Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT)
If you read my post on TDEE, you were likely surprised to learn that EAT or what we know as “exercise” only makes up about 5%-10% of our total daily energy expenditure. In other words, it is not the most efficient way to lose weight. It would require a significant time investment, and most people already struggle with dedicating time to the gym. However, this component of your overall TDEE actually has the most impact on your total calorie burning capacity! This is because the work invested here, though indirectly, goes on to affect the largest part of your TDEE. Your BMR.
Beyond that of the calories that are burned there are also a variety of other benefits that are absolutely critical to longevity and increased quality of life. If there is one pill you could take that you knew for certain would significantly decrease your risk of 30+ chronic disease, would you take it? I would argue most people would, after all, wouldn’t you like to live a longer and healthier life?
So many people complain about the health industry pushing pills onto people but it's simply not true. Any well-trained physician will tell you that the first-line therapy for patients to improve their health is lifestyle modification, not pills. Unfortunately, most people fail doing this on their own despite giving them over a year to attempt to make a change. And eventually we get to a point where the risks of not taking medication outweigh the benefits. So, read this post closely (read all of these posts) if you want to know how to modify your lifestyle and why. Because no doctor has the time to cover all of this knowledge in a single visit, and ultimately, your life is your responsibility.
What is it?
Exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT) refers to the energy expenditure associated with voluntary physical activity or exercise. It encompasses the calories burned during activities such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, weightlifting, and any other form of intentional movement. It is one of the components of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), along with our basal metabolic rate (BMR), Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT), and thermic effect of food (TEF).
The intensity, duration, and type of exercise determines the amount of energy expended during EAT. Higher-intensity activities typically result in greater energy expenditure compared to lower-intensity activities performed for the same duration. Similarly, longer durations of exercise lead to higher overall energy expenditure.
Understanding exercise activity thermogenesis is essential for individuals seeking to manage their weight, improve their fitness levels, and enhance their overall health and well-being. By incorporating regular physical activity into their routine, individuals can increase their EAT and contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
Why is it important?
Muscle Strength and Endurance: Weightlifting is one, if not THE most effective way to increase muscle strength and endurance. By regularly lifting weights, individuals can progressively overload their muscles, leading to adaptations that result in greater strength and endurance. This not only improves performance in the gym but also enhances functional abilities in daily life activities.
Bone Health: There are pills… and then there is weightlifting. In order to strengthen bones they need to be put under stress. This stimulates the human body to mineralize the bones, making them more dense and thus strengthening them. In essence, if you don’t use them…you lose them. This is particularly important for preventing osteoporosis and reducing the risk of fractures, especially in older adults. This is even more critical for women as the onset of osteoporosis begins at a sooner time than men, and on average they have fractures 5-10 years before men.
Increased Metabolic Rate: This right here is the main reason you want to invest your time in EAT via weightlifting. This is because it can increase resting metabolic rate, meaning the body continues to burn calories at a higher rate even after the workout has finished. This is due to the energy required for muscle repair and recovery post-exercise, as well as the maintenance of lean muscle mass which is metabolically active tissue. Hence, the more you have of the muscle, the more your body burns at baseline!
This concept holds somewhat true even for someone who is obese, however, fat is nowhere near as metabolically active, and it has that nasty side effect of increasing your risk of numerous chronic diseases. Remember that pandemic we went through? Though not a chronic disease, did you know that 78% of all COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the US were overweight/obese? I’m just saying, it pays off to take your health into your own hands before another disease takes yours.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7010e4.htm?s_cid=mm7010e4_w
Improved Body Composition: Many of us were sold this idea over TV, and the internet of “toning” your body. There are no specific exercises to “tone” your body. The act of looking more defined and having a more athletic look to your body is via muscle development, and decreasing the amount of fat you hold. Weightlifting can lead to changes in body composition in the form of increased muscle mass and decreased body fat percentage. This results in a more “toned” and defined physique. Remember, having more muscle mass can help boost metabolism and facilitate fat loss. That is why the concept of building muscle mass has a two-fold effect.
