Standing in a store, lifting boxes, serving customers, running around for about 8 hrs versus sitting at a computer for the same time?
It totally depends on the person, but I’d give a range of an extra 100 to 200 calories per hour burned for the person in the store job. If that.
According to my Livestrong calculator in the MyPlate section it lists “Sitting (Moderate Work)”- as burning 358Cal/Hour.
While it gives “Standing-Moderate Work” at 501Cal/Hour.
Now I have no idea how they came up with these things, or definitions of what “Moderate” work is but that’s just a comparison point for you.
You really don’t burn any more, here’s why…
Back in 2004 I participated in a study at the U of Chicago sports med and basically the long and short is your body will compenstate unless you do a sustained effort and raise your heart rate at least 60% of it’s resting mode.
What they did is hook me up with a halter montior and measure my heart rates and used breath meters to meaure calorie burned amounts, among other things. On days when I did more, my body would compensate during rest.
So let’s say I sit there and do nothing and burn 80 calories an hour. If I lifted boxes I might burn an extra 10 calories but when I sat back down, the next hour my body would only burn 70 calories. So the net result is nothing.
However when you exercise at over 60% of your resting heart rate you actually start the way your body burns and adapts.
It was pretty intersting to see how the heart works like on days I worked out heavily my heart rate would go into the 40bpm when I slept. On days when I didn’t work out my sleeping heart rate would stay around the upper 60s.
The average result was only a 5 point difference in heart rate on days I worked out when I didn’t. Like on days I didn’t work out it averaged 75bpm and when I did work out it averaged 70bmp. You see the high stress of exercise was balanced off by the lows when I slept. This didn’t happen when I worked out.
The basic thing is, this is why all those “fun tricks” don’t work for weight loss or improving your health. Unless you make a real effort you’ll never see a change, because only by SUSTAINED exercise do you get benefit. At least for your heart and weight loss.