Calculate how many calories you will burn sitting doing various activities such as fidgeting or reading.
Written byTom Miller, CSCS
Last Updated onJuly 14, 2022
How many calories do you burn Sitting?
The average person (180 pounds) will burn 86-129 calories per hour sitting. The number of calories you burn sitting depends on how you sit and what you are doing while sitting.
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Calories burned with Daily Activities (weight: 175 lbs)
| MET | 15 mins. | 30 mins. | 45 mins. | 60 mins. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mowing the Lawn | 6 | 125 | 250 | 375 | 500 |
| Stairs | 8.8 | 183 | 367 | 550 | 733 |
| Standing | 2.5 | 52 | 104 | 156 | 208 |
| Gardening | 5 | 104 | 208 | 313 | 417 |
| Sleeping | 1.3 | 27 | 54 | 81 | 108 |
| Sitting | 1.3 | 27 | 54 | 81 | 108 |
| Raking | 4 | 83 | 167 | 250 | 333 |
| Resting | 1.3 | 27 | 54 | 81 | 108 |
| Walking a Dog | 3 | 63 | 125 | 188 | 250 |
How To Use the Calculator
To use this calculator to calculate the calories burned sitting, you must input how long you spent sitting and how much you weigh. After that, you choose the specific sitting activity you spent time doing and you will find the calories you would burn there. This is how you do that step-by-step.
Using the calculator step-by-step:
- Choose the measuring unit – metric (kilograms) or imperial (pounds)
- Enter your weight
- Select the sitting activity you spent time doing
- Enter the time you spent sitting in minutes
- Hit CALCULATE
You should now see the approximate calories burned while sitting.
MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task)
MET values are numbers that rate how many calories are burned doing various tasks. These values are used in the MET formula, which calculates how many calories are burned.
MET values (metabolic equivalent values) are the ratio between your active metabolic rate (AMR) to your resting metabolic rate (RMR).
Your active metabolic rate is equal to the calories burned while you are active throughout the day in addition to your resting metabolic rate. Your resting metabolic rate is the calories burned while you are at rest, without actively digesting.
Your basal metabolic rate is the same thing as your resting metabolic rate. They both measure the calories burned at rest.
The higher the MET value of an activity, the more calories are burned doing it. A task or physical activity with a MET of 1 will burn as many calories as your resting metabolic rate or basal metabolic rate. A task or physical activity with a MET of 4 will burn 4 times more calories than a task with a MET of 1.
So, a task with a MET of 4 will also burn 4 times as many calories as your RMR.
In addition to your MET, the formula uses how much oxygen your muscles use per kilogram of body weight per minute. Your muscles use 3.5 ml of oxygen.
You can calculate this amount by multiplying 3.5 by your bodyweight in kilograms. This is done in the equation along with your bodyweight and the MET of the activity to give you the approximate calories burned doing an activity.
Formula
Total Calories burned in 1 minute = (3.5 x MET x body weight in kg) / 200
Examples
A person weighing 140-pounds will burn 87 calories per hour sitting.
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 3.5) / 200
The equation to calculate the number of calories a 140-pound person will burn sitting will look like this.
(63.5029kg x 1.3 x 3.5) / 200 = 1.444690975 Calories burned per minute
To find how many calories are burned per hour sitting in general for someone that is 140-pounds, you must multiply the calories burned per minute by 60 minutes.
- Calories per hour burned = 1.444690975 x 60 = 87
Results
87 calories are burned by a 140-pound person per hour sitting, and 1.5 calories are burned each minute sitting in general.
How many calories do we burn just sitting for 1 hour(weight: 150lbs)
| Activity Name | Met | Calories Burned |
|---|---|---|
| Meditating | 1 | 86 Cal |
| Reclining reading | 1.3 | 111 Cal |
| Reclining talking on the phone | 1.3 | 111 Cal |
| Reclining writing | 1.3 | 111 Cal |
| Sitting at desk, resting head in hands | 1.3 | 111 Cal |
| Sitting quietly and watching television | 1.3 | 111 Cal |
| Sitting quietly, fidgeting, fidgeting hands | 1.3 | 111 Cal |
| Sitting quietly general | 1.3 | 111 Cal |
| Sitting fidgeting feet | 1.8 | 154 Cal |
| Sitting listening to music (not talking or reading) | 1.5 | 129 Cal |
| Sitting smoking | 1.3 | 111 Cal |
| Watching a movie in a theatre | 1.5 | 129 Cal |
What is Sitting?
