Non-volitional Exercise And Lifestyle Activity

For most Americans, exercise means joining a gym, installing a treadmill in the family room or daily jogging. These are volitional activities, acts carried out with deliberate intention. But many of our calorie-burning exercises are non-volitional daily activities that we engage in without thinking, also known as non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT. One way to lose weight and remain fit is to create more non-volitional daily exercises in your life.

Complete Day Approach

In a 2007 survey of multiple studies on non-volitional exercise, published in the "Canadian Journal of Public Health," Michael S. Tremblay and his co-authors suggest that focusing only on getting people to engage in volitional, structured exercise for weight loss and fitness, such as running, has been largely unsuccessful in pushing the majority of people off their couches. Instead, Tremblay and colleagues advocate a "complete day" approach, reviewing a person's daily life and encouraging the individual to increase the amount of non-volitional physical activity, as well as activities such as running.

Physical Activity Journal

The first step to adding more non-volitional exercise activities to your life is to keep a physical activities journal for two weeks so you can see what your current activity levels look like. The federal Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion offers a free online physical activities tracker, called MyPyramid Tracker. There are also many other free and commercial online and downloadable software programs that allow you to track your physical activities. Choose one that is easy for you to use and visually appealing. Some programs have additional functions, such as space for a personal diary and calendars and time management options. The journal will also be useful in tracking any non-volitional activities you add to your life.

Non-Volitional Exercise Activities

Once you have a picture in your journal of all your current physical activities, the next step is devising ways that you can increase them. Make a list of as many non-volitional exercises as you can and put them in your physical activities journal. Dr. Ayaz Virji, of Clearwater, Florida, a specialist in weight-loss medicine, advises his patients to consider parking farther away from their destinations when they go out to run errands, using stairs instead of escalators or elevators, standing up and pacing while talking on the phone, and increasing their housecleaning and gardening activities. Virji warns that you should not overwhelm yourself by taking on too many new or increased activities in the beginning.

Non-Volitional Exercise Effectiveness

Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic and his co-authors found in a 2006 study of non-volitional exercise that obese individuals sit for 2.5 hours per day more than thin people who lead sedentary lives. Levine stated that if obese individuals began standing and walking 2.5 more hours per day, they would probably burn at least 350 calories each day. The study findings also suggested that it is important for you to pick out non-volitional exercise activities that are self-reinforcing, such as walking more while listening to music.