National Fitness Day Advice
23rd Sep 2020
As some of you may know, Draper Tools recently revealed how many calories doing DIY and gardening can burn off - with some surprising results (see the full story here). To celebrate National Fitness Day (23rd September) - we've teamed up with a top personal trainer to find out more about the science behind how home improvements burn calories and to get some top tips for making the most of a DIY or gardening session.
We spoke to Gareth Allen, Personal Trainer and Owner of Studio Twenty 3:
“Burning calories through movement outside of structured exercise, such as DIY and gardening is known as ‘NEAT’ or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. NEAT is the energy expenditure we have walking, standing, climbing stairs, fidgeting and maintaining and changing posture. Anything outside of formally planned or structured exercise falls under this category. A good gardening session, for example, falls perfectly into the NEAT category.
NEAT equates to between 15% and 20% of our daily calorie expenditure and unlike EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) which can be as low are 5%. Remember we walk, stand, climb stairs everyday, we don't necessarily workout everyday! And, there lies the power of NEAT, being active and up on your feet everyday can be just as effective as working out twice a week. The two together is really where the magic happens.
Many people forget that some parts of gardening can be strenuous, or that the accumulation of a whole day's light gardening can take its toll on the body. If I said to you - let's have a 5-hour weightlifting session - I'm sure you would all decline politely. However, that is effectively what you are doing.
My tips for looking after your body are to not plan to do too much in one day, plan regular breaks, stay hydrated and don't spend too long in one position, for example bedding plants. You might also want to finish with a little stretch to help the body recover the next day.”
Great advice whether you're working out or simply working on your garden and DIY projects. You can get more advice from Studio Twenty 3 by following them on social media.
And to help you stay hydrated, keep your eyes peeled for a water bottles giveaway on the Draper Tools Instagram page to celebrate National Fitness Day.
