Calories Burned Standing Vs. Sitting

The simple act of standing up
instead of sitting may help you burn as many as 50 more calories per
hour, depending on your size. Although 50 calories may not seem like a
lot in a 2,000-calorie day, making the standing adjustment for four
hours out of the day can burn an extra 200 calories a day–leading to a
20 lb. weight loss over the course of a year. Standing more often also
contributes to an overall better sense of well-being and health.

We
spend a lot of time sitting–at our desks, at the computer at home, in
front of the television, in our cars, in meetings, waiting for
appointments and at restaurants and bars. Sitting compresses the spine
and tightens the chest, shoulder and neck muscles. Poorly designed
chairs further exacerbate postural problems and inflexibility caused by
excessive sitting.

Standing
improves your posture and reduces aches and stiffness. People who
choose to stand over sitting note that their minds feel more clear and
that they have a better ability to concentrate. Standing qualifies as
non-exercise activity thermogenisis, also known as NEAT, which
encompasses those everyday activities that help burn calories, such as
fidgeting, gesturing and shivering. Adding these types of activity
creates a bigger calorie burn and assists in weight loss. Standing often
leads to other movement, such as pacing while on the phone or walking
to the copier. All these small movements add up to more calories burned
over the course of the day.

A
sedentary lifestyle contributes to obesity and health complications.
Even dedicated gym-goers who put in their 30 minutes every day on the
treadmill are at risk if they spend a majority of their waking hours
sitting. A 130 lb. woman burns a scant 60 calories in an hour while
sitting. If you sit for eight hours of your day, that burns only 480
calories, which is less than what most people consume at dinner.

Author
Neville Owen, who surveyed multiple studies on the effects of sedentary
lifestyles, concluded that an increasingly sedentary lifestyle
contributes to the growing rates of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular
disease and obesity in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
His conclusions, published in a 2008 edition of the “British Journal of
Sports Medicine,” recommends possible interventions to break up people’s
daily sitting time as part of public health practice.

Ergonomically
designed elevated desks, although pricey, are becoming available in
some workplaces. Some companies are experimenting with slow
treadmill-based desks to increase workers’ physical activity throughout
the day. Even if you do not have access to these progressive workplaces,
you can make an effort to get up more often throughout the day. If you
are tied to your desk, increase your non-work activity–take a walk
during your lunch break, park farther away in the parking lot and move
as much as you can in the evenings and on weekends.