Three Corebound sessions add up to around two hours a week. There are roughly 110 waking hours left. What you do with those matters too.
What is NEAT?
NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. The term comes from Mayo Clinic researcher James Levine, who describes it as the energy we spend on everything that isn't sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise: walking to work, typing, yard work, household chores, even fidgeting. Individually these are small. Added up over a day, they become a big share of how much you move.
Light activity and sitting are part of the guidelines
Canada's 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for adults were the first to call out that light physical activity, including standing, matters too. Alongside the workout targets, they recommend:
- several hours of light physical activity, including standing;
- limiting sedentary time to 8 hours or less, with no more than 3 hours of recreational screen time;
- breaking up long periods of sitting as often as possible.
The guidelines also note that swapping sitting for more movement, and light activity for more moderate to vigorous activity, while keeping enough sleep, can bring greater health benefits.
Easy ways to add more movement
- Walk and talk. Take phone calls on your feet, or walk around the house while you're on hold.
- Use transitions. Stand up and move for a minute or two between tasks, meetings or episodes.
- Make short trips on foot. Walk to the mailbox, the corner store or a bus stop one stop further away.
- Take the stairs when it's an option.
- Add an easy walk to rest days. Several Corebound programs suggest an optional easy walk on rest days. Keep it at a pace you can talk through.
- Try the Walk at Home program if the weather, the dark or your schedule makes outdoor walks hard. It's built for a small indoor space, with no jumping.
Do you need a step count?
You don't need a tracker to follow the guidelines, but a step counter can make NEAT visible. If you use one, look for your current daily average first, then nudge it up gradually rather than chasing a big number from day one.