Sitting is resting the body using a chair, the floor, or anything that can hold your body weight. Sitting is something that does not burn many calories, so it does not count as exercise, and it also is not healthy.
Sitting is very unhealthy and should be minimized as much as possible. Our bodies not only work more efficiently standing upright but many functions rely on uprightness to work efficiently, such as bowel function.
Sitting for extended periods of time can weaken many muscles such as the legs and glutes, and the hips and back. This atrophy will cause problems that are irreversible in the long term because of the injury and health risks that will arise because of them.
There are no health benefits to sitting and it should be avoided whenever possible.
How to Combat The Negatives of Sitting
Sitting can be negated by first limiting the time you spend sitting. This is not easy but can be done with habit and taking frequent breaks and walking every 30 minutes to stay active the time you do not spend sitting.
Once you limit sitting, you can increase your activity outside of sitting, especially with resistance training. You can spend 10 minutes walking a day to offset the negative effects of a full day of sitting.
The general rule is that you should get 150 minutes (about 2 and a half hours) of exercise a week, as recommended by the CDC (Center of Disease Control) to reduce the risk of medical conditions and to decrease the effects of sitting all day.
Any physical activities are good for the effects of sitting. Physical activities done at a moderate pace to even doing intense activity will be more beneficial than easy exercise done at a slow pace without much intensity.
This is because more intense activity burns more calories, which is more beneficial to your health because most of the health conditions in our modern day are caused by or are more prone to obesity. When you are obese, you are more at risk for dozens more diseases than if you were not obese.
Spending eight hours a day sitting is terribly bad for you, but awareness of your unhealthy habits while doing things such as watching television or playing video games, and lounging, can help turn around your unhealthy habits for lifelong healthy habits.
It is entirely impossible to stop sitting, even less than eight hours daily because we sit all the time and everywhere we go in this day and age. People have either a desk job or simply use a desk anywhere they go. A desk is not good for you for extended periods because of the reasons I listed above.
A desk is even worse because of its use. It is used daily, and can’t be sacrificed because of its use… or can it?
Standing Desks
A standing desk is a desk that holds things like a computer and its monitor but in a position allowing you to stand and adjust things while standing. This is a whole lot healthier than sitting and can even reverse health effects like back and neck pain or gastrointestinal issues.
If you work a job that requires the use of a desk, then getting a standing desk can transform your health. You will burn more calories, increase your activity level, and save your knees and strengthen them compared to sitting. Sitting weakens the knees and creates instability over time.
Sitting and standing both have their function but sitting time should be reduced as much as possible because of the negative effects it has on your health. Getting a standing desk will have a significant difference to your health than without.
Variants of standing desks can help you lose weight and burn many more calories while standing. A treadmill desk can help keep you active while also having the benefits of a desk. It is a desk combined with a treadmill, so you walk in place while getting your work done. This can increase your standing calories and lets you do cardio while working.
Conclusion
The calories burned sitting vs standing are not a significant difference but is noticeable. The calories you burn standing are 50-60 more calories on average standing. Burning calories is as easy as that, but if you can increase your energy expenditure by standing rather than sitting, then this will lower the increased risk of many diseases you will get if you sit for prolonged amounts of time.
The average person will burn 90-150 calories per minute. You can track your calorie burn sitting by using this calculator. This can help you stay accountable for your energy expenditure and will help you lose weight and get in better shape.
References:
- The dangers of sitting: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/the-dangers-of-sitting
- Jetté, M., Sidney, K., & Blümchen, G. (1990). Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clinical cardiology, 13(8), 555–565. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.4960130809
- WHO global recommendations on physical activity for health (updated): https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/physical-activity/developing-guidelines-on-physical-activity-and-sedentary-behaviour
- Compendium of physical activities: https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/
Categories:Fitness Calculator Tools
FAQs
How do you calculate calories burned while sitting? ›
To determine how many calories you burn a day with the Harris Benedict Equation, you multiply your height, weight, and age by a MET. You can assign a 1.2 for sitting or 2 for standing to determine total calories burned daily. You can calculate your own daily caloric usage by visiting manytools.org.
How do you calculate calories burned per minute with vo2 max? ›- Male: ((-95.7735 + (0.634 x HR) + (0.404 x VO2max ) + (0.394 x W) + (0.271 x A))/4.184) x 60 x T.
