Why experts say Kate Garraway’s “NEAT” routine could add years to your life

Kate Garraway has been talking about the tiny movements that stitch her day together — stairs instead of lifts, standing during calls, quick walk breaks between shows. Experts have a name for it: NEAT. And they think it might be the quietest longevity habit you can build, starting today.

45am and the kettle’s jabbering. On the TV, Kate Garraway is laughing with a guest, then she mentions the little things she does to keep moving when the cameras cut. You look at the mug, at your phone, back at the clock. The day is already in motion, even if you’re barely moving.

The streets outside are waking up: a neighbour power-walking to the Tube, a delivery rider weaving through parked cars, a school run unfolding like a daily play. Bodies in low gear, but still burning. The sort of effort nobody calls exercise — yet it counts.

It could change your healthspan.

What Kate means by NEAT — and why scientists care

NEAT stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. It’s the energy you burn while doing everything that isn’t structured exercise: walking to the bus, hoovering, fidgeting at your desk. As Kate has hinted on air, it’s about sprinkling motion through an otherwise busy day.

Researchers have tracked NEAT for years, and the numbers are striking. Light-intensity movement across the day is linked with better blood sugar control and a lower risk of early death, even if you never set foot in a gym. One large analysis suggests replacing 30 minutes of sitting with easy movement can shave meaningful risk from your health profile.

There’s a simple mechanism. Move a little, more often, and you wake up enzymes in your muscles that help process fats and sugars; you grease the hinges of your joints; you dial down inflammation. Dr James Levine, who popularised the concept, calls prolonged sitting the new smoking. NEAT is the antidote that doesn’t ask for Lycra or a membership card.

The real-world power of tiny moves

Picture a London day done the NEAT way. You get off the bus a stop early. You climb the station stairs instead of the escalator. You stand during two phone calls, carry the shopping home, and drop into a few slow squats while the pasta water comes to a boil. None of it feels like a workout, though your wearable quietly notices.

Anecdotes match the literature. Office workers who intersperse sitting with light walking every half-hour report fewer afternoon slumps and steadier hunger. In community studies, people who rack up more NEAT — even when their gym time is zero — generally have smaller waists and better blood markers than those who stay glued to their chair. These are ordinary folk doing ordinary movements, not athletes chasing margins.

Think of NEAT as a background app. It keeps your metabolism ticking while you live your life, not around it. Those tiny bursts burn calories, sure, but the headline is metabolic flexibility — your body gets better at switching fuels, smoothing energy dips, and backing off the long-term wear and tear that ages us from the inside.

Building a NEAT routine like Kate — without turning your life upside down

Start with anchors. Tie one move to one habit you already do. Kettle on? Two slow sets of five sit-to-stands from a dining chair. Team call? Walk the corridor or stand by a window. Arriving home? Take the stairs with a bag in each hand, controlled and steady. These are micro-rituals that turn life into a low-intensity circuit.

Most people trip up by overthinking it. They try to overhaul the whole day, then stall after a week. Let it be scrappy. Pick three moments you know you’ll hit — morning brew, mid-morning call, post-lunch fog — and layer in a 60–90 second move. Let it spread from there. Let’s be honest: nobody really does this every day.

Small moves, big change.

“The best exercise is the one you do all day — steps, stretches, stairs, and the small stuff that never makes it onto a calendar.”

• NEAT swaps at home: Fold laundry standing, brush teeth on one leg, calf raises while the shower heats.
• NEAT at work: Stand for the first five minutes of every meeting; pace during voice notes; stairs for one floor.
• NEAT on the go: Walk one Tube stop above ground; carry a light rucksack instead of a suitcase for short trips.
• Recovery-friendly NEAT: Gentle housework, short strolls after meals, light gardening on rest days.

There’s a reason experts link NEAT to longevity. Sedentary time tends to cluster. Break it up and you lower the cumulative strain on your system — blood sugar spikes soften, blood flow improves, and the nervous system relaxes its grip. You’re not smashing intensity. You’re smoothing the edges of your day.

We’ve all had that moment when the step count at 6pm reads like a typo. Don’t bin the day. Stack a few wins before bed: a brisk 10-minute errand, the long way to the bin, a tidy-up that actually moves you. Small, real, done. That’s the game.

Fidgeting counts. Toe taps under the desk, shoulder rolls while emails load, a hip hinge to pick up the post rather than a stoop. It all drips into the same bucket. There’s nothing glamorous about it, which might be why it works so well.

The quiet longevity advantage

Longevity often gets packaged as heroic discipline or genetic luck. Then you watch someone like Kate keep the day moving — not to “crush it”, not to brag, just to live with a little more ease — and it looks ordinary again. That’s the point. NEAT doesn’t demand motivation. It rides on routine, nudged by tiny choices that repeat and compound.

Across a month, NEAT can add hours of motion without a single workout class. Across a year, it can reshape the way you feel after lunch, the way you sleep, the way your clothes sit. Across a life, the maths gets interesting. A little less sitting, a little more low-effort motion, day after day, and the odds tilt towards more healthy years — not just more years.

There’s no finish line here. Just a different way to run the day. And if it starts with a walk round the kitchen while the kettle sings, you’re already on your way.

FAQ :

• What exactly is NEAT?Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis — the energy you burn doing everyday things that aren’t workouts.
• Can NEAT really add years to my life?Studies link higher daily movement and less sitting with lower mortality risk and better heart and metabolic health.
• Does NEAT replace the gym?No. Think of NEAT as the foundation. Formal exercise still supports strength, bones, and cardio fitness.
• How much NEAT should I aim for?Start by standing or walking for 1–2 minutes every 30–60 minutes of sitting, plus 6–8k steps most days.
• Any tips if I have joint pain or limited mobility?Use seated marches, gentle standing shifts, light resistance bands, and more frequent but shorter breaks.