It may be a secret weapon for those with weight loss goals, but for many people the answer to the question “what is activity thermogenesis without exercise?” it is as mysterious as whether there is life on Mars.
Often referred to as NEAT, this invaluable health tool is much simpler than its name suggests. In layman’s terms, it refers to calories burned during everyday activities rather than formal exercise (also known as exercise activity thermogenesis, or EAT). For example, the energy you expend while walking to work, cleaning the house, or even fidgeting while sitting falls under the NEAT umbrella. If you invest in one of the best fitness trackers (opens in a new tab)You’ll be amazed at how quickly all this activity adds up!
And while many people pursuing health goals place greater emphasis on time spent in the gym, lacing up their sneakers, or racking up miles on the best treadmills (opens in a new tab)NEAT’s contribution to a balanced lifestyle should not be underestimated.
A study published in Journal of Internal Medicine (opens in a new tab) in 2007 highlighted the important role it can play in achieving a healthy body composition. “The data support the central hypothesis that NEAT is critical in the regulation of human energy expenditure and body weight regulation, and that NEAT is important in understanding the cause and effective treatment of obesity,” said James Levine, director of the Institute of Rare Diseases of the Ipsen Foundation and author of the study.
Meanwhile, a study of Mayo Clinic (opens in a new tab) describes how “by avoiding sitting, promoting movement, and engaging in simple, repetitive, and creative activities, significant additional calories can be expended that can reduce weight and perhaps prevent the cardiovascular and metabolic complications associated with obesity.”
What is NEAT?
While we have already provided a brief overview of what NEAT is, we asked you food spring (opens in a new tab) nutritionist and founder of pH Nutrition Liam Holmes for his definition of the concept.
“It’s the energy we spend on everything we do outside of exercise,” says Holmes. “Virtually anything that burns (calories) can be classified as NEAT. It ranges from walking around the house to walking the dog, gardening, playing with your kids, doing general chores, and even fidgeting.”
How many calories does NEAT burn?
The number of calories burned through NEAT will vary greatly based on individual situational factors. For example, someone’s job will have a big impact on their total daily energy expenditure; a worker who is on their feet performing physically demanding tasks will expend much more energy than an office worker who sits for most of the workday.
“The amount of calories burned can vary greatly depending on the person’s job,” says Holmes. He references figures from an article published in Best Practices and Research in Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (opens in a new tab)saying “This is one of the key determinants as someone who is at the desk will average about 400-500 kcal (each day) compared to a bricklayer or farm worker who can burn up to 2000 kcal.”
Through this, he says, NEAT is often responsible for burning more calories than formal exercise or EAT, although your energy expended through EAT varies depending on the type and duration of exercise you’re doing.
“The amount of energy burned during exercise has numerous variables, such as how much effort you’re putting in, your skill level, and the type of training,” says Holmes. “If you cycled for an hour and just kept going, compared to someone who was pushing really hard, the calories burned could be somewhere between 400 and 1,200 kcal.”
For the most part, however, only athletes who engage in “long-duration endurance exercise or very high-intensity training multiple times a day” will burn more calories through EAT than NEAT each day.
How important is NEAT for weight loss?
Holmes says that NEAT is an “essential tool” for those working toward body recomposition goals, such as weight loss. That’s because while all but the elite athletes among us will have limited time each day to exercise, there are plenty of things we can do outside of the gym to burn calories.
“We have to remember that there are two ways to create a calorie deficit,” says Holmes. “Decreasing the energy that enters and increasing the energy that leaves.” In other words, consume fewer calories through food and burn more calories through increased daily activity levels (EAT and NEAT).
“Increasing your NEAT and including it in your day is a great way to create a calorie deficit without having to further reduce your intake. It’s also a much less stressful way to increase energy production than adding more exercise to your routine. Research has shown that those who maintain a higher NEAT are more successful at maintaining their target weight than those who have a lower NEAT.”
A study published in Journal of Exercise, Nutrition and Biochemistry (opens in a new tab) in 2018 reinforces this point. It states: “NEAT is a highly variable component of daily TEE (total daily energy expenditure) and low NEAT is associated with obesity. NEAT improves lifestyle, and variations in individual and environmental factors can significantly affect daily energy expenditure.”
How to increase your NEAT
Considering the multitude of health benefits that NEAT has to offer, Holmes’s main advice for those looking to increase their activity thermogenesis without exercise is incredibly simple: “Get moving!”
You can make substitutions in your daily life, such as walking or biking instead of driving, or taking the stairs instead of taking an elevator, to increase your total daily energy expenditure. Another option is to invest in a standing desk, or one of the best treadmills for walking (opens in a new tab)so you can walk while you work.
Other readings
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) (opens in a new tab)
Activity thermogenesis without exercise? releasing life force (opens in a new tab)
Activity thermogenesis without exercise in the management of obesity (opens in a new tab)