- Female: ((-59.3954 + (0.45 x HR) + (0.380 x VO2max ) + (0.103 x W) + (0.274 x A))/4.184) x 60 x T.
The MET value of Sitting = 0.9. We multiply the MET value with the person\'s body weight in kilogram. Then we multiply this with 0.0175 and the duration in minutes. 30 minutes of Sitting burns 39 kcal.
Do you burn calories just sitting there? ›It's true: just sitting on the couch staring into space requires that you burn some calories. That's the BMR and it accounts for about 2/3 of the total calories burned each day. As examples, you burn 40-55 calories/hour while sleeping and a bit more while sitting up watching TV or reading.
Which sitting position burns most calories? ›Sit Up Straight
Plus, sitting up straight with your shoulder back and your abs tight—compared to slouching at your desk—requires engaging more muscles and can burn a few more calories.
Office work burns calories, too. An hour of desk work burns about 100 calories.
Does VO2 max affect calories burned? ›Each liter of oxygen utilized burns about 5 kcals so the higher the VO2max, the more energy you will require to exercise meaning you can burn more calories and get better more intense workouts.
Is VO2 max good for Weight Loss? ›2. an optimum fat burning rate has been identified (Figure 1) at 65% of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) - the body's ability to take on board and use oxygen during exhaustive exercise. * that maximum heart rate is the same for everyone of a given age.
What is a good VO2 max? ›Elite male runners have shown VO2 maxes of up to 85 mL/kg/min, and elite female runners have scored up to 77 mL/kg/min. A good VO2 max for a 25-year-old male is 42.5-46.4 mL/kg/min, while a good value for a 25-year-old female is 33.0-36.9 mL/kg/min.
How many calories will I burn per hour if I sit quietly? ›Yes, even as you sit, you burn calories – but not much. Sitting quietly burns about 100 calories per hour. Standing increases this to around 160 calories per hour.
How many calories do I burn if I sit all day and do nothing? ›
The average person burns around 1800 calories a day doing absolutely nothing. For example, according to the Healthy Eating Guide (opens in new tab), sitting burns an estimated 75 calories per hour. This number will vary however.
How many calories does the average person burn a day sitting? ›Standing burns more calories than sitting (186 calories vs. 139 calories). Walking at a moderate pace burns more calories than standing (324 calories vs.
Does wiggling your legs burn calories? ›Fidgeting, 350 Calories a Day
Tapping your foot, shaking your leg, and other general signs of restlessness can be bothersome to those around you—but did you know that they can also help you lose weight?
03/7Maintain a stable posture
When you sit up straight, you are going to minimally workout muscles in the upper body, shoulders and the back. This, in a way, helps strengthen the core and promotes calorie burning, since you exert pressure in maintaining a straight back.
- Work your abs while you sit. ...
- Squeeze your stomach muscles as tightly as possible and hold for 8 seconds. ...
- Laugh a lot to burn energy. ...
- Fidget as much as possible: Tap your feet. ...
- Trade your chair for a stability ball. ...
- Turn down the thermostat.
Chair running helps you burn calories to lose weight. Practice chair running by sitting straight with your knees bent. Straighten your right leg out in front of you while planting your left foot on the ground. Next, in a motion similar to running, bend your right leg and extend your left leg quickly.
Does moving your arms while sitting burn calories? ›Arm swinging while standing
Waiting for something? Arm swinging losens your muscles and give you a quick calorie burn when space and time is limited. It also helps stretch muscles in your shoulders, back and neck while helping your tendons and joints. It can be a mini cardio exercise, throughout the day.
The answer to the question of how many sit ups to burn 1000 calories is 5000 sit ups. Although this is not the answer you expected, sit ups are more equipped to help you build strength than burn calories.
Is 1000 calories in one sitting too much? ›A 1,000 calorie diet is a risky strategy for losing weight. While someone can safely follow the diet short-term, experts do not recommend that people follow extreme diets for extended periods because they can damage a person's health and cause them to regain the weight they lost and more.
Does sitting burn more calories than lying down? ›As a group, the volunteers burned about 3 percent more calories when sitting compared to lying down and about 12 percent more standing compared to sitting.
