A step counter isn’t a necessity. But if you have one or if you’re planning to get one anyway, here is how it can be used for fat loss. ⁣
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If you’ve read our post on calorie deficit you know what NEAT is. If you don’t, please read that post to understand what the terms NEAT and calorie deficit are.⁣
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When you’ve been in a calorie deficit (and you need to be in one, knowingly or unknowingly, to lose fat) for a bit, it is natural that your NEAT reduces. ⁣
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This isn’t something that you are doing consciously, rather it is a subconscious thing. ⁣
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If you used to climb 10 flights of stairs on average everyday, now you may not be doing it. You may have subconsciously found workarounds to not climb the stairs that many times or make as many trips to get water. Rather you may fetch a bottle of water and keep it beside you to reduce the number of trips you need to make.⁣
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This is where having a step counter can come in handy. Say you were walking 10,000 steps on average before you started your fat loss phase and now you’re doing 5000 steps, even though your cardio is the same as before. ⁣
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This means your NEAT has reduced. You can compensate for this by going for a walk in order to increase your activity levels to your previous baseline. ⁣
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Even though this walk won’t be considered NEAT technically, it is helping you remain as active as before and in the process helping you along with your fat loss. ⁣
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And that’s one way a step counter can very tangibly help you with your fat loss.⁣
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Do you use a step counter or a smart watch for exercise? How useful do you think one is?⁣