In our modern lifestyles, sedentariness has become a major problem. The lack of physical activity and prolonged sitting lead to real risks to mental and physical health.
How to move more every day? N.E.A.T can provide solutions by integrating more movement into our daily habits. This term refers to non-sporting activities performed during the day that can really make a difference.
Discover how to move more without exercising and the benefits of staying active, even when sitting at a desk.
What is N.E.A.T.?
The acronym N.E.A.T stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. In French, it is translated as Thermogenèse sans Activité Physique or Activité physique sans exercice.
N.E.A.T therefore refers to any spontaneous physical activity, outside of voluntary, planned, and structured sports sessions. Walking, climbing stairs, and doing housework are among these daily activities that allow us to stay active and burn calories without even realizing it.
Voluntary physical exercise, on the other hand, is designated by the acronym E.A.T: Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. These are sports sessions during which you engage in intense physical activity for a given period.
Why is NEAT essential in a sedentary lifestyle?
Modern Sedentariness
Do you spend long hours every day sitting at a desk in front of a screen? This sedentary lifestyle is not without risk to your health.
Sedentariness and prolonged static sitting are harmful to the body. As muscles are no longer used, your metabolism slows down, leading to cascading dysfunctions: an initial increase in blood pressure and blood sugar. Circulatory problems become common, and chronic diseases can appear: cardiovascular problems, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), risks of diabetes and overweight.
Inactivity also has an impact on mental health and can cause stress, anxiety, decreased cognitive function, and sleep problems.
On the contrary, maintaining an active lifestyle preserves health. This is where N.E.A.T actions can make a difference. Active people who strive to move more every day increase their energy expenditure. For proof, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that a very active person can burn up to 2,000 more kilocalories per day than a sedentary person.
Do you think that regular sports activity is enough to keep you fit?
Contrary to popular belief, exercising for an hour a day, while remaining seated or lying down for the remaining 23 hours, is insufficient. This inactivity the rest of the time negates all the benefits of a sports session.
Sedentariness, coupled with daily physical activity, no matter how intense, is not enough to counteract its negative effects on the body.
Benefits of NEAT
Increasing your non-sporting physical activity (N.E.A.T) can be very beneficial. If you adopt a daily routine that forces you to move more, your body and mind will soon feel the benefits.
One of the main advantages of N.E.A.T is the increase in daily caloric expenditure. Maintaining a daily physical activity level helps control weight, in addition to a balanced diet and structured sports activity.
Studies summarized in an article from Mayo Clinic Publications demonstrate that high N.E.A.T plays a key role in preventing obesity and metabolic disorders.
These daily movements, outside of sports activities, have positive effects on physical and mental health.
A Swedish study, published in the National Library of Medicine, showed that the risk of cardiovascular disease was reduced by 27% in active individuals who maintained a high N.E.A.T.
Another study proves the correlation between spontaneous physical activity and blood sugar regulation in patients with type 2 diabetes. The N.E.A.T. of these active individuals promotes blood circulation and, consequently, lower blood pressure.
Keeping the body in motion is also beneficial for muscles and bones. Staying active strengthens muscle mass and joint flexibility, which becomes crucial as we age.
Finally, the secretion of dopamine by our body during physical exercise provides well-being and has a significant impact on our mental health. Conversely, low physical activity significantly increases the risk of symptoms related to stress, anxiety, and depression. As proof, the journal Jama Psychiatry published a study indicating a 25% reduction in the risk of depression in subjects who walked briskly for 2.5 hours per week.
Can you lose weight without exercising thanks to N.E.A.T?
Don't have the time or desire to exercise? Solutions exist to burn calories and promote weight loss without intensive sports activity. Explanations.
Burn calories without realizing it
Doing housework, gardening, playing with children, talking on the phone while standing, taking the stairs instead of the elevator… in short: move!
Sport is not the only source of energy expenditure. Non-sporting activity, or N.E.A.T, allows you to burn calories daily and helps maintain a healthy weight. It is also an often underestimated part of daily caloric expenditure. It's a routine to adopt, but once good habits are established, your body will thank you for it!
Find our tips for losing weight at the office here.
N.E.A.T and thermogenesis: simplified scientific mechanism
Let's remember that N.E.A.T is the acronym for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.
But what is thermogenesis? This term refers to the biological process by which the body produces heat by burning calories. To regulate our temperature and produce energy, our body constantly burns calories and generates heat.
Thanks to N.E.A.T., the more you move, the more fat you burn and the more you activate your metabolism.
N.E.A.T and sport: the winning combination
You now guess the recipe for maintaining good physical and mental health for a long time: keep your body moving thanks to a high N.E.A.T. Combine this active lifestyle with a balanced diet and add a dose of your favorite sports activity to feel good in your body and mind!
