Since lockdown began a few weeks ago, a lot of us have seen our weight increase slightly even if we’ve kept our food intake the same. Why is this? Well, apart from those of us who have just been eating and drinking more than usual, we’ve all seen a huge drop in our daily energy expenditure, or NEAT.

Firstly, what the hell is NEAT? NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis, which is basically all activity that is non-exercise specific, such as walking while talking on the phone, going up and down the stairs because you forgot to bring something down, or fidgeting while you watch that Netflix box set.

NEAT is a hugely important tool for weight management. It can contribute to up to 15% percent of your daily calorie expenditure, but this varies hugely from person to person. An office worker would typically have very low NEAT, having to sit down all day, while a doctor’s NEAT would be much higher as they are on their feet. Even if the office worker spent an hour in the gym before work, the doctor’s calorie expenditure for the day could end up higher. For some people, NEAT expenditure can be as high as 2000 calories per day! That’s pretty neat…

Most people will have seen a big drop in NEAT since lockdown began, as we’re no longer able to pop to the shops as often, or indeed leave the house as much as we’re used to!

So how can you keep your NEAT up while in self-isolation?

 

1. Aim for 250 steps per hour

Just three minutes of walking each hour could earn you up to 250 steps. When working from home, try to do this every hour even if it’s to make a cup of tea or grab something from upstairs. It may sound easy but we know how quickly an hour on your laptop can fly by. Set a reminder on your phone to ensure that little bit of movement.

2. Think of ways to get active that don’t include formal exercise

Now we’re all stuck at home it’s the perfect opportunity to get on with all that cleaning and gardening that’s been on the list. A vigorous clean of the house could increase your NEAT sevenfold and lugging all those weeds or your mower around the garden is another way to burn more energy. All movement is good movement, and if another benefit comes from it then even better!

3. Don’t sit still

If you have kids, this probably goes against everything you’ve taught them, but fidgeting contributes to a large amount of our daily energy expenditure. Simply jiggling your foot while you’re watching the television or tapping your fingers while you wait for the kettle to boil can really help your energy expenditure to add up. Interestingly, fidgeting drops considerably in people following a calorie-restricted diet. This drop in NEAT can sometimes be the biggest contributing factor to a weight loss plateau, as the drop in daily calorie expenditure can take a person out of a calorie deficit. So, don’t sit still, get fidgeting!

4. Be less efficient

Usually our lives are so busy and we need to make the most of every minute. But now we’ve been able to slow down a bit, we can start being less efficient around the house – if you have things to take upstairs, take them one at a time for example. It may sound like we’re grasping at straws but making several trips up and down the stairs can use 10x more calories than sitting, and twice as many as walking at 1 mile per hour. It’s all about the little things that add up.

It’s not glamorous, quite frankly it's rather laborious, but it won't make you sweat. So, no more excuses, get moving…. but only around your house.