345. Why Non-Exercise Movement Might Matter More Than the Calorie Math: How to Get "NEAT" Working for You

Newsflash: Long, unbroken stretches of sitting appear to carry health risk beyond the daily total of sitting. But breaking them up can help even when the total hours spent sitting number doesn't budge. A listener asked about NEAT -- the energy burned by the movement of ordinary life that isn't exercise -- and the answer turned out to have little to do with calories and a lot to do with staying strong and mobile as we age!

LET'S TALK THE WALK!

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RESOURCES AND SOURCES (some links may be affiliate links)

Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding by Dr. Daniel Lieberman (Pantheon, 2021) — the source of the energy-conservation reframe and the point about hunter-gatherers sitting roughly as much as we do.

Fed Up: What Evolution Reveals About Food, Diet, Health, and Eating Well by Dr. Daniel Lieberman (Knopf, August 2026) — his new book, which we'll be discussing in a future episode.

Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement by Katy Bowman (Propriometrics Press, 2nd edition 2017) — the source of the idea that movement works like a diet, with walking as one nutrient rather than the whole menu.

Mentioned in this episode:

Dr. James Levine — the Mayo Clinic researcher who coined the term NEAT in the 1990s while studying weight gain. His best-known study overfed volunteers roughly 1,000 extra calories a day for eight weeks; fat gain varied widely across the group, and those who gained least tended to be the ones whose everyday movement increased to meet the surplus.

Levine JA, Eberhardt NL, Jensen MD. "Role of Nonexercise Activity Thermogenesis in Resistance to Fat Gain in Humans." Science, 1999.

The Stanford fitness tracker study — seven wrist-worn devices tested against lab-grade equipment in 60 volunteers. Six of the seven measured heart rate within 5% error. None measured energy expenditure well: the most accurate device was off by an average of 27%, and the least accurate by 93%.

Stanford Medicine news summary — Shcherbina et al., Journal of Personalized Medicine, 2017.

Sitting time in older adults — reviews of objectively measured sedentary behavior put adults 65 and older at roughly 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sitting a day, more than any other age group, with long uninterrupted bouts associated with cardiovascular disease, blood sugar trouble, frailty, and in some studies higher dementia risk.

Breaking up sitting and physical function — a pilot study in frail older adults found improvements in Timed Up and Go and sit-to-stand scores when participants broke up their sitting, even without reducing total sedentary time.

Harvey et al., "Stomp Out (Prolonged) Sitting" pilot — note this is a small pilot; treat the finding as promising rather than settled.

Movement as a diet — the idea that walking is one nutrient rather than the whole menu reflects Katy Bowman's work, particularly Move Your DNA and Movement Matters.

Two small moves from this episode

● Break up the sitting. Once an hour or so, stand and move, even briefly — refill the water, walk to the mailbox, unload a few dishes. Right after a meal is a particularly good moment, since movement after eating has been shown to soften the blood sugar rise.

● Attach movement to moments that already exist. The kettle boiling, a phone call, a commercial break, a trip to the printer, the end of a chapter. Decide once what the movement will be, and let variety in — balance on one foot at the counter, reach for a high shelf, get down to the floor and back up.

A reminder

Carolyn is not a doctor or mental health professional. Content presented here is for educational and informational purposes only. Please check with your doctor before making any health or lifestyle changes.

HOW TO RATE AND REVIEW WELLNESS WHILE WALKING

How to Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts on Your iOS Device

1. Open Apple Podcast App (purple app icon that says Podcasts).

2. Go to the icons at the bottom of the screen and choose "search"

3. Search for "Wellness While Walking"

4. Click on the SHOW, not the episode.

5. Scroll all the way down to "Ratings and Reviews" section

6. Click on "Write a Review" (if you don't see that option, click on "See All" first)

7. Then you will be able to rate the show on a five-star scale (5 is highest rating) and write a review!

8. Thank you! I so appreciate this!

How to Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts on a Computer

1. Visit Wellness While Walking page on Apple Podcasts in your web browser (search for Apple Podcasts or click here) https://www.apple.com/apple-podcasts/

2. Click on "Listen on Apple Podcasts" or "Open the App"

3. This will open Apple Podcasts and put in search bar at top left "Wellness While Walking"

4. This should bring you to the show, not a particular episode – click on the show's artwork

5. Scroll down until you see "Rating and Reviews"

6. Click on "See All" all the way to the right, near the Ratings and Review Section and its bar chart

7. To leave a written review, please click on "Write a Review"

8. You'll be able to leave a review, along with a title for it, plus you'll be able to rate the show on the 5-star scale (with 5 being the highest rating)

9. Thank you so very much!!

OTHER APPS WHERE RATINGS OR REVIEWS ARE POSSIBLE

Spotify

Goodpods

Overcast (if you star certain episodes, or every one, that will help others find the show) Castbox

Podcast Addict

Podchaser

Podbean

HOW TO SHARE WELLNESS WHILE WALKING

• Tell a friend or family member about Wellness While Walking, maybe while you're walking together or lamenting not feeling 100%
• Follow up with a quick text with more info, as noted below! (My favorite is pod.link/walking because it works with all the apps!)
• Screenshot a favorite episode playing on your phone and share to social media or to a friend via text or email!
• Wellness While Walking on Apple – click the up arrow to share with a friend via text or email, or share to social media
• Wellness While Walking on Spotify -- click the up arrow to share with a friend via text or email, or share to social media
• Use this universal link for any podcast app: pod.link/walking – give it to friends or share on social media
• Tell your pal about the Wellness While Walking website
• Thanks for listening and now for sharing! : )

DISCLAIMER

Neither I nor many of my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking.

Thanks for listening to Wellness While Walking, a walking podcast and a "best podcast for walking"!