Kate Garraway, the 59-year-old presenter of Good Morning Britain and Smooth Radio, maintains an enviable figure without hitting the gym. Her secret lies in NEAT, or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, which involves burning energy through everyday movements rather than structured workouts.
What is NEAT Exercise?
NEAT includes activities like walking, gardening, and household chores. It focuses on incorporating more movement into your daily routine instead of finding extra time for exercise. This approach has helped Kate stay in shape while juggling a busy career and raising two teenagers as a single mother after the death of her husband Derek Draper.
Kate has previously shared that she does the school run every day, either walking or running to collect her kids. In 2018, she told Fit & Well magazine: "I feel so much better if I do a lot of exercise but I find it really hard to do. So I make sure I walk everywhere really fast, so I'm sweaty and feel out of breath. I run to school four or five days a week to collect the kids."
NEAT in Daily Life
Even while caring for her late husband during his illness, Kate found time for short physical activities. Speaking to Good Housekeeping in 2023, she revealed that spending 10 minutes stretching or pottering in the garden with a mug of tea helped her. Recently, she shared on Instagram that she spent an entire day gardening, showing how everyday movement benefits her.
NEAT accounts for roughly 50% of the calories humans burn daily, while structured exercise typically contributes only about 10%. This means those who avoid the gym can stay fit by finding more opportunities to move, such as walking instead of driving, washing the car, using stairs, walking the dog, or playing with children.
Motivation Beyond Looks
Kate has confessed that her fitness drive isn't about vanity. She credits her time on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! for shifting her perspective. She told Prima: "I used to think of health and fitness in terms of looking slim and looking good – and I know that’s not a very cool thing to say. Now, I want to get really fit and toned but it’s much less to do with the way I look. The jungle changed my perspective. I thought if I was stronger and fitter, I could be braver and do more things."
