Everyday Movement (NEAT)
Move · Cardio · Movement, Typed Supps
The movement outside your workouts can burn more energy than the workouts themselves.
Stage by stage
- Throughout the day (Everything but exercise): Walking, standing, fidgeting, housework and stairs — all movement that is not deliberate exercise.
- Accumulating (Fifteen hours, not one): Small differences across all waking hours outweigh large differences within a single workout.
- After meals (Insulin-independent glucose uptake): Muscle contraction pulls glucose from the blood without needing insulin, so brief post-meal movement lowers blood sugar.
- Long term (Independent of exercise): Prolonged sitting is associated with worse outcomes even among people who exercise regularly.
Muscles trained
- Primary: calves
- Secondary: heart, quads
Intensity
2 METs (Walking, household).
Time to effect
- Immediate: Post-meal blood sugar effects are immediate; broader metabolic effects accumulate over weeks.
Common myth
“A daily workout cancels out sitting for the rest of the day.” In reality: Prolonged sedentary time is associated with worse health outcomes independently of structured exercise — the two appear to matter separately.
More in Cardio
In the glossary
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