{"id":632363,"date":"2026-10-16T11:28:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T11:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/632363\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T11:28:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T11:28:18","slug":"anna-maxwell-martin-49-uses-simple-neat-exercise-to-stay-fit-3-easy-ways-you-can-move-more-every-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/632363\/","title":{"rendered":"Anna Maxwell Martin, 49, uses simple NEAT exercise to stay fit \u2013 3 easy ways you can move more every day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rather than relying solely on structured gym workouts, Anna Maxwell Martin incorporates movement into her daily life.<\/p>\n

Between cycling to appointments in her busy schedule and walking the dog during time off with her daughters, the British Academy Television Award winner relies on her lifestyle to keep her active and on the go.<\/p>\n

This kind of incidental movement is known as Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, or NEAT<\/a>. It includes activities such as housework, walking, carrying shopping, gardening, taking the stairs instead of the lift and even fidgeting.<\/p>\n

Cycle when possible<\/p>\n

Anna has long used cycling<\/a> as a practical way to get around.<\/p>\n

‘Interviews with me always start, “Anna walks in the room looking sweaty and haggard”, because I\u2019m literally always rushing around on a bike looking sweaty and haggard,’ the Until I Kill You star told The Times<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n

The publication reported that she arrived at the interview wearing a backpack and carrying a cycling helmet.<\/p>\n

It’s a habit that goes back at least a decade, as she was also described as speaking to The Telegraph<\/a> in 2015 ‘with a cycling helmet at her feet’.<\/p>\n

‘I was knocked off my bike by a lorry the other day and today I only made it a mile or so, then had to abandon it and take the Tube,’ she said.<\/p>\n

As well as being a convenient way to travel, cycling can be excellent for overall health.<\/p>\n

Research<\/a> from the University of Glasgow reported that regular cycling commuters had a 45% lower risk of developing cancer and a 46% lower risk of developing heart disease, and were 41% less likely to die from any cause.<\/p>\n

Another study<\/a> tracking more than 82,000 participants aged 16 to 74 during their commute over 18 years found that, compared with sedentary commuters, regular bike riders had a 47% lower risk of dying from any cause and a 24% lower risk of being hospitalised for cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

Always take the stairs<\/p>\n

Anna has also revealed that she uses incidental movement as a way to increase muscle activation.<\/p>\n

‘Something like 80 per cent of Brits have lazy glutes,’ she told The Times<\/a> in a separate interview earlier this year.<\/p>\n

‘What I say to them is, “Look, I also have lazy glutes, but I am trying. I never take the lift, I always take the stairs.”‘<\/p>\n

AXA Health Insurance research<\/a> explains that prolonged periods of being sedentary can lead to gluteal amnesia \u2013 ‘where muscles essentially switch off due to inactivity’ \u2013 an issue relevant to many UK adults, given that more than one in four spend five or more hours sitting at a desk each day.<\/p>\n

Research<\/a> also suggests that climbing stairs can engage your glutes.<\/p>\n

A systematic review evaluating activation of the gluteus maximus \u2013 the largest glute muscle \u2013 across different exercises found that step-ups and variations, including lateral, diagonal and crossover step-ups, produced the highest activation levels among the exercises assessed.<\/p>\n

Other exercises classified as producing very high glute activation included the hex bar deadlift<\/a> and a few variations of the barbell hip thrust<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stay busy <\/p>\n

Time away from the screen also allows Anna to stay active throughout the day.<\/p>\n

‘Being a mum is my priority and so a lot of choosing parts comes down to how it balances with that side of my life. I\u2019ve just had four months off with [my teenage children], shopping, cooking, walking the dog,’ she continued to The Times.<\/p>\n

Household NEAT tasks like these may not constitute a formal workout, but they still contribute to daily energy expenditure.<\/p>\n

One study<\/a> found that cooking, meal prep, laundry, light cleaning and watering plants ranged from 1.8 to 2.3 metabolic equivalents (METs) \u2013 how much energy your body uses compared with resting, which is defined as 1 MET \u2013 while sweeping, walking, and carrying groceries and boxes on the ground and stairs ranged from 3.0 to 5.5 METs.<\/p>\n

Recently, Anna has also taken up more structured exercise, with The Times noting her visible biceps and abs.<\/p>\n

‘There was some talk about my abs<\/a> in Cannes \u2013 I was over the moon,’ she said.<\/p>\n

She attributes this to dynamic Pilates.<\/p>\n

‘Any other exercise is too slow for me,’ she added.<\/p>\n

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