 Hey everybody, Dr. O here. So what is NEAT? I like to start every story at the beginning. You're going to hear me talk a ton about NEAT, but what actually is it? So NEAT stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. It's also called NEPA, Non-Exercise Physical Activity. So what is this? Here's a great definition from the number one researcher in the field of NEAT, Dr. James Levine from the Mayo Clinic. Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis, or NEAT, is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise. It ranges from the energy expended walking to work, typing, performing yard work, undertaking agricultural tasks, and fidgeting. So that's a really good definition. There are arguments about what can truly be classified as NEAT. Some say it has to be subconscious, like if you actively are doing something it defeats the purpose, but I'm more interested in helping you lose weight than battling about definitions. So here's how I'm going to define it. NEAT is every calorie you burn using your muscles when you aren't in the gym. Every calorie you burn using your muscles when you aren't in the gym. This can be fidgeting, standing, walking, carrying things around your house, working in your yard, washing your car, going to the store. The list goes on and on. NEAT is truly the emotion of your life. Alright, so what does it mean to be a NEAT freak? People probably don't like being called the freak, so let me explain myself when I talk about this NEAT freak program. So a freak, another definition, is a person, animal, or plant with an unusual physical abnormality. So I don't mean this as a negative thing at all. This term fits because what we're going to do, we're going to be people who move as much as possible in a world where movement has become optional. We're going to stand out. We're going to be different. We will be freaks because we're going to move while those around us are sitting their way to fatter tummies and an earlier grave. That's what it means to be a NEAT freak and it's 100% positive. So why should you care? Why should I care about NEAT? That's the question that the first half of this course will answer. The answer has to do with how it can burn calories and boost your metabolism along with a lot of other things. So NEAT is an important piece of your metabolism pie. So here you see your metabolism or your total daily energy expenditure. The only way to boost your metabolism is to boost one of these four slices. So obviously the biggest slice is your basal metabolic rate. That's determined by genetics and how much lean mass you have. We can control that a little bit by adding lean mass, putting on a pound of muscle here, a pound of muscle there, but we can't change it much day to day. So NEAT isn't the biggest piece of this metabolism puzzle or pie, but it is a critically important piece because the largest piece that you and I can control. We have a lot of control over how many calories are burned every day in non-exercise activity. So what's the science say? Non-exercise activity thermogenesis in human energy homeostasis. This is actually one of 183 studies that I reviewed as I designed this program. I spent the last six months just immersed in this data trying to find ways to help people burn more calories to lose more weight. So here's a quote. Available data support the hypothesis that targeting NEAT could be an essential tool for body weight control. That's why we're here. So non-exercise activity thermogenesis or NEAT is unequivocally the most influential part of our overall metabolism when it comes to adaptive thermogenesis. So what that means, and that's a really big part of this, it doesn't mean it's the biggest part of your metabolism, but it's the part of your metabolism that changes the most when you lose weight. So if we can keep it from changing while we lose weight, we will continue to lose weight. So that's why it's the most important piece of the puzzle for preventing weight loss stalls and weight loss plateaus and then also regaining the lost weight. So NEAT can burn a tremendous number of calories outside of the gym, which is why it's a powerful tool to boost your weight loss efforts. This means that a lack of NEAT is probably a huge part of your weight problem and finding ways to burn more calories throughout the day is going to be a huge part of the solution. So if you don't believe me, let's check this next couple studies out. Like again, I'm just, I'm throwing this idea around, but let's actually put some numbers behind it. I think they're going to surprise you. So what does the science say here? Let me take a drink quick. Pardon me. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis liberating the life force. So are you ready for this one? This study found that NEAT varies between two people of similar size by up to 2,000 calories per day because of people's different occupations and leisure time activity. That's 2,000 calories extra without trying, without going to the gym. Right? It's hard to believe, but simply moving around throughout the day can burn up to 2,000 more calories a day. I mean try doing that on the treadmill or the elliptical trainer at the gym. Now 2,000 calories is a huge number. These are going to be someone that has a manual labor job or someone working in agriculture versus someone at a desk. So I'm not saying that you can burn 2,000 calories a day, but we do know it's possible. This program will show you how NEAT could easily help you burn 350 to 700 calories per day when properly incorporated throughout the day. So why do I pick those numbers? You'll see there's actually science behind those numbers. I can honestly tell you that NEAT can help you burn 350 to 700 calories per day because that's what's happening in the studies that I'll show you throughout this course. This increase of 350 to 700 calories per day could lead to almost effortless weight loss without going on a diet or spending hours in the gym. So what are some of the other benefits of NEAT? And I will, I have videos that cover every one of these. You'll burn more calories. We'll talk about that repeatedly. Accelerating weight loss makes sense. Preventing weight loss stalls and plateaus. I just told you it's a big part of preventing that metabolic adaptation or people call the survival mode that occurs during weight loss. Boosting your metabolic rate. So I'll show you how being physically active can actually increase your basal metabolic rate as well by helping you increase lean mass. Building muscle. Those two are connected. Controlling your appetite. You may be surprised to find that out, but by increasing your physical activity, you can actually regulate your appetite and start to eat less and then living a longer, healthier life, which is what I hope you're really here for besides the weight loss. So as you can see, NEAT or non-exercise activity can give you many of the same benefits that you'd get from a structured exercise program. So I'm definitely not saying exercise is bad, but I'll show you evidence that NEAT throughout the day may even lead to more health benefits than just a single exercise session, 30 minutes after work, that kind of thing. So does this all seem too good to be true? Honestly, that's the whole point. I really feel like this could be the difference between weight loss, failure, and success, which is why I've spent so much time researching it and sharing it with you. So what are our key takeaways here? Long story short, NEAT is very NEAT, and I apologize for the puns and the terrible jokes, but NEAT is going to lead to a lot of those. Your NEAT levels will play a huge role in your weight loss success or failure, and the physical activity you do outside of the gym is way more important than you think. So what are our action steps so far? Honestly, right now, just prepare to be amazed at what NEAT can do as I show you more and more of the science, and then reach out to me if you have any questions. So next up, we're going to actually take an honest look and see that we may have been trying to lose weight the wrong way all along. I'll explain more in the next video. Have a wonderful day. Be blessed.