Anyone know how many calories are burned when....

LrdTwitchyMcChin

Anyone know how many calories are burned when you bounce on a stability ball at your desk? Google didn't help me as much as I had hoped. I'm hoping someone on here may have did a little research.

jsapninz

Uhm, probably little to none. You only really burn calories when you elevate your heart rate significantly.

If you are really curious, get a heart rate monitor.

jennkain97

Everyone burns at a different rate, so even if you get an answer, it'll only be an approximate guess. The only way to know for sure is to get yourself a heart rate monitor to keep track of the calories you burn throughout the day. But if I had to guess, I'd say probably only about 1-2/min. max.

marchandheidi

http://www.livestrong.com/article/310665-calories-burned-sitting-on-an-exercise-ball/

Try this website. I just glanced at it but it looked like it had a little info that may help you.

mes1119

I'm thinking that falls under the category of non exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT)

Probably burns just enough calories to bump you out of "sedentary" to "lightly active" if thats how you sit all day.

EmHorn4

My recommendation for anyone wanting to figure out the real calorie burn for any exercise is to wear a heart rate monitor. I have a Polar FT60 - its a little pricey, but its accuracy in tracking calories burned is so worth it to me. There are plenty of other kinds out there too! You could figure out the burn your stability ball - and every other exercise! - is giving you...with accuracy

Linda_Darlene

You burn calories all the time. If you are fidgeting and wiggling, you will burn more than if you are sitting without moving. While it may not be an appreciable amount, every little bit helps.

Dr Oz stated on one of his shows, that if you learn to fidget, it could amount to up to a 10 pound loss over the course of a year! Keep on bouncing!

caiialily

I'd agree, probably not many more than just sitting on a regular chair. Although you might be working your core, which is great, your heart rate doesn't elevate unless you're doing some serious bouncing. An HRM is the way to go, like everyone else is saying.

jsapninz

You burn calories all the time. If you are fidgeting and wiggling, you will burn more than if you are sitting without moving. While it may not be an appreciable amount, every little bit helps.

Dr Oz stated on one of his shows, that if you learn to fidget, it could amount to up to a 10 pound loss over the course of a year! Keep on bouncing!

That may be true...

OR you could get off your bootie and exercise and eat properly and easily lose 10 lbs in 10 weeks. :huh:

fraser112

You should have a look at the uk horizon the truth about exercise

Just by doing little things like your saying, taking the stairs walking to work the main guy upped his calorie burn by about 500 a day with no increase in actual exercising in the traditional sense.

So without a fancy bio suite you cant know the exact burn, it could be as little as 10 more calories a day.

every little helps though

mes1119

I disagree that a HRM would help, they aren't accurate for non exercise related activity. Typically if your heart rate isn't over 120, the burn isn't going to be accurate. If you use anything to track this, I would use a bodybugg or fitbit or something of the like that is an all day calorie burn calculator and is more accurate at calculating calorie burn of all activity, not just exercise.

chachita7

http://www.livestrong.com/article/310665-calories-burned-sitting-on-an-exercise-ball/

LrdTwitchyMcChin

http://www.livestrong.com/article/310665-calories-burned-sitting-on-an-exercise-ball/

Thank you. This is very helpful. I understand that it isn't a tremendous amount of calories burned. And it's not like it's the only exercise I do or I'm taking the easy way out, but why not get credit for the 8 hour shift I put in at work when I'm bouncing for 6 of them? Believe me, if I had the option to get up and do some real exercise at work, I would. I do get some other things in during the work day when I can though. I will also be looking into an heart rate monitor. I never really knew much about those. Thanks everyone!

alicepoppyh

I got a HRM for €25, they don't have to be expensive if you haven't got it! Prob not quite so precise, but still gives a good idea!

