How To Be Clean And Neat Always

No doubt you've heard the phrase 'NEAT exercise' thrown around – whether it's been by people in the gym or the personal trainer you just love to do home workouts with, it's a funny little term that can have a huge impact on hitting your goals. But it can be confusing too.

Nothing to do with putting your dumbbells away tidily at the end of a gym workout, NEAT has less to do with being neat and much more to do with getting active every day. From walking the dog to having a little boogie at your desk, NEAT refers to a lot of different things.

Intrigued? Thought so. Read on for your full guide to NEAT, the benefits of increasing your NEAT and six simple ways to get more of it in your life.

What is NEAT?

Let's get the basics down first. What is NEAT and what is it an abbreviation of?

'NEAT stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis and while it sounds complicated, it simply refers to the energy used carrying out any daily activity that isn't formal exercise (e.g. running or resistance training) or sleeping,' explains Elliott Upton, personal trainer at Ultimate Performance and Head of LiveUP Online Coaching.

Why is NEAT important?

We'll get onto the benefits of NEAT in a sec but one thing we can't skip over is exactly why you need to be incorporating it into your daily routine.

'NEAT exercise is very important as it can account for a significant portion of your total energy expenditure – the number of calories you burn in a day,' explains GP and trainer Dr Folusha Oluwajana.

'In addition, if you are sedentary and therefore have lower NEAT levels, you're at a higher risk of obesity and other long term health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and some cancers. Being sedentary is directly associated with poorer long term health regardless of weight. This means even if you are not considered to be overweight if your NEAT is low, you are still at increased risk.'

After a year of working and living at home, it's no surprise that our overall NEAT levels may have taken a steep downward turn without those steps into the office or out to grab lunch/coffees. Consider this your reminder of why we need to keep it up and how to get it into our daily lives more easily. Small steps (literally) add up to big wins – trust us.

What counts as NEAT?

Okay, so now we know it's anything that's not working out or being asleep. But that still leaves a large portion of the day unaccounted for. Upton breaks down exactly what NEAT can be... and his answer might surprise you.

'NEAT activities can include anything from walking the dog, cooking, carrying the shopping home, doing the gardening, playing with your children at the park, washing the car, or even fidgeting at your desk.'

Hear that? Those essential trips to the kitchen all count as part of your NEAT. Time for a cuppa, we thinks.

Examples of NEAT include:

Washing the car
Fidgeting
Walking upstairs
Walking the dog
Carry grocery shopping
Gardening
Playing with children or pets
Using a standing desk
Walking to the gym, shops, office instead of taking public or private transport

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13 benefits of doing NEAT

Helps with muscle recovery
Can help to relieve stress and improve mental health
Improves cardiovascular health
Helps control blood sugar
Reduces risk of chronic disease
Lowers the level of inflammation in the body
An easier alternative if you're coming back from injury
It's a low-impact form of movement
Requires no skill
Free
Good for both beginners and those more familiar with exercise
Won't interfere with other training or exercise you might be doing

There are so many benefits to getting more NEAT into your life – not least that it's a totally skill-free way to up your daily movement. Whether you're a newbie to exercise (or not even on the sweat market but know you need to do something), getting your non-exercise activity in line can be a great first step. Or, if regular gym workouts are more your steez, upping your NEAT can help increase blood flow to your muscles as they repair.

'Walking-based activities, in general, are a great low-impact and low-stress form of exercise that almost anyone can do anywhere, regardless of their current levels of fitness,' says Upton. 'It requires no degree of skill, is very easy to recover from and will not tax your body or add extra stress – compared to other formal exercise modalities like HIIT, for example.'

Not to mention, if you have healthy weight loss goals in your life right now, increasing your NEAT can help you have a better chance at hitting and maintaining them. More on this below.

How does NEAT contribute to weight and fat loss goals?

One of the core tenets of losing excess weight and body fat is maintaining a consistent calorie deficit. One of the ways to help get this balance right is by increasing the amount you're moving each day.

Important note about calorie deficits: Aiming to be in a calorie deficit or lose weight should only be done if you have excess weight or fat to lose to be at a healthy body composition for your height. If you're already at a healthy weight you should not try to maintain a calorie deficit. Similarly, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, taking prescription medication, have an adrenal-related medical condition or a teenager or child you should absolutely not try to be in a calorie deficit.

'NEAT exercise is a great way to control and maintain a healthy weight,' explains Dr Oluwajana. 'Increasing your NEAT increases your metabolic rate as you will burn more calories throughout the day. People with higher NEAT levels are often more successful at achieving and maintaining weight loss.'

