Ditch the Gym: Embrace NEAT, the ‘Lazy’ Way to Melt Fat Fast

When most people think about weight loss, they imagine unending treadmill sessions. It is no surprise that only a few people can gather the motivation to start exercising, and even fewer stick to it long enough to meet their transformation objectives.

A calorie deficit is the holy grail of burning fat, meaning you must expend more calories in a day than you consume. There are three ways to achieve a deficit. You could cut your calorie intake, start exercising, or use a combination of the two.

The third way is the most effective for cutting excess body fat. The best part is that you don’t even need to hit the gym to burn more fat. This is where non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) comes in. 

NEAT is the number of calories burned for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise. For example, cooking, shopping, walking, gardening, ironing, mowing the lawn, and chewing gum.

NEAT is especially important for folks who don’t engage in regular structured exercise, as it becomes their primary vehicle for energy expenditure. (1)

In this article, I take you over everything you need to know about NEAT, including its mechanism, benefits, and 12 ways you can integrate it into your daily routine.

12 Creative Ways to Increase Your NEAT

I work with several online personal training clients who cannot make the time to hit the gym. For these folks, I primarily focus on NEAT protocols to maximize the energy expenditure and get the weighing scale needle to move to the left.

Below are 12 of my go-to NEAT-boosting activities you can incorporate into your routine from today, divided into three categories:

Home:

These are the things that you can do at your home:

1. Fidgeting 

This is my first recommendation to people trying to burn more fat without exercise. I can understand that it goes against conventional wisdom. Usually, you’re told to stay still and avoid tapping your feet or moving your hands.

However, fidgeting is one of the most effective ways to burn more calories. Don’t believe me? A study found that leg fidgeting can increase total daily energy expenditure by 20 to 30 percent. (2)

If you are not already in the habit of tapping your feet or moving your hands, you should consider starting. It might take some conscious effort initially, but it will soon become second nature.

2. Household chores

Let’s be honest: household chores are never-ending. As soon as you are done mowing the lawn, you realize you have a week’s worth of laundry to do. Then, there are the dreaded dishes. The idea is to stop procrastinating and instead look forward to these chores.

3. Active hobbies

Although structured exercise routines can help amplify fat loss progress, you don’t have to get a gym membership if you don’t enjoy it. Instead, look for hobbies that you like and will keep you physically active. For example, dancing, playing with pets, gardening, and hiking.

Since most active hobbies involve a learning curve, they also keep you mentally engaged. However, like most exercise routines, you must practice these hobbies consistently to get the best results.

4. Standing desk

Standing desks don’t get the attention they deserve. Although standing while working doesn’t sound like a lot of physical activity, most people don’t realize that no one can stand perfectly still for an extended period. Most people usually shuffle their body weight from one leg to another while working at a standing desk. This activity is enough to boost NEAT and melt fat.

Working on a standing desk can be pretty fatiguing. I recommend using a Pomodor timer to switch between sitting and standing windows. Here is how to do it — stand for a 25-minute work session and sit down for five minutes. This will give your legs enough time to recover for the next work session.

At Work:

Since most of us spend the biggest chunk of our time daily at work, this is how you can optimize it to improve your overall fitness:

5. Active breaks

Working for extended periods can take a toll on your body. Irrespective of whether you have a desk job or spend most of your day standing, you should take regular, short breaks throughout the day.

Use these breaks to stretch, walk around, or do some light exercises to activate all your muscles and get the blood flowing. The frequency of these breaks will depend on your work schedule. However, you should aim for at least one five-minute break each hour.

6. Walking meetings

Most companies have weekly meetings, which can last for multiple hours. If you are a part of a smaller team (three to four members), you should suggest walking meetings to increase your daily physical activity and limit the risk of chronic health conditions. (3)

On the other hand, people who work from home should consider investing in an under-desk treadmill. I have been using it for 14 months now and have nothing but good things to say about it. It improves your focus, creativity, and work capacity. Your brainstorming sessions will never be the same again.

7. Bike or walk to work

Most people sigh and roll their eyes upon hearing this, but it is a complete game-changer. People who live five to 30 minutes from their office should consider biking or walking to work. Two of these sessions can help you hit the coveted 10K step goal.

Beginners should start with walking to the office, gym, or supermarket. This is a low-risk activity as you can always call an Uber in an emergency.

