How NEAT Exercise Can Help You Stay Active with Chronic Illness

When you’re living with chronic illness, traditional fitness advice often feels out of touch. Aiming for 10,00 steps per day and going to the gym 3 times a week when you’re struggling to simply head out of the door?

Sadly, for many of us, that kind of approach can lead to more pain and post-exertional malaise instead of progress.

But there’s a gentler, science-based alternative that’s surprisingly powerful: NEAT exercise.

What is NEAT? And why is it helpful for people with chronic illness?

Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) refers to all the physical activity you do during the day that is not structured exercise. It involves movements like getting up from your chair, folding laundry, walking around and putting away your groceries.

According to research, all those moments of low-level movement can add up to 6 to 10% of your total energy expenditure per day if you’re mostly sedentary, sometimes burning 100 to 300 calories per day. What’s more, NEAT supports your blood and lymph circulation and engages your muscles, even days when you’re not up for more strenuous activities.

NEAT can be an accessible strategy for moving your body with chronic illness, because it’s flexible and adjustable to any energy level. You can practice NEAT whenever and wherever you want to, from getting around the house to stretching in bed. And because you can break down NEAT into small bursts of ‘exercise’, it works better than longer workouts when you’re dealing with chronic fatigue, pain and fluctuating symptoms.

No special gear or gym membership is needed; with a little thought, you can simply fit NEAT into your daily routines.

How can you increase your NEAT exercise despite limited energy and mobility?

The great thing about non-exercise activity thermogenesis is that even small movements done regularly matter. Studies suggest that breaking activity into tiny, manageable bursts is often more sustainable than ‘real’ workouts. This means you can stay active through gentle activities that you can easily adapt to your body’s changing needs.

Have a look at 26 accessible exercise ideas for various energy levels, so you can easily add more NEAT to your everyday life with chronic illness too.

This article contains some affiliate links to resources you may find useful, at no extra costs to you. All opinions are my own. 

26 NEAT Exercise Ideas for Chronic Illness

Resting in Bed

Even if you’re resting, you can sneak in some NEAT exercise from bed. Here’s how:

• 1. Stuck in bed? Make sure you change positions regularly. When possible, alternate between lying on your back and turning on your side, with a pillow placed between your knees to ensure spinal alignment. You could also use a full body pillow for support so you can rest in slightly different positions.
• 2. Try to stretch your limbs every hour, like a cat laying in the sun. You can also flex your toes and fingers to release tension from your body.
• 3. Circle your wrists and your ankles to boost circulation. You could even trace the alphabet with your toes to gently strengthen your feet and mobilize your ankles.
• 4. Practice breathing exercises, from box breathing to doing guided visualizations. Because even small diaphragmatic movements count as NEAT!
• 5. Play with fidget toys and stress balls. Did you know that fidgeting is actually good for your health? It provides stimulation for your muscles, blood flow and your concentration. So place that fun fidget toy by your bed on days when you’re mostly laying down. You could even add some brain exercising to the mix by building this Happy Cube or folding origami puzzles!
• 6. Up for something a little more active? Get some NEAT exercise in by doing leg slides to activate your muscles, spinal twists to improve mobility or Happy Baby Pose to open up tight hips.

Seated Down

We all know that a sedentary lifestyle isn’t great for your health. But sitting down can become a lot more active if you make it NEAT.

• 7. Try active sitting. Instead of chilling on the couch or passively leaning back in your chair, see if you can add more active seated poses throughout the day, like shortly balancing on a stability ball, sitting cross-legged on the floor when watching a show or squatting like a toddler every now and then.
• 8. Do floor exercises. Roll out your yoga mat for some simple ground movements. Depending on your condition, you could do some gentle rocking and rolling, practice (half) kneeling or try to get up from the ground without using your hands. Floor exercises are an accessible way to slowly rebuild your functional fitness.
• 9. Sitting on a chair? Slowly move your neck from side to side, roll your shoulders backwards and rotate your torso from left to right and back again for some seated stretching.
• 10. Turn on the music and ‘dance’ along from your seat. Tap your feet, snap your fingers, air-drum or swing your arms, whatever feels good to you! Bonus points for singing along, because that counts as NEAT exercise too.
• 11. Embrace doodling. It’s actually my favorite way to calm my mind: mindless drawing or making lists while watching TV. Doodling doesn’t just entertain your mind during boring lectures or meetings, but these subtle finger movements actually improve your attention span and memory, boost your creativity and problem solving skills, and help you relax. Sure, you won’t burn many calories, but doodling is a non-strenuous NEAT activity that can be done from your chair or even your bed, with some nice mental health benefits.
• 12. Set your alarm to get up from chair every hour. Quickly stretching your legs gets your blood flowing, corrects your posture and enhances your range of motion. What’s more, being able to smoothly move from sitting to standing is a vital skill for healthy living as you age, so it’s helpful to practice it regularly if you’re currently struggling with this.

