Personal Best Fitness

Your workout is only one part of how much energy you burn each day.
There’s another piece that often gets overlooked — NEAT: Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.
NEAT is all the movement you do outside structured exercise — walking around the house, taking the stairs, gardening, shopping, standing, cleaning, carrying things and generally being on your feet.
And it can make a surprisingly big difference.
NEAT varies enormously between people and lifestyles — which helps explain why two people can train similarly but have very different total daily energy expenditure.
It also explains something I see regularly:
You can train hard for 30–45 minutes, but if you spend most of the remaining day sitting, your overall daily movement can still be quite low.
The answer isn't necessarily another workout.
It's finding more opportunities to move.
✅ Take the stairs�✅ Add a daily walk�✅ Stand or pace during phone calls�✅ Get up and move regularly throughout the day�✅ Find an active hobby instead of another hour on the lounge
And after 40, I think this becomes even more important.
Regular daily movement isn't just about burning calories or losing body fat. It supports blood-sugar control, cardiovascular health, mood, physical function and healthy ageing.
And when some of that movement is weight-bearing, it can also contribute to maintaining bone health.
THE TAKEAWAY?
Train with purpose — then keep moving.
Your 30–45 minute workout builds strength and fitness.
What you do with the rest of your day helps build the life you're training for.
👉 Want more simple strategies for women and men over 40 who want to stay strong, capable and independent?
Follow Personal Best 40+ Fitness & Rehab and share this with someone who thinks their workout is the only movement that counts.

🍳 IT'S NOT JUST WHAT YOU EAT — WHEN YOU EAT CAN MATTER TOO.
For years we've focused heavily on how many calories we eat.
And calories still matter.
But researchers studying chrononutrition are finding there's another piece to the puzzle:
👉 WHEN we eat may also influence how our body handles those calories.
Our metabolism follows a daily rhythm connected to our internal body clock, light exposure and sleep.
Research suggests that, compared with eating earlier in the day, regularly pushing more of our food intake later into the evening may be associated with:
❌ Lower diet-induced energy expenditure
❌ Poorer blood-sugar control
❌ Reduced insulin sensitivity
That doesn't mean “never eat after 6pm” or that a late dinner suddenly turns into body fat.
Your total food intake still matters.
But particularly after 40, meal timing can be another useful tool alongside protein, strength training, movement and sleep.
3 simple Back to Basics strategies 👇
✅ Eat a proper breakfast — I aim for around 30–40g of protein.
✅ Make lunch count — don't let it become an afterthought. For me, it's often my biggest meal, with around 30–50g of protein.
✅ Keep dinner lighter when it suits your lifestyle — something as simple as tuna and rice, or Greek yoghurt and banana can do the job.
Nothing extreme.
No fasting until lunchtime because Instagram told you to. 😂
No magical eating window.
Just another small habit that may help you work with your body rather than against it.
📌 Save this one and follow Personal Best 40+ Fitness & Rehab for more Back to Basics strategies for men and women over 40 who want to lose a few centimetres around the belly, maintain their muscle and get their strength back. 💪

🍗 ARE YOUR CHICKEN DINNERS ALWAYS COMING OUT DRY?
Chicken breast is one of the easiest ways to add quality protein to your meals…
But let’s face it — dry, overcooked chicken gets boring pretty quickly! 😬
And if you're trying to eat more protein after 40, having a few simple ways to make chicken actually taste GOOD makes staying consistent a whole lot easier.
So I’ve put together my Chicken Breast Cheat Sheet with:
✅ 3 no-fail cooking methods for juicy, flavourful chicken�✅ The simple rules that help stop you overcooking it�✅ Easy meal-prep tips to make your week easier�✅ Simple ideas you can use again and again
Nothing complicated. Just practical ways to make one of the easiest high-protein staples taste better.
Want a copy?
📩 Comment “CHICKEN” below and I’ll send it straight over.
Because eating well doesn't have to be boring — it just needs to be easy enough to keep doing.