Calories Burned Fidgeting
Although fidgeting might seem more like a nervous habit than a weight loss strategy, it can actually help you trim away the pounds. Fidgeting uses more energy than idleness does, burning more calories over time and resulting in slimmer figures for those who don't sit still. The amount of calories fidgeting consumes depends on what type of fidgeting you do and how consistently you fidget; the more you move around, the more you burn.
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Research
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To understand the effects of fidgeting on body weight, researchers have studied "non-exercise activity thermogenesis" (NEAT), which is the measurement for the calories you burn between structured activities. In 1986, an experiment conducted by Eric Ravussin showed that fidgeting and "restless" activities are key factors in how many calories a person burns each day. Similarly, a study published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" on May 24, 1990, showed that twins who were fed identical hypercaloric diets experienced large differences in weight gain, with fidgeting twins gaining the least, and idle twins gaining the most. A growing body of research supports these conclusions, indicating that fidgeting is a potential tool for weight loss or weight maintenance.
Calories Burned
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The calorie-burning potential of fidgeting depends on a number of factors, including your current weight and how often you fidget. For a 150-pound adult, complete idleness---such as sitting or reading---burns 72 calories per hour, whereas standing burns 80 and driving burns 144, according to the calories burned calculator on Healthstatus.com (find a link in the Resources section). Instead of sitting still when you have free time, completing active chores can boost your calories burned: washing the dishes burns 153 calories per hour, cooking burns 180, completing light housework burns 198, raking the lawn burns 270, washing the car burns 306, mopping burns 306, gardening burns 369 and shoveling snow burns a whopping 413. By choosing movement-based activities instead of sitting down, you can burn more calories throughout the day.
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Other Activities
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To burn more fidgeting-related calories, complete tasks by hand instead of using labor-saving devices---which often contribute to blocks of time spent sitting down. Rather than watching television while the dishwasher cleans your cookware, wash your dishes by hand; you'll burn 26 extra calories. Likewise, washing your clothes manually burns 24 calories more than using the washing machine. Whenever you find yourself on the couch, make an effort to stretch, change positions and stand up frequently. Pace while you make a phone call, take a stroll during your lunch break instead of sitting at your desk, take the stairs instead of the elevator and do some housework during commercials. All of these activities will burn more calories than idleness.
Weight Loss
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Substituting stillness with active movements can help you burn up to 300 calories per day---which amounts to a pound of weight loss every 12 days, or 30 pounds per year. Along with exercise, fidgeting and moving instead of sitting still can help you create a calorie deficit, resulting in steady weight loss. It can also help you prevent the pounds from creeping up over time: according to exercise researcher James Levine, obese individuals sit for 2.5 hours longer each day than slender individuals do, suggesting a link between idle sitting and weight gain.
Considerations
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For the activities mentioned above, the calories burned are based on an individual weight of 150 pounds. If you weigh less than this, the number of calories burned during each activity is slightly reduced; if you weigh more, the number of calories burned is greater. Although some people fidget automatically, it takes conscious effort for others, and may require time to become a natural habit for you.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Sara. Nel: Flickr.com