How do you convert VO2 to calories? ›
For every liter of oxygen con- sumed, approximately 5 kcal are burned, so kcal can be determined from VO2 by using this conversion factor. Here's a quick example: Your client is exercising at a VO2 of 2 L/min. Multiply 2 L/min by 5 kcal/L.
Does higher VO2 max mean you burn more calories? ›“The higher your VO2 max, the faster and longer you can work out, resulting in more calories burned,” says Personal Trainer Mike Martin. By increasing frequency, duration and/or intensity, you can improve your cardiorespiratory endurance and, therefore, improve the efficiency of your heart and muscles.
Is VO2 max a good indicator of fitness? ›VO2max is generally regarded as the best indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness. It reveals how much oxygen your body is able to consume during maximum effort. The higher your VO2max, the more oxygen your body can use – and the better your aerobic fitness.
What is a good VO2 max by age? ›| Classification | 18-25 | 56-65 |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | >60 | >41 |
| Good | 52-60 | 36-41 |
| Above average | 47-51 | 32-35 |
| Average | 42-46 | 30-31 |
VO2max interval length
Since VO2max can typically be sustained for 5-8 minutes, I recommend intervals that range from 2-5 minutes for criterium, road, cyclocross, and mountain bike and 4-8 minutes for time trial and triathlon events.
Another common problem for those struggling to improve their VO2max is a lack of adequate recovery. Goal-oriented athletes are often eager to progress and achieve their goals as quickly as possible. This frequently leads to training longer and harder than you should, which can be ultimately counterproductive.
What is a good VO2 max by weight? ›For a fit person in the same age range the Vo2 Max is likely to be around: Women – 45+ ml oxygen/kg of body weight/minute. Men – 51+ ml oxygen/kg of body weight/minute.
How do I increase my VO2 max? ›...
Tips to improve
- Exercise at a high intensity. ...
- Train in intervals. ...
- Combine interval and continuous training. ...
- Keep challenging yourself. ...
- Find Your 5K and 10K times.
Calculate your maximum heart rate by multiplying your age by 0.7 and deducting it from 208, which equals 187 bpm. Divide your maximum heart rate (187 bpm) by your resting heart rate (60 bpm) and multiply by 15.3. That's all. Your VO2 max is approximately 48 ml/kg/min.
What quiet exercise burns the most calories? ›- Bicycle Crunch. "This move is awesome because it really targets your entire core," said Devan Kline, NASM-certified personal trainer and CEO of Burn Boot Camp. ...
- Mountain Climbers. ...
- Plank Walkout. ...
- Plank Jack. ...
- Side Kick.
How many calories does a lightly active person burn a day? ›
That said, an adult who is an average weight will burn the following calories by doing the minimum amount of exercise for each activity level: Sedentary - zero. Lightly Active - between 130 and 160 calories. Active - between 470 and 580 calories.
How many calories does 10,000 steps burn? ›Have you been power walking your way to 10,000 steps a day? Good for you! It takes 20 steps to burn 1 calorie, therefore walking 10,000 steps burns off about 500 calories, which can then be added to your total calorie budget for the day.
Is it better to sit or stand all day? ›There are a few good reasons why we should consider standing more often, among them lower blood sugar levels, lower risk of heart disease and less stress and fatigue than those who sit for eight hours or more each day. “Standing has a significantly larger impact on our longevity than sitting.
How many calories do you burn sitting for 8 hours? ›How many calories do you burn sitting all day? If you sit and work for eight hours, you will burn an average of 134 calories per hour (the estimated number of calories burned by a 170 lb. person). For eight hours, the estimated calories burned is 1072.
How many calories does a resting body burn? ›We burn approximately 75-100 calories when we rest and do nothing. A person who is standing or fidgeting will burn more calories per hour than someone who is sitting. If an individual does nothing, they will burn approximately 0.48 calories per pound of weight or 0.05 calories per kilogram of weight per hour.
What movement burns the most calories? ›Running is the winner for most calories burned per hour. Stationary bicycling, jogging, and swimming are excellent options as well. HIIT exercises are also great for burning calories. After a HIIT workout, your body will continue to burn calories for up to 24 hours.
What kind of fidgeting burns the most calories? ›Walking at 2mph burned 202% more calories than the control. Finally, walking 3mph burned 292% more calories than the control condition. To put this in more practical terms, if you were to sit while fidgeting all day, you would burn about 600 more calories than if you sat motionless all day.
How to lose weight with a 9 to 5 job? ›- Opt for active meetings. Walk and talk. ...
