Desk Work

Hi All!

I am an administrative assistant and spend most days chained to my desk typing and shuffling papers.

I have included Desk Work when I record my daily exercises. Does it really burn calories like it says it does? I certainly wouldn't rely on it as a major source of exercise but I'm curious how something so sedentary can burn calories like that. Any thoughts?

Most of your total daily calorie burn comes from non-exercise activity. As a result, while exercise can be important to overall health and body composition, it is not necessary for weight loss.

By way of example, at my current height, weight, and body composition, I burn roughly 75 calories per hour while sleeping. Simply standing up, but staying still, will essentially double that rate of burn. Desk work - if you're not on your feet at any time - is probably somewhere in between.

While you're at your desk, your heart is pumping, your organs are functioning, multiple muscle groups are in use (including your fingers and eye muscles), and your brain is using more energy than while asleep. All of these processes require energy. At the end of the day, the 300 to 400 calories you might burn in an hour of weightlifting, or the 400 to 500 you might burn from jogging, will still just be a fraction of the total energy you spent through the rest of the day, just from living.

Having said all that, the numbers on this site are a very rough estimate, and you should not rely on them as gospel truth. But in general, it is certainly possible to go through 100 calories or more per hour while working at a desk, even if you never stand up.

Nimm's answer is fantastic (thanks, Nimm, for taking the time to post such a quality response!). I will add only that, for those new to the site, there is a general feeling that FS overestimates calorie burn of "everyday" activities. Probably not by a lot, but it's worth keeping in mind. Cheers!

Thanks everyone! I'm gonna keep plugging along at work then it's off to the gym