Singing burns calories too!

KittiesSong

I'd have to say that several hours of hardcore singing drills and difficult songs that make you sweat and pant for breath have to count for something here people... No maybe singing in your car doesn't count for much but dancing, clapping, and hand movements while singing have to count for something as well as the work involved in serious breath control and core stretching. Sorry to those who don't understand how hard a performing singer works. It alone can't do much but it is a core workout at the very least!

Alluminati

If it was something I did normally before counting calories and excercising on a regular basis then I DON'T count it. It would 've already been taken into account when I set my activity level (ie sedentary,lightly active, moderately active, etc).

Artaxia

I'd be as skinny as a pencil if singing was included. I sing for no reason, every hour of the day.

legacysh

I sing in cover bands and I have worn my hrm to rehearsal and to gigs and it works out to be the same calories as the Music Playing -Guitar that is listed. So I took that and created my own to use. Since I am the lead singer, I break out a sweat on stage, constant movement and huge use of core muscles.

I don't count any other singing, only rehearsals and performances because I know there is generally a focused attention to movement and breathing and power that take physical strength at those. I too sing almost non stop all day.

jeanncole

If you think singing does not burn calories, obviously you have never been a singer. I have been in Sweet Adeline's, Quartets, Bands, and Church praise bands my whole life. And yes just standing in one spot singing along with everyone else may not burn a whole lot of calories. But performing is a whole different category. It takes a lot of energy to stand up in front of a crowd and get them motivated to stand and sign and dance with you. And most performers don't just stand there, they move around the stage, dance and move around. Have you ever been to a concert in your life. I have never seen a single performer walk off stage without a single drop of sweat on them, and it has nothing to do with the light. It has to do with the energy and calories burned. And to say playing an instrument counts but singing does not is ridiculous. Singing counts!!!

way2busy2

Having just stood for six hours of rehearsal, including choreography, I'd say singing is exhausting!

Springfield1970

No it really doesn't burn anything worth logging I'm afraid to say!

I am a personal vocal coach and sing more than 25 hours a week. I also coach bands.

My maintenance rate without exercise is 1750 which puts me somewhere between sedentary and lightly active.

It's that because I don't have a car, walk everywhere (not logged) carry my shopping home from the store, have a nine year old boy to go to park and play football with, have no sofa or tv, and am slightly manic and fidgety. Plus I don't sleep more than 6/7 hours, and am quite muscley.

If I included my singing as a burn, my numbers would be too high and I would kiss any weightloss or clean bulk goodbye!

heybales

Again, to sink this point home for all you folks. THIS IS NOT EXERCISE. DO NOT LOG SINGING. SERIOUSLY...

Why you ask? Calorie counters include your BMR. so vast majority of those calories you're seeing as burned from singing are actually burned from existing. Lets take a gander at a counter site and see.

http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/Calories_Burned.asp

160lbs person sitting = ~100cal/h
160lbs person standing = ~131cal/h
160lbs person sitting singing = ~110cal/h
160lbs person standing singing = ~145cal/h

TOTAL CALORIE BURN FROM SINGING: ~11-15 calories per hour

So for the love of all that is holy, don't log anything more than a dozen calories/hour from singing if at all. you're seriously deluding yourself if you think you're actually expending a serious amount of calories....

Worse than that.

On MFP every hour of your day is already account for with an expected amount of calorie burn - which you are trying to eat less than.

Your maintenance figure / 24 is already accounted for calorie burn.

So actually subtract that larger figure from those estimates you found.

This just shows how much people don't realize they are actually burning calories all the time, and just how much.
When people stop and think, they'll see they burn far more calories in their sleeping metabolism all day then they burn in exercise for a day.

BigTireFlipper

Wear a HRM while singing to get the count. I'd do it, but I don't sing...unless I'm drunk karaoke-ing. Lol.

Respectfully disagree. A HRM is designed to show the number of calories burned under the assumption that multiple muscle groups are involved in the activity. (Cardio). This is the reason that the can't reliably track non-cardio activity like weight lifting or singing is because those activities are expending energy using an isolated muscle group vs multiple groupings.

Let's not all get carried away with what to log for burns here. Where does it end? Did you set your profile as sedentary or active? If you set it sedentary then I suppose you could subtract the difference between calories burned standing vs calories burned sitting and use that delta. If you set it active then it's already accounted for. In the end you have to ask yourself "was my activity really any different "energy wise" then what I normally due during the day anyway?

BigTireFlipper

Again, to sink this point home for all you folks. THIS IS NOT EXERCISE. DO NOT LOG SINGING. SERIOUSLY...

Why you ask? Calorie counters include your BMR. so vast majority of those calories you're seeing as burned from singing are actually burned from existing. Lets take a gander at a counter site and see.

I didn't see your post. +1 for you. :happy:

BigTireFlipper

OMG you made me reply to an ancient thread. :sad:

Dewymorning

i burned a crap ton of calories on the drive home then

This.

:P

karenblohm1

I agree. It takes a lot of work to sing correctly. It's not as easy as it looks. And why is the minimum weight 150 lbs.?

TeaBea

Opera singers aren't exactly slim