- Park further away from the office. ...
- Don't keep snacks in your desk or office. ...
- Stay hydrated. ...
- Use your lunch break wisely. ...
- Prepare in advance, don't succumb to the vending machine. ...
- Take advantage of incentives offered by your employer. ...
- Stand at least 30 minutes each hour.
Tapping your toes, rocking back and forth or side to side, nodding your head, and other fidgety moves are called "non-exercise activity thermogenics," and you can burn an extra 150 calories an hour just by keeping your body in motion, however slightly, during the day.
How should I sit after eating to lose weight? ›Simply sitting
It is a common habit to sit and relax after having meals. This will make you gain weight. A Short walk for 15 to 20 minutes after having food increases metabolism. This also helps in digestion and prevents bloating.
What sitting position burns the most calories? ›
Sit Up Straight
Plus, sitting up straight with your shoulder back and your abs tight—compared to slouching at your desk—requires engaging more muscles and can burn a few more calories.
An interval session consisting of 30-second bouts of sprinting in between five-minute segments of jogging can burn 1,000 calories in less than 30 minutes. According to the American Physiological Society, research shows that sprint interval training can burn 200 calories in just 2.5 minutes.
How to burn 50 calories in 5 minutes? ›- Running on the treadmill (6 mph)
- Indoor cycling at a fast pace.
- Playing racquetball.
- Rowing machine (vigorous)
- Boxing workout.
- Practicing martial arts.
- Circuit training or boot camp.
- Walking on a treadmill (4 mph with a 5 percent incline)
- For men: 66 + (6.2 x weight) + (12.7 x height) – (6.76 x age)
- For women: 655.1 + (4.35 x weight) + (4.7 x height) – (4.7 x age)
On average, a person will burn at least 1800 calories a day without exercise. To lose weight, you must be in a calorie deficit. Caffeine supplements can help you achieve this state by boosting your BMR to promote fat burning.
Does lying down burn less calories than sitting? ›As a group, the volunteers burned about 3 percent more calories when sitting compared to lying down and about 12 percent more standing compared to sitting.
How many pounds will I lose burning 500 calories a day? ›Example: If you exercise more to burn an extra 500 calories each day, you'll lose about one pound of fat in a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories).
How do I calculate my calories manually? ›- For women, BMR = 655.1 + (9.563 x weight in kg) + (1.850 x height in cm) - (4.676 x age in years)
- For men, BMR = 66.47 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5.003 x height in cm) - (6.755 x age in years)
Your basal metabolism rate is produced through the following basal metablic rate formula: Men: BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) – (5.677 x age in years) Women: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) – (4.330 x age in years)
How many calories does a 70 year old woman burn in a day? ›Sedentary Women
Women ages 31 to 50 years old burn about 1,800 calories. Women older than age 50 burn about 1,600 calories each day.
How to lose 2 pounds a week? ›
Generally to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day, through a lower calorie diet and regular physical activity. Depending on your weight, 5% of your current weight may be a realistic goal, at least for an initial goal.
How many calories should I eat a day by age? ›| Gender | Age (years)a | Sedentaryb |
|---|---|---|
| Child | 2-3 | 1,000 |
| Female | 4-8 9-13 14-18 19-30 31-50 51+ | 1,200-1,400 1,400-1,600 1,800 1,800-2,000 1,800 1,600 |
| Male | 4-8 9-13 14-18 19-30 31-50 51+ | 1,200-1,400 1,600-2,000 2,000-2,400 2,400-2,600 2,200-2,400 2,000-2,200 |
An hour in the gym (400 to 500 calories) plus 6,000 steps of being active throughout the day (300 calories) plus following the Pritikin Eating Plan (500-calorie deficit) nets you about a three-pound weight loss every week.
How many steps does it take to lose a pound? ›"Generally, 1 mile (or roughly 2,000 steps) walked equates to [burning] 80 to 100 calories." There are 3,500 calories in 1 pound. "This means to lose 1 pound, you'll need to walk roughly 35 miles or 70,000 steps.
How to lose 3 pounds in a week? ›Set a new daily calorie goal to create a 1,500 per day deficit. 3 lb (1.4 kg) is equal to 10,500 calories, which means you'll need to cut 1,500 calories per day using diet and exercise. Once you know how many calories you burn in a day, subtract 1,500 from it to get your daily calorie goal.