3 min
The four ways your body burns energy
Staying alive burns the most. Everyday moving is next — and it is the lever most people ignore.
The full lesson
Your body burns energy four ways. (1) Just staying alive — heart, brain, breathing, warmth. This is the biggest slice, 60–70% for most people. (2) Everyday moving — walking to the car, cleaning, cooking, standing, fidgeting. Scientists call it NEAT; you can call it "coins in the jar." (3) On-purpose exercise. (4) Digesting food, about 10% of what you eat — and protein costs the most to digest.
Here is the surprise: for most people, everyday moving burns more per week than their workouts, because it happens all day. A busy-on-your-feet day and a sit-all-day day can differ by several hundred calories.
Remember
- A workout is one big deposit; everyday moving is fifty small coins.
- Standing, walking, and stairs all count.
Try this: Pick two "coins" for this week: a phone-call walk, far parking, one flight of stairs, a lap of the church.