Understanding NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) and How You Can Make the Most of It

in latest new

When it comes to weight loss and staying fit, one of the major things people focus on is exercise—lifting weights, running on the treadmill, doing sit ups and push ups, among others. You’ve heard of fitness buffs who spent most of their hours getting fit, or people who ‘live in the gym’.


The problem is that we can’t spend all of our hours exercising just to achieve our desired level of fitness. There are other areas of our life we need to focus on. So how do we find balance? Well, the key is to achieve the same thing exercise gives us while we do our daily activities. This is what makes NEAT an interesting and promising idea.

What is NEAT and how can it help you?

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) pertains to the energy our body consumes while we do activities outside of sleeping, eating, and exercise. This is the energy we use up just by ‘living’.

When we walk around the house to get things done or go to the store to buy something, when we climb up the stairs, stand in the kitchen while cooking, or work in the garden, this is the energy we use up. When we do our daily activities, we use up energy, and therefore we burn calories and achieve a certain amount of the benefits that exercise provides us.


Where exercise reaches its limit, NEAT comes in. And, it appears to be the solution to the growing sedentary lifestyle in today’s world. How?

According to the American Heart Association, exercise cannot cancel out the damaging effects of our sedentary habits, particularly prolonged sitting. No matter how much exercise we do, sitting for a long time in front of our computer will do damage to our body.

So if exercise cannot combat the negative effects of prolonged sitting, what can? Well, according to a Harvard article, the answer is simply more movement. Finding time to insert movement within your day can do wonders. In fact, a European Journal of Preventive Cardiology review says that standing more can help people lose weight.


This new information on NEAT appears to tear down certain mindsets on health, but it also makes weight management and fitness simpler, don’t you think? Because this tells us we can stay healthy just by going about our daily business—if we are mindful about it and can find ways to modify some of our activities so we can move more.

How to add more movement to your day?

Moving more appears to be the solution to many of our health woes, but how do we achieve this? The first step is to look into the activities that you do every day and check if there are activities where you can insert more movement.

  • If you tend to take the car to go somewhere that is walkable, try to just walk going there.
  • Cut down on your TV time and find physical activities as alternative (such as gardening).
  • Or, stand often while you watch TV.
  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
  • When working on your computer, alternate between standing and sitting.

office stairs

Standing desks: Our commitment to health

Our flagship products here at MotionGrey, our standing desks, are designed for individuals who want to combat their sedentary lifestyle by moving more. They make the shift from sitting to standing, and back, easy with just a push of a button.

standing desk

If you’re looking for ways to add movement to your workdays, then try and see if a standing desk is for you. Check our catalog to learn more!

About Us


Click here to view our selection of products. Got questions? 

You have successfully subscribed!
This email has been registered