Non
Exercise
Activity
Thermogenesis
NEAT is an acronym that is used to refer to movement outside of formal exercise, so movements such as cleaning your house, walking around a store, or walking up the stairs at your home.
NEAT exercise is a direct reflection of a sedentary lifestyle or an active lifestyle, with a sedentary lifestyle one will gain weight and be at a higher risk for many chronic diseases, such as cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and strokes. During the COVID shutdown, I went from going into an office every day, going to see friends, and being out and about all the time, to being at home 24/7 for almost a year. My NEAT level dropped drastically, and I gained about 30 pounds. My active lifestyle went to sedentary in a matter of days. While I am still at home, I am now able to go to the gym again, go see friends and be significantly more active.
For anyone who has a fitness watch, Apple Watch, Fitbit, or Garmin, and even most cell phones, your steps throughout the day are tracked, this is to encourage this NEAT Exercise idea. In my typical lifting workouts, while I may burn 300 calories, I am only usually getting about 1000 steps on the high side. When I run, I usually get about 2000 per mile, but even on days that I am running 3 miles I am still only getting 6000 steps, and only burning about 300 calories. If I am looking to lose weight, I need to be burning more calories than I am intaking and I refuse to be hungry all the time, so I need to be able to eat. While yes, I do eat more nutrient-dense foods, with fewer calories but more filling, I still want to be able to eat a good portion size and eat 3-5 meals a day, so with that, I need to be able to burn more than just 300 calories a day. That is where NEAT Exercise comes in, I have two dogs that need walks every day, if I take them for 2 walks a day, that will be a total of 2 miles I just upped my steps for the day, and my calorie expenditure. Then, say I need to go grocery shopping, if I park a bit further out, I will get more steps in and therefore burn more calories. My goal through NEAT exercise is to burn about 400 calories extra in my day and get about 10,000 steps in. With these goals I have seen about a 20-pound weight loss over the past 6 months, then with my resistance days and running days, I am seeing different muscle begin to grow and with a fat reduction from my NEAT exercise I am able to see these muscles with more tone and definition.