8. Park farther away

I usually do this on my rest days to stay active. Park your car a few blocks from your destination and cover the remaining distance on foot. However, this technique involves a decent amount of planning, especially if you don’t want to be late for a movie or dinner date.

That said, you can also do it for your office. Some of my friends park their cars farther away from their office to avoid traffic congestion during peak hours.

In Your Free Time:

Weekends, days off, and the time in between can be used to improve your overall health. Here is how:

9. Explore your city

Regardless of where you live, there will be places in your city that you’ve not explored. However, you must optimize your adventures to boost NEAT. Walk, bike, or take public transportation to explore new places.

Photography walks are gaining immense popularity and involve walking around with your camera and taking pictures of anything and everything you find interesting.

Prioritize safety by wearing a helmet while biking and avoid using earphones while walking outdoors or using public transport.

10. Outdoor activities

The great outdoors unlock unlimited NEAT opportunities, from chasing butterflies to walking your dog; you are only limited by your imagination. I highly recommend joining local activity clubs as they can keep you accountable and make the experiences more exciting.

11. Attend a Live Music Concert

I can bet you never thought you would find this here, but hey — attending a concert involves dancing and moving around, which are fun ways of burning calories. That said, you might want to hold back on the booze and pizza.

People who don’t like live music festivals can visit museums or art galleries instead. Not into that as well? Go for birdwatching or rollerblading. As long as you are outdoors, you will be burning calories.

12. Volunteer

There is no such thing as too many volunteers. Many organizations involve volunteer opportunities that involve physical activity. Call your local animal shelter, community garden, or food bank to inquire about such opportunities.

The NEAT Advantage: Why It’s a Game-Changer

Here are the benefits of adding these 12 NEAT protocols to your routine:

Accessibility

Most NEAT activities don’t require any equipment, allowing them to fit seamlessly into anyone’s routine. Whether you are a doctor, software developer, or carpenter, several NEAT activities can integrate into your lifestyle. It also ensures that you can do them anywhere at any time.

Sustainability

Some folks resort to crash or fad diets to achieve quick weight loss. However, these usually lead to yo-yo weight fluctuations and can increase your risk of burnout. On the flip side, NEAT focuses on building sustainable habits that you can stick to for the long term.

Flexibility

Unlike most other fitness routines, NEAT isn’t about rigid rules that you must follow, or else hell would break loose. It allows you to find activities you enjoy and can integrate into your lifestyle. This improves the chances that you will stick to them.

Stress Reduction

Research shows that physical activity can reduce stress and negative emotions and boost your overall mood (4). Regular movement, albeit small and isolated, can lower stress hormone production, improve mood, and boost overall mental well-being.

Improved Overall Health

This might sound counterintuitive, but NEAT isn’t just about burning calories or achieving a smaller waistline. NEAT activities can benefit your overall health and well-being, including improving cardiovascular health, sleep quality, energy levels, and cognitive function.

Conclusion

NEAT is one of the most effective ways to burn more calories and fat throughout the day without engaging in structured exercise. Non-exercise activities don’t have to be complicated. From the 12 activities listed above, pick the ones that suit your lifestyle and stick to them for the long term for optimal fat loss results.

Start small and gradually increase the time or intensity of the activity as you gain more experience. Remember, small changes in your daily routine can make a big difference to your overall health and well-being.

If you have any questions about NEAT or need help implementing them into your routine, drop them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References:

1. Chung, N., Park, M. Y., Kim, J., Park, H. Y., Hwang, H., Lee, C. H., Han, J. S., So, J., Park, J., & Lim, K. (2018). Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT): a component of total daily energy expenditure. Journal of exercise nutrition & biochemistry, 22(2), 23–30. https://doi.org/10.20463/jenb.2018.0013
2. Koepp, G. A., Moore, G. K., & Levine, J. A. (2016). Chair-based fidgeting and energy expenditure. BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 2(1), e000152. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2016-000152
3. Rizzato, A., Marcolin, G., & Paoli, A. (2022). Non-exercise activity thermogenesis in the workplace: The office is on fire. Frontiers in public health, 10, 1024856. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1024856
4. Schultchen D, Reichenberger J, Mittl T, et al. Bidirectional relationship of stress and affect with physical activity and healthy eating. Br J Health Psychol. 2019;24(2):315-333. doi:10.1111/bjhp.12355

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