Riding a bike is "NEAT"

I will have to start this Post with a with a somewhat strange statement. I hate exercise, there is nothing more pointless in my mind then to run, jog or ride for not other reason then to get the "exercise" from it. I just don't get it! Don't get me wrong being fit and active I value highly but doing an exercise that could be otherwise incorporated into ones everyday activities just seams so pointless. Exercising for exercises own sake is just plain stupid to me!

On Monday SBS aired a very interesting doco titled "The Truth about Exercise". I have to say it said a lot of things that as an individual I already knew, never the less it was good. One of the things discussed but I had never heard named before was "NEAT". "NEAT" stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis which basically means using everyday movements to stay healthy, such as walking to a college to discuss some project instead of phoning, or riding and walking to do tasks. I have to say I was surprised that this had finally been studied, what it showed was little changes throughout the day made a big difference.

I have to say I have been banging on about this basic concept for years with people I know & work with. People never quite understand me when I say I'm lazy. The common reaction is but you ride to work and are fit. People don't quite understand that because riding to work is "exercise" I am being lazy because I am doing two things at once or as I now know "NEAT". This just seams so much common sense it is ridiculous.

A couple of years ago a workmate told me how he was doing "bootcamp" each morning before coming to work. Now to do this he was getting up at 4.30 in the morning, doing the bootcamp where he was getting yelled at to exercise going home to shower and coming to work by train. Me being the practical one asked
how are you getting to the station?
Car
why not walk?
it's 2 kms.
then why not ride you already have a mountain bike?
Oh I will get all hot an sweaty!
Now this bloke was already getting all hot and sweaty because due to his size (morbidly obese) he was getting hot and sweaty just getting from the train station to work. He was getting sweaty anyway! I knew I was banging my head against a brick wall that he had constructed. While being a nice bloke he could not see through the wall to the common sense or "NEAT" of incorporating small amounts of activity into everyday life.
There is no doubt in my mind that making this small change would have had a far more long term benefit then just doing "Bootcamp" for 2 months or so. Don't get me wrong doing group exercise gets things done in the short term but lets look at the long term eg years. Doing a short ten minute ride twice a day, five days a week to and from a train station adds up to an hour & 40 mins a week etc and is far cheaper. I am talking about behaviour change the thing that keeps you healthy!

Gyms & group training is all good but riding a Bike for utilitarian reasons of going to work, shops etc is "NEAT"

PS. I do attend a gym for weights training but never for cardio, that I get by doing everyday activities!