Movement: Everyday Energy Flow

Understanding NEAT

NEAT—Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis—refers to the authentic energy your body expends through everyday activities. This includes work, household tasks, fidgeting, maintaining posture, and all movement beyond structured exercise. NEAT represents a significant portion of your total daily energy expenditure, yet many people overlook this genuine contributor to metabolic health.

What Constitutes NEAT

NEAT encompasses all movement outside formal exercise:

• Occupational Activity: Movement associated with work—standing, walking, lifting, and task-specific motions
• Household Tasks: Cleaning, cooking, gardening, yard work, and home maintenance
• Leisure Movement: Walking, recreational activities, hobbies requiring movement
• Fidgeting and Spontaneous Movement: Leg bouncing, hand movements, postural shifts throughout your day
• Postural Maintenance: The energy required to maintain various body positions throughout your day
• Occupational Fidgeting: Unconscious movement patterns during work or routine activities

NEAT and Energy Expenditure

Studies reveal NEAT's substantial contribution to total daily energy expenditure. Between structured exercise and resting metabolic rate, NEAT often accounts for 15-30% of total daily energy use. In very sedentary individuals, NEAT may be lower; in very active people, NEAT can exceed 50% of total expenditure.

This variation is authentic—your NEAT genuinely differs based on your lifestyle. Someone with an office job has different NEAT than someone whose work involves constant movement.

NEAT and Occupation

Your work significantly influences NEAT. Consider the authentic difference between:

• Sedentary Work: Office jobs, computer work, desk-based tasks—limited movement throughout the day
• Dynamic Work: Healthcare, education, retail, construction—continuous movement throughout the day

Someone spending eight hours standing and walking during work expends substantially more energy through NEAT than someone sitting at a desk. This difference compounds over months and years—an authentic physiological reality.

NEAT and Lifestyle Choices

Your daily choices influence NEAT:

• Transportation: Driving versus walking or cycling creates authentic energy expenditure differences
• Technology Use: Screen-based activities reduce NEAT; active hobbies increase it
• Household Automation: Labour-saving devices reduce physical movement requirements
• Urban Design: Walkable communities support higher NEAT; car-dependent areas reduce it

Increasing NEAT Authentically

Increasing NEAT doesn't require structured exercise—it involves incorporating more movement into your existing routine:

• Walking during breaks or to meetings
• Using stairs instead of lifts
• Standing during phone calls or while working
• Parking further away to increase walking distance
• Gardening or engaging in active hobbies
• Playing with children or pets
• Doing household chores actively
• Fidgeting or moving while sitting

NEAT and Structured Exercise

NEAT and structured exercise are distinct energy contributors. Here's the authentic relationship:

Structured exercise—running, strength training, sports—creates obvious energy expenditure during the activity. NEAT happens continuously throughout your day. Both matter, but ignoring NEAT while focusing only on formal exercise misses a significant portion of your total daily energy expenditure.

Interestingly, very intense exercise can sometimes reduce NEAT—people recovering from strenuous workouts may move less throughout the day, partially offsetting the exercise's energy expenditure.

NEAT and Metabolic Health

Adequate NEAT contributes to genuine metabolic health beyond simple energy balance:

• Muscle Maintenance: Regular movement supports muscle preservation
• Bone Health: Weight-bearing movement supports bone density
• Cardiovascular Function: Consistent movement supports heart and vascular health
• Glucose Metabolism: Movement improves glucose processing and insulin sensitivity
• Mental Health: Regular movement supports mood and cognitive function

NEAT and Body Weight

While all energy expenditure contributes to overall energy balance, NEAT's consistency is noteworthy. Unlike exercise (which people often do sporadically), NEAT happens daily through your routine. This consistency can meaningfully influence long-term energy balance.

However, NEAT alone doesn't determine body weight. Overall energy intake, sleep quality, stress levels, and individual metabolic characteristics all matter. NEAT is one authentic contributor among multiple factors.

Individual NEAT Variation

NEAT varies naturally between people based on occupation, lifestyle, personality, and environmental factors. Some people are naturally more fidgety; others are still. Some enjoy active hobbies; others prefer sedentary leisure. These variations are authentic—there's no "correct" NEAT level, only your individual baseline.

Increasing NEAT Sustainably

Effective NEAT increases come from sustainable lifestyle changes rather than forced activity:

• Choose Movement-Based Activities: Select hobbies and leisure activities you genuinely enjoy that involve movement
• Environmental Design: Structure your environment to encourage movement—park further away, use stairs, maintain active daily tasks
• Social Movement: Engage with friends and family through active pursuits
• Occupational Changes: If possible, incorporate more movement into your work

NEAT Awareness

Many people underestimate their NEAT. Becoming aware of your movement patterns—how much you walk, stand, and move throughout your day—can highlight opportunities for authentic increases without structured exercise programmes.