Another diet program based on a non-exercise activity dubbed thermogenesis or NEAT is hot news in the U.S. The diet program helps people lose weight through changing their life habits and burning more calories in everyday life. Dr. James Levine and his team at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester are conducting research on the effects of the program and have published their results in science and medical periodicals including the journal Science. The Japanese media has recently picked up on the trend and started to report on it.

Don’t put things on the shelf -- handle them as soon as possible; set the room temperature a little low; reduce time when you sit idle; stretch your body frequently to generate heat; fold laundry while standing up. All these are related to burning more calories. Dr. Levine says increasing small everyday physical activities increases the consumption of energy by 20 percent. He attributes the ballooning number of obese people to an automated modern society where activities that require little “NEAT” have replaced jobs conducted on high NEAT.

Some 70-85 percent of calories people spend per day are related to NEAT. Even while sitting on the couch, our body spends NEAT calories by digesting food, breathing, maintaining the body temperature and activating the brain.

NEAT calories are burned even when we wash our face in the morning, take on clothes, go to work and clean the house. Out of 2,500 kcal men expend on average per day, more than 1,750 kcal is related to NEAT. Out of 2,000 kcal for women’s average consumed calories, more than 1,400 kcal is NEAT related. Thus increasing the consumption of NEAT-related calories is a way to lose weight without exercise.

Do everyday jobs in a hurry: the brain will be more active, muscles will be used more, and NEAT increases. When exposed to a cold environment, the body generates more heat to maintain the body temperature, increasing NEAT. The more you stand up, the more calories are burned. These habits also increase the use of muscles and basal metabolism little by little, making it easier for people to lose weight. Kim Seon-mi, a professor of family medicine at Korea University’s Guro Hospital, said the NEAT diet program is similar to the diet prescription by obesity doctors where people are told to increase the amount of muscles and basal metabolism in their body to lose weight. “But don’t rely on NEAT alone, and exercise as well to get the best results,” Kim cautioned.

Tips on the NEAT Diet

1. Stand up on the subway
Standing up on the subway uses twice as more calories as sitting down.

2. Use a basket at a discount store
Using a basket burns 1.8 times more calories than pushing a shopping cart.

3. Sit up straight while watching TV
Sitting straight helps people burn 1.5 times more calories as slouching on the sofa.

4. Move while talking on the phone
Moving around the room while talking on the phone has the same effect as exercise walking.

5. Engage in physical activities with your children
Passive pastimes like watching TV cause child obesity. Physical play expends twice as more calories as watching TV.

6. Throw away the remote
You can burn more calories when you walk to the TV to switch the channel.

7. Don’t’ use the elevator
Climbing up and down the stairs burns more calories than you may think: much the same amount as swimming.

8. Stand up while chatting
You can spend more calories when you make large hand movements and raise your voice during a chat.

9. Play music during household chores
Play dance music while washing dishes and cleaning the house. You unwittingly move your body more and spend more calories.

10. Fold clothes standing up
Folding clothes while standing spends twice more calories as doing the same job sitting on a chair.

(englishnews@chosun.com )