Burning calories while giving a massage

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TaraAdams
TaraAdams Posts: 18 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey, I am a massage therapist and was just curious if there is anyone that know how many calories that you brun during a 1 hour session. Especially if you have 4-5 clients a day and are doing deep work. I have looked online nd have gotten a few quotes but they just don't seem right. I know it will not go for improving my cardio. but, I know I'm burning something.
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  • Schuyler
    Schuyler Posts: 78 Member
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    I don't know this for sure, but I wouldn't think that something like that would count as exercise. You might want to change your settings to say that you live a more active lifestyle. MFP will adjust your calorie goals accordingly. To find out how many calories you're burning, buy a HRM. Good luck! :)
  • Angela4Health
    Angela4Health Posts: 1,319 Member
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    I would just change activity level to lightly active for the days of working instead of trying to figure out how many calories are burned per massage.
  • sweetbri07
    sweetbri07 Posts: 150 Member
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    Hi there! I'm also an LMP, and I had found a site that had listed massage as a choice for exercise, so for ME (5'1, 150 lbs), a 60 minute massage burns around 285 calories.

    Obviously everyone is different, but considering how hard we work sometimes, I know I break a sweat when I'm giving a massage, especially involving treatment work, so I consider it to be accurate enough.
  • drasr
    drasr Posts: 181
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    A good HRM can help calculate those calories. But since you are not doing something that elevates your Heart Rate by a significant amount, most likely you won't be burning too many calories. Though you will be building more muscle which may indirectly help.
  • drasr
    drasr Posts: 181
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    I would just change activity level to lightly active for the days of working instead of trying to figure out how many calories are burned per massage.

    That would mean eating more calories. I don't think that's what they want.
  • jubjubbird
    jubjubbird Posts: 2 Member
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    I'm also a MT and I've looked all over for this information. So far the best luck I've had experimenting around with it, is to set my activity level for whatever I think my activity level is if I don't work, in my case lightly active because even if I'm not working I spend most of my day running errands and doing housework. Then on workdays I add exercise for however many clients I do. I find this approach works better for me than raising my overall activity level, because I can have anywhere from one to five clients a day, which is a big difference. So far this is working for me slowly but surely.
  • quietlywinning
    quietlywinning Posts: 889 Member
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    I'm an MT, too, but never thought about that. I just counted the job into my lifestyle. I don't do the same number of massages each day, but it balances out with being home with my six-year-old the rest of the day and on days I don't work.
  • cuerpito
    cuerpito Posts: 65 Member
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    I would count this as a higher activity level, too. When I met with a nutritionist, she told me that the toughest part for her is working with farmers. Even though they burn tons of calories, she still needs to tell them to keep a strict diet and exercise. Supposedly they laugh in her face when she tells them to work out after a whole day on the farm. She said that if you're doing something on a daily basis your body doesn't view it as exercise anymore and gets used to it. Same with repeating the same workout routine every day - eventually it stops working because your body is so used to it that it's not considered exercise.

    I tend to believe this. My mom runs a janitorial business. She cleans ALL DAY LONG. Even though she's not a big eater, she gains easily if she doesn't watch her diet, just because her body is used to the routine.

    I would increase the activity level rather than counting it as exercise. Anyway, whether you count it one way or the other, you'll be allowed a few more calories.
  • givprayz
    givprayz Posts: 328
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    Do a search for calories for common activities. I know I've seen massage on a few lists, and I think the calorie counts have been over 500 per hour, but I suspect if you've done it for long, that number would come down because you acclimatize. Anyway, Google it.
  • TaraAdams
    TaraAdams Posts: 18 Member
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    Thanks! for the advice. I ws just curious...:smile:
  • leovic77
    leovic77 Posts: 2
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    -post was deleted-
  • leovic77
    leovic77 Posts: 2
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    Sorry accidentally pushed enter. I was saying.. massage therapists level of activity change cause of constant change in number of massages done I put light activity. Sometimes I do two. Others I have done eight. So I put my activity on light and I just add how much massage time I have I did for the day. From there I know more or less how much calories I need for the day or dinner. I think by putting it on high would throw it off.. I may have a light work day and may not need that many calories for the day. That's just me.
  • STARG1RL
    STARG1RL Posts: 44 Member
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    Also a LMT... I know this was posted early last year, but I once googled an article that talked about 'Easy Ways to Burn 100 Calories.' One of the ways was by giving an "intimate" massage to your partner for 19 minutes; that didn't include what came after :wink: Anyway, according to this story, 19 minutes burned appx 100 calories.

    This is just my two cents...

    Instead of upping my calories for the days that I actually massage people, I made up my own Exercise & called it Massage Therapy. I go off of what I feel is appropriate per client & of course the amount of time.
  • Jodi_Hiking4Fitness
    Jodi_Hiking4Fitness Posts: 16 Member
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    MFP actually has "Massage" as an exercise now. I do 5 hours of deep tissue/Sports massage a day and most certainly count it against my totals. Lifting bodies, to me, is no different then lifting weights.
  • dawnapril948
    dawnapril948 Posts: 2 Member
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    I am a massage therapist also and found a site that will calculate for you based on your weight and duration of massage :
    http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/caloriesburned/giving_massage
    It says I burn 297 per hour of massage based on my current weight of 156- I count this as exercise- yes, your body builds up a tolerance level, but you are still burning calories, regardless, and it should be counted; just my thoughts. I do 5 hours of deep tissue massage daily so I put my activity level to light since it is mostly standing and added the massages as exercise. Hope this helps!
  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
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    half that 300 cal will be bmr. hope you don't eat them all back.

    regardless, it's not exercise. it's daily activity have your log set properly and just count real exercise
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,630 Member
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    Do a search for calories for common activities. I know I've seen massage on a few lists, and I think the calorie counts have been over 500 per hour, but I suspect if you've done it for long, that number would come down because you acclimatize. Anyway, Google it.

    No that is not accurate, that figure is just 100 under on what I burn if I go for a 60 minutes RUN and that is with an elevated HR above 160bpm for the whole time.
  • edresjones
    edresjones Posts: 2 Member
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    I am also a LMT, and i do primarily deep tissue and Sports Massage. The following web site will calculate Calories burned for a massage. http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/caloriesburned/giving_massage. At 5'10" 280 lbs i burn 800 in a 90 minute massage. I have been using the low impact aerobics option, for a 3rd or 4th of the time i actually massage. Seems to be working approximately the same
  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
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    seriously you people are in denial. 800 calories giving massage? youre some kind of special if you believe this.

    actual number after you remove bmr would be under 100 for darn near everyone. its not a calorie burner.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,630 Member
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    seriously you people are in denial. 800 calories giving massage? youre some kind of special if you believe this.

    actual number after you remove bmr would be under 100 for darn near everyone. its not a calorie burner.

    This ^

    I am interested in where people are getting the numbers for the calorie burns for massaging now.

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