Are you considering drastic weight loss? Do you dream of sculpting a dream body? In addition to N.E.A.T actions and a healthy diet, sport will help you achieve your goals by building, toning, and strengthening your body.
How to increase your N.E.A.T daily and at work?
Fighting sedentariness and adopting simple habits to stay in motion throughout the day are habits to take to increase your daily N.E.A.T. Here are some tips to move more.
Walk more
Walking is an activity accessible to everyone and easy to implement. Its benefits for physical and mental health are well established.
Increase your daily walking time with simple actions:
- Prioritize walking or cycling as much as possible for short trips, rather than using public transport or a car.
- Do you have no choice but to go to work by public transport or car? Park a little further or get off a stop earlier to walk the last few kilometers.
- Stand up and walk when you are on the phone.
- Avoid elevators and take the stairs whenever possible.
Multiply non-sporting activities
No need to be a sports enthusiast to burn calories.
Promote non-sporting physical activity daily by adopting an active lifestyle. Cooking while standing, gardening, DIY, cleaning, playing with children or pets… are among these non-sporting activities that contribute to increasing your N.E.A.T.
Make daily tasks more dynamic
To be even more effective and burn more calories, you can incorporate even more movement. Cooking while dancing, walking while listening to podcasts, doing squats while brushing your teeth…
Let your imagination run wild and integrate as much movement as possible into your daily activities!
Increase time spent standing
Whether you are a student, worker, or retiree, fighting sedentariness is essential.
In our modern lifestyles, our sofas have taken pride of place, and remaining seated or lying in front of screens has become a habit.
However, the lack of physical exercise proves pathogenic at any age. That's why it's important to move and increase time spent standing.
At the office or on the sofa, stand up and activate your metabolism. Your cognitive functions will only be improved!
Promote micro-movements at the office
Do you think it's difficult to maintain a high level of physical activity when you spend 7 hours a day behind a desk? Think again! Lack of exercise and sedentariness are not inevitable, even when working in an office. Adopt a good daily routine and promote micro-movements throughout the day.
To maintain an active sitting posture at the office, you can, for example:
- Stretch your limbs and spine. By straightening up, you revitalize your body and oxygenate your brain, an asset for clearer ideas!
- Change position regularly.
- Take active breaks to walk or do some stretching.
- Swing your legs, sitting on your chair, to activate blood circulation.
- Sit on an ergonomic chair or a ball to promote pelvic movements and activate muscles and joints more.
Active Sitting™ and NEAT: burning energy at the office
Remaining in a prolonged sitting position at the office is a trap that causes many physical and mental discomforts. Eye strain, limb numbness, and mental fog are the first signs of a posture not adapted to your physiological reality.
To avoid chronic diseases in the long term, it is therefore better to know the right reflexes to adopt, namely: maintain an active posture, integrate exercises into your daily life, and create an ergonomic workspace.
Why does staying slightly in motion change everything?
Our body is made to move. Fighting sedentariness at the office is therefore essential for good physical and mental health.
By integrating more movement into your daily life, even when sitting at a desk, you activate your metabolism and restart the human body's engine.
Blood circulation improves, as does the oxygenation of muscles and the brain. Regular stretching and movement lower blood pressure. They also strengthen muscles and loosen joints.
Physical exercise stimulates energy. To be more productive at the office, sit on a chair that forces you to stay in motion and constantly adjust your balance: a stool or a ball, for example. This way, you engage your muscles more and keep your back straight.
Active Sitting™ vs. Passive Sitting
Comfort has never been so present at home and in the office, yet seats offering a passive sitting position are real traps for our physiology.
Forcing the body to remain in a static position causes damage in the short or long term: blood pressure increases due to lack of activity, implying risks of cardiovascular disease. Stiffness sets in the body, leading to musculoskeletal disorders.
Lack of activity causes physical tension, but also psychological tension. Stress, anxiety, and irritability are more likely to appear in sedentary people than in those who maintain regular physical activity throughout the day.
Maintaining a dynamic sitting posture limits the harmful effects of modern sedentariness on the body. Sitting on a Bloon ball chair, you maintain a moving pelvis to adjust your balance. You move more and burn calories, which limits weight gain. Without a backrest, you engage your back and abdominal muscles more, which helps strengthen them and maintain good posture daily.
Conclusion
Modern comfort can become a trap, because the human body needs to move to stay in shape.
Maintaining a high N.E.A.T is therefore essential for good physical and mental health. These non-sporting activities can make a difference.
Even at the office, it is possible to adopt a dynamic posture. Integrating more movement into daily habits with Bloon Active Sitting™ is an effective way to move more without exercising.