OVERVIEW

You can expend calories in one of two ways. One is to go to the gym and the other is through all the activities of daily living called NEAT (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis). It appears that NEAT is far more important for calorie-burning than exercise in nearly everyone.

NEAT is the focus of our laboratories.
We study NEAT in people; young, old, lean and obese.
We study NEAT in populations.
We study NEAT within the brains of humans and animals.
We study how microtechnology can be used to measure and change NEAT.
We study how to change NEAT in our sedentary world.
Our goal is to understand NEAT and to change our world for active health.

WHAT IS NEAT?

Looking out over this crowded coffee bar, I see a 40 year old man reading a newspaper. He is stationary. He sits next to a 30 year old woman. She can barely sit still. She gets up and curves between the tightly squeezed tables, just to get a napkin and then gesticulates wildly as she talks on her cell phone. He has still not moved. He thinks now of his three year old daughter at home; "she just never stops" he thinks.

Read more about non-exercise activity thermogenesis