Light Movement around the House

Looking for ways to stay active with chronic fatigue or move your body with chronic pain? These non-exercise activities will stimulate your muscles, without the post-exertional malaise from intense workouts.

• 13. Do short bursts of chores. By dividing up the workload into 5 to 10 minute chunks of activity at a time, you can build NEAT into your day without overburdening yourself. By the way, it’s perfectly ok to use aids and tools to make cooking, cleaning and organizing easier. You could also alternate between different movements if that reduces strain on your body and rest in between your housekeeping sessions.
• 14. Prep your own (healthy) meals whenever you can. Chopping vegetables and peeling potatoes (seated down if needed), standing behind the stove and stirring in pots are all highly useful versions of non-exercise activity. Plus, you get to eat the tasty result of your effort afterwards!
• 15. Break up your laundry sessions. When you become chronically ill (or a parent), you suddenly realize that laundry adds up to some serious NEAT exercise. From collecting clothes around the house, (un)loading the washing machine, hanging clothes to dry, folding clean laundry and ironing, each step is a burst of movement that engages different muscles. So break up the process to pace yourself and experiment how you can make laundry day less taxing for you.
• 16. Water your plants or tend to your (windowsill) garden. Even a few minutes of pouring water, trimming leaves or repotting plants brings movement to your arms and hands, while you enjoy the calming effect that greenery has on our nervous system.
• 17. Add some extra NEAT movements to daily activities. Do a few toe raises and knee bends while you’re waiting for your tea to brew, march in place (if you can) when you’re doing the dishes or walk around slowly as you’re talking on the phone.

Playful NEAT Exercises

NEAT exercise doesn’t have to be a boring chore. Any ‘leisure time activity’ counts as well, so bring out your playful side to sneak some low-impact movement into your day!

• 18. Actively play with your kids or pets – with adaptations wherever needed. Throw a ball with your dog or kid (you can do this sitting down if you want), push a swing or race some cars around the living room. Even doing crafts together or playing card games lets you adopt different seated positions and keep your body engaged.
• 19. Get affectionate. Kissing, cuddling and holding hands involves subtle muscle activations, while lowering your stress levels, boosting your mood and building stronger connections. The sweetest way to work on your NEAT!
• 20. Engage in hobbies. From playing guitar and building LEGO to painting by number, stringing beads and doing jig saw puzzles, these sedentary activities still involve small movements of your hands and arms that add up as NEAT, while also nourishing your creative side.
• 21. Make a game out of everyday tasks. Turn chores into fun mini challenges to get your body moving without even realizing it. Try to toss recyclables into the bin like a basketball shot or time yourself to see how quickly you can tidy toys or fold that pile of socks.

NEAT Movement for More Mobile Days

On days when you’re able to get out of the house – going to work, a doctor’s appointment or running errands – you could fit some low-impact exercises in to keep NEAT flowing without exerting yourself.

• 22. Explore exciting ways to get more daily steps in. Of course you can just park your car a little further away from the store, but you could also play tourist in your own town, go for a stroll in your neighborhood to watch Halloween or Christmas decorations, or head to the shops to get yourself a nice magazine to read.
• 23. Carry your bag(s) thoughtfully. The ‘farmer’s walk’ is a famous strength exercise for a reason, because carrying weight in each hand builds your grip and arm muscles. So when you’re shopping or running errands, pay some attention to how you can safely divide the load. You could also switch how you wear your purse around your shoulders, to engage both sides of your body equally.
• 24. Move while you’re waiting. While standing in line or during kids’ activities, sneak in a subtle NEAT exercise like ankle pumps, shifting weight from one foot to another, or stretching your arms. And at the doctor’s office, you probably already do the infamous waiting room wiggle!
• 25. At work? Do desk stretches to break up prolonged sitting, walk over to your coworker instead is sending a message and head outside during your lunch break if possible.
• 26. Infuse the weekend with leisurely activities. You don’t have to play sports, simply move your body in any accessible way that you enjoy. Go for a short but nice walk with your partner, play frisbee at the park with friends, wander around the museum or have fun with miniature golf. Depending on the season, you can also potter around the garden, dip your toes in the water, go apple picking or build a snowman, whatever makes you smile!

NEAT exercise isn’t about forcing movement, it’s about inviting it into your daily routines. Even one or two of these accessible fitness ideas, done gently and intentionally, can help you to start rebuilding your strength and stamina in safe, doable ways.

Which NEAT idea will you try today to stay active with chronic illness? 

For more ways to gently move your body with chronic illness, check out Exercise Snacks: 24 Short Bursts of Activity to Fit Into Your Day and 25 Exciting Ways to Get More Daily Steps In.