Enhanced Mental Health: Weightlifting has been shown to have positive effects on mental health and well-being. It can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve mood, boost self-esteem, and enhance cognitive function. The sense of accomplishment and confidence gained from achieving lifting goals can also contribute to overall psychological well-being. I personally gained a large portion of my confidence and discipline by investing in myself this way.
This paper focuses on resistance training effects on depressive symptoms.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6137526/
This next one involves a meta-analysis (which is an analysis of the results and methods of multiple studies) and concluded that there are in fact associations with decreased levels of depression and anxiety in those with conventional resistance training.
How do we optimize EAT for our TDEE?
As I have mentioned above, Strength training is the MOST effective method of EAT and its ability at optimizing our TDEE. This is due to it having an effect on multiple components of our TDEE. It increases your BMR and actively burns calories during and after the workout. Additionally, though not part of the TDEE, it increases heart rate above baseline offering the benefit of improving your cardiovascular health as well.
The recommendation I have for almost anyone is to incorporate at least two, but ideally three, 1 hour weight-lifting sessions per week. If you miss one it’s no big deal. Though you will appreciate the results much sooner if you stick with 3 times a week. Remember that consistency does not need to be all or none. Even going once a week is technically “consistency.” However, going at that rate will result in you not seeing results for months. So, 3 times a week should be your goal.
Some people have asked me if going more always leads to faster results. Not necessarily. The research and anecdotal evidence I have seen has shown that 3 days a week is actually enough. Not only does it offer enough stimulus, but, it is also SO much more sustainable for the average everyday person. At the end of the day, going more throughout a week won’t matter if you can’t sustain it. Additionally, it offers recovery time which is probably the most important component. Time to rest allows you to return to the gym ready to push yourself hard again, and enough time to let your muscles actually build back stronger too. The only caveat to this is that each of the 3 days is basically a full body workout. Let me explain what that would look like.
A full body workout if you are training with me, involves 1-2 compound exercises which will be your main focus, followed by a few more exercises to finish the rest of the day off. The compound exercises include almost all of your muscles at once, and then the subsequent ones cover the rest. Compound exercises include deadlifts, overhead press, bench or dumbbell press, and squats.
The reason why I love compound lifts is because of the stimulus they give your body. Performing compound exercises activate so many more muscles at once sending your body into a repair overdrive. Your body is an adaptational machine. If it is exposed to a stimulus such as this, the body is being told that it must grow in order to handle this stress again and survive. I know that sounds dramatic and you may not think that way, but that is how the body thinks. I will get into more of this concept in a post about progressive overload of muscles and ideal rep ranges based off desired goals.
Ultimately, everyone has different training styles. I am not saying going 5 times a week or more isn’t beneficial. But, if you go 5-6 times a week and aren’t getting enough rest I can confidently tell you that that is working against you. The best training style is one that includes resistance training, and one that you can actually adhere to! This is why I recommend 3 days a week, and in between those days you may rest or include some light work to stay active. You’ll be surprised by the results. And you’ll be surprised by how much time you’ll have despite going to the gym every week.
Takeaways:
Although exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT) contributes only 5%-10% to your total daily energy expenditure, it directly affects your BMR which contributes 70% to your TDEE.
The most efficient way of going about EAT is by resistance training via weightlifting. It increases muscle mass, while increasing the potential for fat loss, thus helping towards the recomposition or “toning” of your body
The greater your muscle mass, the higher your BMR. The higher the BMR, the easier it is to keep off weight.
Weightlifting is wildly effective at increasing bone density better than any pill, along with numerous additional benefits.
Exercise increases mental health by decreasing depressive and anxious symptoms.
The best exercise plan is one that includes resistance training, and one that you actually adhere to. 3 days a week of full body is much more time efficient with similar results.
Compound exercises stimulate multiple parts of the body at once, thus offering the greatest amount of stimulus compared to isolation exercises.