We as humans are constantly expending energy in various ways just to survive. Unlike a machine that can be switched off, our bodies require energy to function even when resting or asleep. The name for the energy we use for completing regular daily tasks such as going to work, driving, singing, doing chores, maintaining posture, fidgeting or other activities not classified as exercise is called Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). The developing body of research indicates that NEAT plays an important role in overall energy balance (energy in from food sources and energy used) and can contribute significantly to your daily energy expenditure and overall metabolic rate.
NEAT can play an important role in weight management and overall health. Obesity is recognised as a major health concern and is prevalent in both adults and children. Over 600 million adults and 100 million children are obese worldwide. Obesity coupled with low levels of physical activity (PA) and high levels of sedentary activity has been shown to increase risks of chronic diseases and cancer significantly. Let’s delve into NEAT into more detail and how it affect weight loss.
Introduction
To understand NEAT better, let’s first understand the concept of thermogenesis and total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Thermogenesis is a fundamental process by which your body generates heat and regulates body temperature and maintains various physiological functions. Thermogenesis occurs as a result of metabolic reactions within your body’s cells, and it can be influenced by factors such as physical activity, diet, hormones, and environmental conditions.
TDEE refers to the total number of calories your body burns in a day. It can be broken down into different components of energy expenditure or thermogenesis including Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Physical Activity Level (PAL), Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) and NEAT. Understanding TDEE is important for managing weight, whether you want to gain, lose or maintain weight. Several factors like age, body composition, body temperature, thyroid hormone status, catecholamine levels, disease states, and certain medications significantly impact your daily energy expenditure.
Understanding Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)
Now comes the question: What makes Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) different from the other forms of thermogenesis? To understand that, let’s quickly understand the basic principle behind other thermogenesis.
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): BMR or Basal Metabolic rate refers to the minimal energy level necessary to maintain the body’s vital processes at the basal state and accounts for the largest percentage of TDEE. (Christian, et al., 2022).
- Resting Energy Expenditure (REE): Often confused with BMR, Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) is the energy necessary to maintain normal body temperature and basic body systems.
- Diet-induced Thermogenesis: Also called the thermic effect of food (TEF), is the increment of energy expenditure following meal ingestion. TEF accounts for the energy required for food digestion, absorption, and storage. TEF is relatively stable and accounts for about 8-15% of TDEE (Christian, et al., 2022).
- Exercise-induced Thermogenesis: Exercise-induced thermogenesis is the energy expended for physical activity.
What is Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT)?
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended for every task we do, excluding sleeping, eating and structured exercise. NEAT varies from individual to individual (up to 2000 kilocalories per day between two individuals of similar size) as our days and activities all look different. It includes the little walk you take to work every day, the energy used while working, the energy you spend standing while waiting for your bus and cab, or any little movement you do every day. This is how NEAT represents a variable component of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) within individuals. However, the contribution of NEAT to TDEE accumulates over time, eventually becoming crucial to weight loss.
NEAT and Weight Loss
Multiple studies have investigated the effect of NEAT and the weight cycle. A study by James et al., 2006 found that lean sedentary participants were standing or ambulating for 152 minutes per day more than the obese participants. The obese participants also had higher sitting time (164 minutes per day).It was concluded that if the obese participants mimic the same posture and movement as lean participants, they may burn another 350 kcal per day. So if you can find ways to increase your NEAT you are able to burn more calories and contribute to weight loss without having to find the time or motivation to schedule structured exercise.
Factors Influencing NEAT
The non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) varies among individuals because of their different lifestyles. Regardless of living styles, different environmental and psychological factors affect the different NEAT scores among individuals (James, et al., 2006).
- Location and Gender Fluctuations: In countries like the US, men and women have the same duration of physical activity. On the other hand, in countries like Canada, England, and Australia, women are more active than men. Thus, the location and gender significantly affect the non-exercise activity thermogenesis (James, et al., 2006).
- Education: In the US, highly educated adults are reported to be 2-3 times more likely to be active than low-educated adults. The same factor works in reverse when we talk about children since, in low-educated countries, significant child labour contributes to the greatest NEAT levels (James, et al., 2006).
