Non Exercise Active Thermogenesis (NEAT)

When it comes to exercising, most of us think we need to workout more. While this is often true, the reality is that many of us need to just move more in general. Not necessarily working out but walking or being active around your house and community. 

If you want to burn more fat and maintain good mobility, non exercise active thermogenesis (NEAT) is key. 

WHAT IS NEAT?

NEAT refers to the energy expended by the body for all physical activities other than intentional exercise or sports-related activities. 

It encompasses the energy used in activities such as walking, standing, fidgeting, gardening, housework and any other daily movements that are not part of structured exercise routines.

NEAT can vary between individuals based on factors such as occupation, lifestyle, and habits. Some people naturally have higher NEAT levels due to their job requirements or daily activities, while others may have lower NEAT levels if they have a sedentary occupation or lifestyle.

NEAT MAXIMIZES RESULTS FROM WORKOUTS

Often people skip NEAT and go straight towards working out more as they try to put on muscle and burn fat. Working out with weights to accomplish these goals is essential but without NEAT you are just scratching the surface.

To burn fat we want to burn more calories. The common approach is to spend more time on the treadmill or bike doing more cardio. While this can help, if your NEAT is low you will be fighting an uphill battle with just doing cardio or or weight training alone. 

Let’s take a closer look:

30 Min Cardio

• The average treadmill session running at a moderate intensity would yield 200-400 calories (depending on age, muscle mass and running speed).

A Day’s Worth of NEAT

• A 12 hour day (7am to 7pm) with 10,000 steps and general movement could yield close to 3000 calories for that same individual. 
• The approximately 3000 calories comes from the person’s BMR and TDEE.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)

• This is the amount of calories burned at rest 
• For the average adult man we can say about 2000 kcal per day

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) 

• This is the amount of calories burned through movement (NEAT) on top of BMR
• For the average adult man doing 10,000 steps per day we can roughly say this could be about 1000 kcal per day

Not doing any walking or keeping a very low NEAT would keep you near 2000 calories burned. As you can see, with a high NEAT you can easily get up to another 1000 or more calories burned. 

The easiest way to increase your NEAT is by walking more. Get those steps in by counting them on a step tracker like Garmin, FitBit, Apple watch etc. It will hold you accountable to achieving a higher NEAT and ultimately burning more calories and fat.

If you are already lifting weights but have a low NEAT, add walking into your routine and you will see faster fat loss. If you are not lifting weights yet not to worry, by establishing your NEAT first you are laying down a solid foundation of fat burning.

Looking back at all the people I’ve coached, those who are moving regularly with NEAT get the best results. I’ve seen two types of clients over the years:

1. Those who work out 3x/wk but who get less than 5000 steps a day. They often wonder why they are strong but can not lose the extra fat on their waist. Why? Because their NEAT is low. This person just needs to move more outside of workouts to get to the next level.
   
   
2. Conversely I’ve seen clients who workout 1-2x/wk who get 10,000 or more steps per day get better fat loss results. Why? Because their NEAT is great! 

Bottom Line

Working out increases muscle mass (if you have good recovery) and metabolism. But if you are not moving your body outside of workouts you can not fully take advantage of that high metabolism of the muscles. Essentially you have these fat burning muscles that just need to be used through basic movement. Think of your workouts as the time you are building your furnace and movement outside of the workout is where fat burning happens. 

Want to learn more about how to apply NEAT and workouts together to maximize your fat burning? Check out our Transformation Health Coaching for a consultation today.