, the 3 T's are things that many won't want to hear.

Thought.

If you want to get results, you have to think about it. You have to decide exactly what results you are looking for. You have to Think about what those results will mean to you. Picture it. How much happier & healthier you will be. Think about what it will take to get there. Think about changes that will have to be made. Think about your energy balance; calories in must be less than calories burned. I suggest making many little changes, rather than making a single huge change. Little goals are easier to stick to, and achieve. Think about things that have gotten in the way before. Are those same things still likely to be an issue? If so, Think about ways to overcome them. If you can't see a solution, ask someone who has faced similar challenges, and succeeded. 

Time.

Don't expect miracles overnight. It will take time. We have to put in the time to get lasting results. Too busy? Don't have the time? Sorry, but that's bullsh*t, and this is a bullsh*t free zone. Everyone can find 3 slots of 10 minutes each and every day to be active. No if's. No but's. No might's. No maybe's. We should be asleep for 8 hours a day. That leaves us with 960 minutes. We can all find 3x10. 

Temperance.

Probably the biggest challenge for most of us, is knowing when we've had enough. Learn to say no. Have a look at my healthy eating tips. Learn to cook a little less food, but fill it with flavour. Indulge a little less. But enjoy it more. Because it's guilt free when it's a rare indulgence, it tastes so much better.

7 Tips for getting active

1. Start off easy
A lot of people decide they're going to get fit, and go for it full throttle. While this enthusiasm is great, what is likely to happen is they have a fantastic first session, then can barely move for days afterwards! Any time a person uses muscles in a way that's different from what they do regularly, they're probably going to feel it over the next few days to a greater or lesser degree.  This is known as DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness. My advice? Start off easy, and gradually build up the effort levels over time. If it's been a long time since you were physically active, you should get the OK from your doctor or G.P. before starting out. Have a look at my posts on the warmup and cooldown.

2.a Make some goals
It helps to have definite goals, such as ' I want to lose 24Lbs before my sisters wedding in 12 weeks'. A goal which can be measured, like this one can, is a great help, because you can easily see progress over time. Also 2Lbs per week is about as much as a person can safely lose, and keep off, over a sustained period of time. More about goal setting.

2.b Make a routine

Getting into a routine is one of the best ways of sticking with healthy activity. The activity itself isn't so important starting off, more that you can establish the activity as part of your daily/weekly routine. Once this is done, it gets harder to miss a session, particularly if you're doing it with friends.

3. Decent footwear
Most of us spend a lot of time on our feet, so a decent pair of walking shoes or trainers is an extremely worthwhile investment. They don't have to be the latest and greatest thing 'as seen on TV'. But they should fit securely when laced up, with no obvious rubs while you walk.

4. Keep a log
This doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a little notebook in which you can write down distance covered, length of time spent walking/exercising, whether the walk was on the flat or had hills, whatever information you want really. Some people even record what the weather was like or how they felt before & after each session. This can be a great help with keeping motivated, especially over the dark winter evenings. There are lots of Apps for iPhone and other smartphones that you can use to track your progress.

5. Bring some friends
Another great aid to staying motivated is having a buddy or group to exercise with, as you are less likely to find an excuse to skip your training if you know you'll be letting your friend down. Also, the social element increases your enjoyment of the activity. If nobody will commit, then why not try a some kind of exercise class in your area, where you'll make new friends. There are usually many kinds to choose from. Alternatively, you could join an online fitness community such as www.tribesports.com I've been using it for a while to keep things interesting

6. Water, water everywhere...
Drink lots of it. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times, and take a swig from it every few minutes. Air conditioning and central heating tend to make us dehydrated. Aim to drink about 2 liters (4 pints) of water per day, and more if you perspire heavily during your chosen activity.

7. Shake up your kitchen
A lot of calories come from food sources that we don't think about, such as sauces and dressings. These can add up hugely over time. A quick rule of thumb is to choose tomato based sauces wherever possible with main courses, and if desert is a must, then a fruit-bowl with some sorbet is a healthier option than most other things you're likely to see on a menu. A well equipped rack of herbs and spices is also important, as these can add incredible flavours to foods, without any corresponding rise in calories. In fact, many herbs and spices have properties which can prevent and/or reduce diseases. (I'll go into more detail about this in another post).

I hope you find these tips helpful. All feedback & comments appreciated. Mal