How to Sneak NEAT Movement into Your Workday

​We all know we need to move more to be healthier, happier (one of the best things you can do to reduce stress) and even smarter (one of the best things you can do for your brain!)! And, yet - too often, we tell ourselves, "I'd love to move more, but I don't have enough time." Good news. I'm here to tell you that you always have time if you keep in mind two simple terms: EAT and NEAT. 

What do they mean, and what's the difference?

EAT, which stands for exercise activity thermogenesis, simply means any intentional exercise, such as going to the gym or playing a sport.

NEAT, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis, is "incidental movement throughout the day, such as using a standing desk, taking the stairs to the office, or chasing after your kids,” as described by NIH researcher Dr. James Levine, one of the country’s top specialists in obesity and author of “Move a Little, Lose a Lot."

Movement, to a fault, has been framed up as exercise (or EAT). Too many of us fall into the “Workout Wendy” movement archetype. We sit for long hours at a desk and then we go and get that once-a-day workout — spin class, gym session, or daily run. Turns out, that’s not enough. In fact, the real key is moving naturally throughout the day, aka, “motion infusion.” In other words, the “Fidgety Fran” movement archetype is likely the healthier option. (Fidgety Fran is not into exercise, but she can’t sit still. She moves and “fidgets” throughout the day, getting up from her desk frequently.)

Take the quiz: Which movement archetype are you?

A new study with almost 4000 people found that the harmful effects of prolonged sitting undermines the benefits of exercise. As the Washington Post summarizes, "If we exercise but also sit for the rest of the day, it's almost as if we had not worked out at all." The same study found that those who got up and moved around more often during the day were substantially healthier. 

In other words, while doing that once-a-day workout is good, it does not offset the effects of too much sitting. We need to stay on our feet – and preferably move—throughout the day.

Upshot: We need to become more like Fidgety Fran, as opposed to Workout Wendy.

The challenge? 

Getting ourselves to move more and sit less is easier said than done because our society is literally built around our chairs. On average, we sit about 13 hours a day, and 86% of us sit all day, every day. Our cities are better designed for our cars than they are for us walking. Enter anyone's home or office, and you're likely invited to "Have a seat!" Everything in our culture conspires against us being physically active. In other words, we are born to move but told to sit.

This is where NEAT movement comes in. 

You may be a Workout Wendy or a Coffee Shop Carl, but the good news is that NEAT varies and is accessible to everyone. Whether you're a manager in the office or leading from your dining room table, you can infuse more motion into the workplace. 

Here are five ways to increase your NEAT in the workplace for you and your teams: 

1. Connect steps with purpose.

Whether you have an Apple Watch or Fitbit, the gamification of getting your 10,000 steps in can encourage you to get moving at different points in your day. Connect with other team members and colleagues with similar devices and hold weekly or monthly competitions to cheer each other on. Want to create more meaning and a team effort? Set a goal for 250,000 steps or more in a work week, and if the team makes the goal, the company donates money to the team's charity of choice. This allows you to give back, spark connections, and get in motion.

2. Take a "movement snack" break. 

Splitting up long periods of sitting with bits of physical activity or "movement snacks" can bring big health benefits: measurable improvements in body adiposity and blood lipid, glucose, and insulin levels. These activities can include walking with your colleagues, stretching at your desk, or walking to a trash bin that you intentionally moved away from your desk. Check out my friend, MJ Shaar, as she shares more on the subject, here's a video for how to get started taking care of your energy in a bite-size way. And, no, it doesn't mean you'll be eating your snack while working out.

Want more guided ideas for movement? Join the Born to Move, Told to Sit Challenge, where we'll share 3-5 actions every week for a month, so you can practice moving more daily.

3. Swap your desk for a standing desk. 

When we stand, we burn twice as many calories as when we sit. This means that more standing equals reduced weight gain. Researchers at Stanford have calculated that we can save ourselves from gaining 11 pounds every 10 years simply by standing up for 2 minutes every hour, assuming an 8-hour workday. If we can stand up and move throughout the day – even better. If changing out a desk isn't an option, try a few stretches at your desk.  Here’s a 3-minute video I created that guides you through seated stretches that will fit whatever your workspace is, whether from your desk, your couch or your kitchen table.

4. Instead of walking the most efficient path, opt for a detour. 

Ready for a bathroom break or heading to the copier? Take a longer route that includes stairs, or gives you a chance to get fresh air. If you're working from home, it can be even harder to resist the temptation to be a couch potato all day long. If that's the case, pick moments in your day when you get out of your seat. The BEST movement is whatever you like to do and whatever you'd likely do again. So, if it's dancing to the bathroom or skipping to your mailbox, have fun doing it, and do it often.  

5. Become a multiplier of wellbeing.

A lot of my work is about activating managers to become multipliers in wellbeing. As much as we know how important it is to move, there's a gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. How do we close that gap? By activating managers to empower their teams and model wellbeing, giving permission for employees to stand, stretch, and move throughout the day. Your team members really do want to see you in spandex - and I mean that in a figurative sense! People follow the lead of their boss, whether they know it or not.

Re-engineer movement into your workplace culture with my Born to Move, Told to Sit workshops. Start here to get your teams in motion. 
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laura putnam

​​Laura Putnam is a leading catalyst for well-being at work, an international public speaker, and author of Workplace Wellness That Works. As CEO of Motion Infusion and creator of the leadership training program Managers on the Move, she infuses well-being into the workplace to help employees, teams and organizations thrive. You can follow her on Twitter @MotionInfusion.