Does Standing Count as Cardiovascular Activity?

AlanaTedmon

I spend many many hours a day standing at a cash register. I know that you burn more calories standing than you do sitting; should I be logging these hours standing into my MFP? Or is that just silly now?

beautycadet

I always assumed that the tracker already calculated that in when you pick out an activity level(sedentary,active, etc) to figure out how many calories you should eat.

Sutnak

Standing burns about 20-30 more calories an hour than sitting. Less, the longer you do it. I wouldn't bother adjusting activity level or logging it.

successgal1

I'm a salesperson. I stand and or walk around a bit so I put my normal daily activity as lightly active. I don't log silly things like yard work or house work or even dog walking as exercise, I'm tired and sore from it, but adapted. I don't lose weight with my normal daily activity. The only things I log as exercise are formal sessions with my DVDs and strength.

ninerbuff

No it doesn't. It burns more calories compared to sitting, but it's by NO MEANS a cardio vascular activity.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

onefortyone

When I was a cashier I stood for 7-9 hours a day almost full-time, and with bagging, I was definitely more active. I had my activity level set to 'lightly active' and lost weight predictably. So it is more active than sedentary/an office job, definitely. But don't log it separately, put it in your activity level so you get an extra couple of hundred calories to eat per day.

dbmata

AlanaTedmon wrote: »

I spend many many hours a day standing at a cash register. I know that you burn more calories standing than you do sitting; should I be logging these hours standing into my MFP? Or is that just silly now?

No, standing is not cardio.

http://www.healthstatus.com/health_blog/wellness/cardio-exercise-definition-and-benefits/

_Zardoz_

If you're that desperate for calories maybe you need to look at the whole of what you're doing.

uconnwinsnc1

I say if you are at the point of nitpicking whether or not standing is exercise...you should rehash your entire plan from the foundation up.

Unknown

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AlanaTedmon

_Zardoz_ wrote: »

If you're that desperate for calories maybe you need to look at the whole of what you're doing.

I'm not desperate for calories. I'm just curious what it might be good for.

AlanaTedmon

Jesus_Shaves wrote: »

I wonder if breathing hard counts as cardio?

I don't know!! How about you test it. Stop for an hour and see if not breathing makes you fat.

AlanaTedmon

uconnwinsnc1 wrote: »

I say if you are at the point of nitpicking whether or not standing is exercise...you should rehash your entire plan from the foundation up.

It's a fair question.

AlanaTedmon

onefortyone wrote: »

When I was a cashier I stood for 7-9 hours a day almost full-time, and with bagging, I was definitely more active. I had my activity level set to 'lightly active' and lost weight predictably. So it is more active than sedentary/an office job, definitely. But don't log it separately, put it in your activity level so you get an extra couple of hundred calories to eat per day.

Thaaaat is probably the best choice; when I started working I logged it away every single day and it gave me an extra 600 to play with at the end of the day, which felt strange because it never felt like I'd really burned 600 just standing.
I was curious to see what other people thought.

AlanaTedmon

ninerbuff wrote: »

No it doesn't. It burns more calories compared to sitting, but it's by NO MEANS a cardio vascular activity.

I think you're right, I'm beginning to feel pretty ridiculous for posting this topic. lol.

AlanaTedmon

TheReloader wrote: »

Standing burns about 20-30 more calories an hour than sitting. Less, the longer you do it. I wouldn't bother adjusting activity level or logging it.

Really? That's really interesting; I wonder if you can apply that to brisk walking as well. You eventually stop burning anything once your body has adjusted.

NaomiJFoster

I'm a preschool teacher. For 26 years, I've spent 8 hours a day, 5 days a week running, jumping, dancing, chasing, going up and down stairs multiple times a day, sitting down on the floor and getting right back up again, walking back and forth across a very large facility multiple times a day, carrying children, lifting children, holding combative children, roughhousing, etc. I honestly thought I was 'active' with all that. But no. I gained about 70 pounds in that time, even with extra exercise outside of work activity.

When it's part of your normal daily life, it's just you. Your body adapts to that and accepts it as normal (or something like that). You can count yourself as Lightly Active or Active, but don't then re-add it as exercise.

mustgetmuscles1

AlanaTedmon wrote: »

ninerbuff wrote: »

No it doesn't. It burns more calories compared to sitting, but it's by NO MEANS a cardio vascular activity.

I think you're right, I'm beginning to feel pretty ridiculous for posting this topic. lol.

Ah dont feel ridiculous, its how we learn. A lot of things like this get tossed around the internet and it kind of snowballs into something else.

Standing burns more calories than sitting gets turned into standing is good exercise. For most of us standing really is not going to be something that challenges us to the point it would be considered a cardio vascular activity.

Lysander666

AlanaTedmon wrote: »

Really? That's really interesting; I wonder if you can apply that to brisk walking as well. You eventually stop burning anything once your body has adjusted.

Does that mean if I go for a four hour run my body will stop burning calories once it's adjusted to the fact that I'm running?

I would also log the calories you spend posting if I were you. I've burned about half a calorie in this post.

AlanaTedmon

NaomiJFoster wrote: »

I'm a preschool teacher. For 26 years, I've spent 8 hours a day, 5 days a week running, jumping, dancing, chasing, going up and down stairs multiple times a day, sitting down on the floor and getting right back up again, walking back and forth across a very large facility multiple times a day, carrying children, lifting children, holding combative children, roughhousing, etc. I honestly thought I was 'active' with all that. But no. I gained about 70 pounds in that time, even with extra exercise outside of work activity.

When it's part of your normal daily life, it's just you. Your body adapts to that and accepts it as normal (or something like that). You can count yourself as Lightly Active or Active, but don't then re-add it as exercise.

My Mom and I also worked at a small preschool part time after I graduated from college. We both gained quite a bit of weight even though we were very active, running to and from classrooms and spending time with kids. I mostly attribute it to all the pastries and sweets that people would bring in; I had a bad habit of eating like the kids because it seemed easier at the time.

That's the message I'm getting from this; just set it as your lifestyle type. I'm not sure that standing at a register even really counts as lightly active, since it's pretty stationary the majority of the time.

MiloBloom83

No. This pains me to say, but Niner hit it on the head.

Chieflrg

I'm sorry, this is laughable...