Hanri Van Der Merwe, owner of F45 Blackhorse Lane explains how this can add up over time: 'Aiming to walk an additional 10,000 steps a day can burn up to 500 calories per day, this equates to about 0.5kg per week of fat loss. Think of the progressive progress if we do this every day, every week.'

How much NEAT should you do?

As with everything, the amount of NEAT you have time for will be dependent on your unique lifestyle. We all spin different plates and keeping them up can often feel like the only thing we're able to do. However, looking at your day and pinpointing places you can get some movement in – perhaps the second half of your lunch break when you'd normally scroll Insta – can be a really beneficial way to see how it could work with you.

Expert advice says to start slow and build up. Tortoises, not hares, please.

'There is no specific rule to determine how much NEAT you should be doing,' says Dr Oluwajana. 'It's dependent on the individual and different factors such as age, physical health, occupation and social circumstances. For example, if you have an active job and are on your feet all day NEAT may not be such a priority for you, compared to someone who is working at a desk all day and drives most of the time.'

'In general, a sedentary person is someone who does less than 5000 steps a day or less than the equivalent of walking 30 minutes a day, so these can be good targets to work towards to start with.'

Why going to the gym doesn't contribute to your NEAT

One thing to note, though, is that sitting down at your desk all day still counts as sedentary – even if you're smashing a gym or home workout on your lunch break. In fact, the time you spend exercising each day has a marginal impact on your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) whereas NEAT can make up to 50% of it.

Upton recommends tracking your steps to make sure you're getting up and about enough and seeing where you fall on the daily activity metric:

Less than 5000 steps – sedentary
5,000 to 9,999 steps – lightly active
10,000 to 12,500 steps – active
12,500+ – highly active

Walking 12,500+ steps a day is a commitment for anyone, even before you throw home and work responsibilities into the mix – not to mention having a social life. So, see where you fall and then look to improve on it.

6 easy imple ways to increase your NEAT

No fear if your NEAT levels aren't where you want them to be. We're here to help you spot opportunities to add some movement in – even if that's just taking the stairs up to your desk when you venture into the office. Read on for Upton's top six hacks to increase your daily NEAT levels.

1. Go for an early morning walk

'Getting out early for a morning walk is a good way to tick off a goal before your day has even begun,' he says. 'It'll give you a sense of achievement and gratification that will carry through to the rest of your day. If you leave it until the end of the day, after a busy day or work, when the lure of Netflix is strong, you are more likely to skip it.

'Plus, taking a walk in the early morning sunshine also has the additional benefit of helping maintain normal circadian rhythm and sleep patterns.'

2. Get outside after dinner

Or, for those of you who prefer the evening to the morning (#same), make some time after your last meal to walk the block. Not only can it help with digestion but it can be a good way to switch up the regular sofa-chill routine.

3. Set a daily goal

'If you want to many any habit stick, setting small, achievable and regular goals is a must,' says Upton.

'Try setting yourself the challenge of achieving a specific daily step count goal – it can be a great way to maintain your focus and keep you motivated to be more active every day. Why not add an extra layer of accountability or motivation by getting friends and family on board with a shared step challenge?'

4. Get friends and family involved

'Remember, exercise can be fun and social. Organising outdoor activities can be a great way to do something active and fun together that gives you a healthy focus and keeps you fit. You could recruit a walking partner – someone who shares a similar goal or who can keep you accountable when you don't feel like getting out for a walk.'

5. Layer activities to increase productivity

Don't think of your NEAT time as lost time in the day. Instead, layer activities together to make the best use of your time.

'An early morning walk can be a good time to plan ahead for the day, get on top of your schedule, brainstorming ideas or strategising, or generally getting ready for the workday,' advises Upton. And, tbh, we hard agree.

'There's strong research to support the benefits of doing this, too. A Stanford University study found that creativity levels were consistently and significantly higher for those walking compared to those sitting. People walking (whether outdoors or on a treadmill) produced twice as many creative responses compared to someone sitting down, one experiment demonstrated'

6. Make good use of the "dead" time in your day

We all have those meetings that should have been emails, right? Well, if you're working from home and don't need to be on camera, why not take a walk as you dial in. Chances are you'll inspire others to do the same thing.

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Morgan Fargo Morgan is WH's digital fitness writer with a penchant for brutal HIIT classes and thick post-workout smoothies.

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