There’s a Way To Get Healthier Without Even Going to a Gym. It’s Called NEAT

If anyone asked if I get enough exercise, my answer would be unequivocal: Yes, I make a point of carving out time to sweat, get my heart pumping and move around.

I probably would not mention that I prefer to drive the half mile to pick up my coffee instead of taking a 15-minute walk. Or that using the drive thru sounds infinitely more appealing than actually getting out of my car. Or that you’d rarely spot me choosing to trudge up the stairs at the end of the day.

None of these shortcuts on their own feel like that a big deal. After all, I worked out today, right? But added up these are slowly sapping a sometimes overlooked source of metabolic health.

It’s a concept that goes by the name non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, for short.