Have you every hear of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or NEAT?
It's a major player that often gets overlooked. It's a pretty easy concept and it’s actually just a fancy way of referring to all the calories, or energy, you use from everyday movement outside of your workouts. Think walking the dog, cleaning the house, standing while working, or taking the stairs. It adds up and it matters more than most people realize.
Think about your day. If you're lucky enough to get a good workout in, that just 1 hour of your whole day... so how much are you moving your body for the rest of the day?
🔥 5 Fun Facts About NEAT:
- Increasing NEAT by about 280–350 kcal/day (approximately 2,000–2,500 kcal/week) can significantly support weight loss by boosting daily energy expenditure. That's just about a brisk 2 mile walk. (Levine et al., 2007)
- Reviews connecting physical activity and healthy lifestyle behaviors consistently link daily low‑level movement to lower incidence of chronic diseases (e.g. coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s) and improved overall health span. (Reiner, Niermann, Jekauc, & Woll, 2013)
- Higher fitness levels (even from low-impact NEAT) predict longer lifespan.
- Fidgeting counts! Even tapping your foot or shifting in your seat adds up.
- NEAT drops with age, but we can keep it strong with daily movement habits.
💡 Simple Ways to Boost Your NEAT:
- Walk while on the phone
- Park farther from the store
- Set a timer to stand and stretch every 60–90 minutes
- Do a quick 5-minute chore blast between tasks
- Use the stairs whenever possible
- Walk during meetings or after meals
- DANCE like no one is watching
🔁 Build Lasting Habits Around NEAT
The key to making NEAT work long-term is to build it into your routines so it becomes automatic.
Start small:
- Anchor movement to habits you already have (e.g., pacing while your coffee brews or stretch every time you scroll social media).
- Set reminders on your phone or calendar to stand, move, or walk.
- Track your steps... awareness creates change.
- Gamify it! Challenge yourself to hit realistic goals and then see if you can one up yourself after a few weeks of hitting them. Like take two 10 mins walks, 3 days a week and then after a few weeks of hitting that goal, bump it up to 4 days!
NEAT doesn’t require extra time at the gym. It just asks you to be more intentional with your everyday movement. Small shifts. Big results.
You’re already doing the hard part by showing up for workouts! Now let’s let NEAT work for you in between your strength training sessions.
References
Reiner, M., Niermann, C., Jekauc, D. et al. Long-term health benefits of physical activity – a systematic review of longitudinal studies. BMC Public Health 13, 813 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-813
Chung N, Park MY, Kim J, Park HY, Hwang H, Lee CH, Han JS, So J, Park J, Lim K. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT): a component of total daily energy expenditure. J Exerc Nutrition Biochem. 2018 Jun 30;22(2):23-30. doi: 10.20463/jenb.2018.0013. PMID: 30149423; PMCID: PMC6058072.
