Standing and Moving
Calories burned: 4 or 5 per minute, as opposed to just 2, which is the average for sitting in a chair doing office work. That may not seem like a huge difference, but over the course of a full day of work, that’s a matter of hundreds or even thousands of calories.
The Work: There was a time when going to work meant real, physical work—using your strength, dexterity and durability to get through the day. Of course, we’re not saying those kinds of blue collar jobs are gone, far from it, but there’s way more people idly sitting in chairs staring at screens for a living than ever before. In a physical sense, many of us are working longer but certainly not harder than we used to.
Accessibility: Moderate. In general, you can’t really change the nature of your work. If you have a desk job, try doing it while standing up, or while sitting on an exercise ball. This won’t be a huge difference in calories burned, but studies have generally shown excessive sitting to be detrimental to the body in the long run. Move around whenever possible, even if it’s just to get more water.
