It’s not always easy to exercise regularly. But it is possible to practice physical activity without necessarily having to put on your leggings. That’s the principle behind NEAT, a method that encourages you to move as much as possible by adding numerous movements – that may seem trivial – to your daily routine.
Do you have trouble fitting a workout session into your day or finding time to play sports? A few simple everyday gestures can be a substitute – at least to a certain extent – for such types of physical activity. NEAT stands for “Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis,” which basically means thermogenesis linked to non-sport activities.
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NEAT encompasses all the movements that you can do during the day that are not related to sports: walking some extra steps because you parked a little further away, going up the stairs rather than taking the escalator or elevator… All these actions don’t necessarily burn a lot of calories on their own, but if you add them up over a day or a week, they can represent a significant energy expenditure. “Even trivial physical activities increase metabolic rate substantially and it is the cumulative impact of a multitude of exothermic actions that culminate in an individual’s daily NEAT, ” explain American researchers in a study.
In terms of results, you shouldn’t expect a radical change in your figure or weight. However, you should see health benefits, especially in terms of reducing the risk of developing chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease.
While NEAT is not an end in itself, it is one of the solutions to help fight against sedentary lifestyle, a key issue of many societies today.
