NEAT, or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, represents total energy expended during any activity that is not eating, sleeping or structured exercise. This means, all activity throughout the day from walking around the store, working, cleaning the house or going up and down a flight of stairs. Other activities such as chewing gum, standing and fidgeting all fall under the NEAT category.
Simply put, being more active throughout your day can contribute greatly to how many calories you burn throughout the day. NEAT can actually vary in large amounts between individuals of similar size. This can be a difference of up to 2000 calories per day! This is the result of high variance in a person’s occupation or their tendency to be more active throughout the day.
Increases in standing and walking offered the most benefits to individuals seeking to lose weight. More time each day spent standing and walking is ideal but environmental factors could promote more sitting than is desired. This is noteworthy because additional activity or time spent standing is crucial when trying to counteract a sedentary life.
Seasonal changes may impact NEAT and can offer benefits when activity outside is higher. The opposite can hold true during the winter months when people aren’t outside as much. Making the choice to move more throughout the day will offer many benefits that coincide with your exercise and nutrition efforts. It can make all the difference.
How neat is that?
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Michael Allen
Author Bio
Michael has been working with clients in the gym and countless adults in a physical therapy setting since 2013. He spent 3 semesters working at Towson University with student-athletes from nearly every sport at the school. He served as the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for Kennard-Dale High School during the 2019-2020 school year. His goal is to always get better and give you the safest and most effective use of your time at First Capital Gym.