How Many Calories Are Burned Sitting?

Calories Burned Sitting Calculator and Formula

Did you know that you can burn calories while sitting quietly?

Even if you just sit in one place, your body burns calories to create energy that is needed to perform various automatic bodily tasks such as breathing and food consumption.

The calories burned from the sitting calculator is an easy-to-use online tool that will help you find the number of calories that you can burn from sitting.

About Calories Burned Sitting Calculator

Sitting is an important part of our lives. We spend most of the day sitting, whether it is on a sofa, a chair, or on the floor.

Although health specialists warn about the negative health impact of sitting for an extended period of time, they rarely talk about the upsides of it. There is a considerable amount of energy expenditure associated with sitting.

Sitting on a floor helps burn calories. Although the number of calories burned from sitting is not a lot, it is still something worth talking about.

You can use the calories burned from the sitting calculator to find the total number of calories you burn sitting.

This calculator makes it easier for you to find the calories burned from sitting quietly or doing various activities while sitting in one place.

Since sitting involves burning calories, you can find the calorie burn using this calculator. The number of calories you burn depends on the sitting time, your weight, and the activity level while sitting.

How to use this calculator?

Here is how you can use this calculator to find the total calories burned from sitting:

Input your weight in the calculator. You can input the body weight either in kgs or lbs in the calories burned from the sitting calculator.
Choosing the type of sitting activity.
Input the time you have spent sitting.
Click on the Calculate button to get the result for the total calories burned from sitting.

Also check: Calories Burned Standing

Formula for finding calories burned from sitting

The calories burned from the sitting calculator is based on the formula for finding calories burned per minute.

Here is the formula for finding the calories burned per minute:

Calories Burned Per Minute = (Weight(kg) x 3.5 x MET) / 200

Once you get the number of calories burned per minute using the above formula, you can multiply your answer with the total number of minutes you have spent sitting.

This will give you the result for the total number of calories that you have burned while sitting.

The MET (Metabolic Equivalent) in this formula is the measurement of the energy cost of physical activity, such as sitting, for any amount of time.

Here are the MET values for different activities associated with sitting:

Sitting while meditating – 1
Sitting quietly while watching TV – 1.3
Sitting quietly in general – 1.3
Sitting quietly while fidgeting hands – 1.3
Sitting quietly and smoking – 1.3
Sitting at a desk – 1.3
Reclining while writing – 1.3
Reclining while talking on the phone – 1.3
Reclining while reading – 1.3
Sitting and listening to the music – 1.5
Sitting while watching a movie in a theater – 1.5
Sitting while fidgeting feet – 1.8

Note: You can visit the compendium of physical activities to find the MET values for more physical activities.

Can you burn calories while sitting?

The BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the minimum number of calories that your body needs for performing various basic functions while being at rest.

Even when you are not moving your body, it still burns calories to keep these automatic functions going.

So, sitting can help burn calories. The energy produced from the calories burned helps with various bodily functions such as keeping the heart beating, breathing, and regulating the body temperature.

Sitting burns fewer calories than standing. If you want to find the standing calories burn, you can use our calories burned standing calculator for that.

How many calories does an average person burn from sitting for an hour?

On average, a person can burn between 90 to 150 calories per hour from sitting for an hour.

The number of calories burned varies based on the factors such as the time you have spent sitting, and the task that you have been doing while sitting.

The more you sit, the more calories you burn. Especially if you are doing a desk job, it can enhance caloric burn.

More Calorie Calculators:

Health benefits of sitting on the floor

Improves posture

There are various posture improvement practices that suggest sitting on the floor for improving posture.

When you sit straight on the floor, it helps your body slowly move back to its natural posture.

Improves digestion

Sitting on the floor forces your body to stretch a bit which helps with improving the digestive system.

When you move around a bit while sitting, it requires your body to make bigger movements to do any task as compared with sitting on a chair doing the same thing. This additional movement promotes better digestion.

Doesn’t create hip tension

Sitting on a chair for an extended period of time can make your hips hurt. The hips become tight and stiff when you sit on a chair for a few hours.

Sitting on the floor on the other hand doesn’t create such issues. You can stretch your hip flexors while sitting on the floor which helps you sit comfortably for as long as you want to sit.

Enhances muscle activity

Sitting on the floor requires much greater muscle activity and movement as compared with sitting on a chair or a sofa.

With enhanced muscle activity, your body feels active throughout the day.

Offers workout for lower-body muscles

Sitting involves the use of the lower-body muscles. So, it is a great source of workouts for your lower body.

Various yoga practices recommend different sitting positions for working out the lower body.