- Seasonal Variations: Another factor that significantly affects the NEAT levels is the seasonal variation and weather.. A Canadian study revealed that summer months record twice as much physical activity as winter (Christian, et al., 2022).
- Professions: The daily physical workouts of individuals vary as per the type of job individuals do. For considerations, agricultural workers have recorded more NEAT than the others. Further, the NEAT among agricultural communities is significantly affected by seasons.
- Urbanization and Societal Status: With technological advancement, the urban population is likely to have a lower NEAT than the rural people. A simple example can understand this: since automatic washing machines have replaced most urban households, their average TDEE of the day is automatically reduced (Christian, et al., 2022).
- Stress: Stress resulting in lesser periods of sleep often results in lower NEAT the next day.
Strategies for Increasing NEAT
With the above analysis and explanation, it can be concluded that NEAT significantly contributes to weight loss and weight management. And not only to weight maintenance, NEAT can also help you to overcome your sedentary lifestyle. Thus, it can be a great way to tackle obesity. Here are some proven strategies to increase your NEAT.
Since NEAT is all about choosing an active approach over a passive one, for example can you walk for 15 minutes to pick up your coffee rather than driving a mile. Why do we pick sedentary activities, and how can we make more active decisions? Humans tend to choose activities that are easy to do and require minimal effort or energy expenditure. Whilst this may seem efficient we may be self sabotaging our health and decreasing our activity levels. Only a behavior change can bring a significant increase in NEAT. Here are a few strategies to try:
- Start self-monitoring your activities. How much do you sit? How much TV or reading are you doing? How many steps do you walk a day? How often do you find yourself fidgeting or making incidental movements like toe tapping or knee bouncing?
- How can you make small changes to your daily routine? Can you break up periods of sedentary behavior? Can you walk whilst on the phone or hop off the bus a stop earlier and walk further? Can you use a stand up desk?
- Start with small goals and gradually increase them over time.
- And once you meet a set goal. Reward yourself with something you love.
NEAT and Health Beyond Weight Loss
Incorporating non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) in everyday life isn’t all about weight loss. NEAT is also about changing a sedentary lifestyle which is infinitely more important than weight loss alone. We are designed and need to move our bodies every day. But it’s not always possible for all of us to exercise on a daily basis, and that’s where non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) turns out as a savior. The little behaviors of NEAT can accumulate and contribute to energy expenditure.
Practical Tips for Incorporating NEAT into Daily Life
While the behavioral approach can help you incorporate NEAT in the larger part of your schedule, here are a few practical tips you can directly apply to your life to increase NEAT.
- Analyze your everyday routine, what you do, and how you do it.
- And, once you realize that you’re doing something sedentary, try it while standing or moving around. If you love to watch TikTok on mobile, set a goal to dance to at least five sounds while watching.
- Further, link your active goals with sedentary activity as a reward. For example, if you like computer games. Reward yourself with a few minutes of computer games for every mile covered walking.
- Start finding alternatives to the challenges. Identify and solve problems that keep you from being active, like tiredness or bad weather. For instance, if it rains, carry an umbrella while running to the grocery, rather than choosing a car.
- Arrange your surroundings to make active choices easier, like having a walking-friendly office.
- Always surround yourself with a team of supportive friends who can motivate you in the low times.
- Change surroundings to encourage more activity. For example, workplaces could have walking-friendly setups.
Conclusion
NEAT can have a significant influence on an individual’s daily calorie expenditure and, consequently, their body weight. Changes in lifestyle and work environments, such as increased sedentary behavior due to technology and office jobs, have reduced NEAT levels in many people. This decline in NEAT can contribute to weight gain and obesity. By making small lifestyle changes such as standing more at work, taking breaks to move around, and incorporating physical activity into daily routines, can help counteract the negative effects of reduced NEAT and promote weight maintenance or loss. How are you going to change your NEAT levels?
References
- Christian, et al., 2022, Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis in Human Energy Homeostasis, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279077/
- James, et al., 2006, Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis The Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon of Societal Weight Gain, https://doi.org/10.1161/01.ATV.0000205848.83210.73
- Nana, et al., 2018, Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT): a component of total daily energy expenditure, 10.20463/jenb.2018.0013