Blog

Lose Weight with the power of NEAT

We live in times of great convenience and luxury. Most of the people in modern society have very sedentary lifestyles PLUS we spend an average of 10 to 15 hours a day sitting in our cars, at our desk, watching t.v. and browsing on the internet. This lifestyle is proven to be the root of obesity and other chronic health issues.

While Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the energy requirement of your body either without any activity or while lying motionless. It accounts for about 60% of your total daily energy requirements (calories).

The thermic effect of food (the amount of calories needed to digest food) accounts for about 10-15% of your energy requirements.

The rest of your energy requirements are dependent on how active you are in both intentional exercise and NEAT activities.

What is NEAT?
NEAT stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. This is the energy we expend each day for everything that is not sleeping, eating, or sports-like activities. We are specifically talking about the non-exercise activities that we would normally perform on a daily basis (life activities like cleaning, shopping, walking, etc.).


NEAT can account for as little as 15% of energy expenditure in the very sedentary and up to 50% in very active individuals.

How NEAT helps you to stay lean:
Simply moving more and sitting less can boost your health and calorie burning. Most people think that the only way to burn calories is through scheduled exercise sessions. Although exercise is the most ideal way to expend a lot of calories, there are additional ways to burn them throughout the day that are not programmed sessions.


Both fat loss and weight maintenance can be made easier with a clear understanding of non-exercise activity thermogenesis. Research suggests that individuals who move throughout the day are more likely to reach or maintain weight-loss goals versus those who are sedentary throughout the day and vigorously move through one exercise session. Therefore, a greater caloric output occurs throughout the day rather than during one vigorous exercise session.


Accumulated physical activity can significantly increase the number of calories burned throughout the day or week. Therefore, if you’re tied behind the desk remember there are plenty of ways to incorporate movement when you cannot formally exercise. Other N.E.A.T. examples include:

Playing with your kids
Completing yard work
Grocery shopping
Walking the dog
Cleaning the house


It all boils down to one thing: If you don’t use it, you lose it. So take action now on upping your NEAT time each day. Our bodies are made for movement, and if we don’t take advantage of them with these smart strategies, we’ll find ourselves not bringing our best to the things that matter most in life: family, career, creativity, and our ability to contribute.

By adding in these NEAT activities, and utilizing a cutting-edge exercise plan (like the ones we prepare for you at Rave Fitness) you are guaranteeing yourself great success and setting yourself up for unstoppable results.