Jenrosity

I struggle to find the time to exercise in the traditional sense of the word. With a full time job, 70 mile commute each day, two small children & two big dogs I try to incorporate healthy activities as often as possible. Many times it is a slow walk down to the corner market with my girls, taking the stairs at work, walking on breaks, walking to local meetings if the weather permits and recently, sitting on a stability ball at work. I've read that sitting burns about 30 extra calories a day. Haven't figured out bouncing yet. I'm a bit shocked that people on a site like this aren't completely encouraging others to make healthy choices, regardless of how big or small they are.

aehmen

I agree Jenrosity. What happened to encouraging. Besides the goal is to increase our output all day AND I just read the other day that no matter if you hit the gym new studies are finding that those of us forced to sit all day are up for all sorts of health issues. So why not try to stop "just sitting" all day. Here are some more tips I found to burn more calories just in the general run of your day in a New York Times article ... Oh and by the way... Sitting (just sitting) on a stability ball instead of a regular office chair is in the article


---- article follows---
You know to step back from the local and to hop on the express instead; you grab coffee from the shop that has your order practically waiting for you at the same time each morning; you've checked all your email on your phone by the time you take your first step into work. You are the master of efficiency.

So if you had the chance to burn through an extra 100 calories a day with little to no effort, you'd be willing to give it a shot, right? Below are a bunch of easy, time-saving ways of slashing through calories that barely require any extra thought. Those small adjustments each day could make a huge difference in the long run.

Too basic for you? Tell us below how you find creative ways of burning extra calories throughout your day.

Aim for 1 Mile. On average, it takes one mile of walking or running to burn 100 calories, says nutritional biochemist and exercise physiologist Shawn M. Talbott, Ph.D. “So the faster you can cover the mile, the faster you can burn off the 100 calories.” A treadmill calculates your distance as your walk or run, while four laps on a running track will constitute a mile. You can also use Google’s pedometer map to plan a mile course around your house or office, or use a traditional pedometer: 2,000 steps equals about one mile.

Stop Sitting and Start Bouncing. Do you spend at least two hours a day sitting? Well, trading in your office chair for an exercise ball can help you burn an extra 50 calories an hour, says personal trainer Monica Vazquez from New York Sports Clubs. How? “When seated on an exercise ball, you engage your core muscles more,” Vazquez says. “By using all these teeny, tiny muscles you burn more calories just by sitting.”

Do a Quick Gym Workout. JoAnne Ragan, 32, of Akron, Ohio, used a heart rate monitor equipped with a calorie counter to figure out how she could burn 100 calories in 15 minutes. She started with five minutes of hill climbing on the treadmill, elliptical or bike, followed by two minutes of bicep curls, tricep extensions, lateral raises and upright rows with 8- to 10-pound weights. Next comes five minutes of interval training--alternating walking and running on the treadmill--and finally, three minutes of squats, lunges and wall sitting. “I can’t stand cardio, so interval with strength training is my favorite,” says Ragan, who has lost 116 pounds and was a Grand Prize winner of the 2009 Weight Watchers Inspiring Stories of Change contest.

Thirsty? Make Sure Your Water’s Cold. Don’t sip your water. Instead, drink it fast and ice cold, says Janice Taylor, weight loss coach, author and creator of the Kick in the Tush Club, which inspires dieters to stay on track. “Eight glasses of water, spaced well through the day, gives a metabolic boost that equals approximately 25 calories per glass,” Taylor says. Your body has to put in some effort to warm that water, which leads to more calories burned.

Treat Yourself to a Hot Beverage. In addition to getting your fill of cold water, soothe yourself with a nice hot cup of coffee or green or black tea. These drinks stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, and stimulation leads to calorie burn, says Lisa Davis, Ph.D., vice president of research and development for Medifast. Studies show that three cups of green tea a day can burn anywhere from 78 to 106 calories, says Dr. Davis.

Don’t Sit Still. Fidget your way through the day. Shake your leg and tap your foot while sitting at your desk. On a long phone call? Get up and pace around. Keep yourself moving and within one hour you can burn up to100 calories, Davis says.

Try a Housework Work-out. Domestic duties can deliver quite a workout. According to CalorieLab.com, a 165-pound woman can burn 100 calories by doing one of these chores:
* washing dishes for an hour
* vacuuming or mopping for 30 minutes
* cooking for 55 minutes
* ironing or grocery shopping for one hour
* carrying around a small child for 40 minutes

Go Ahead, Jump! Stash a jump rope in your car, your purse or in your desk at work. When you have some time to kill, start jumping. “A jump rope is a fun, portable piece of equipment that can quickly get your heart rate up,” says Jessica Matthews, continuing education coordinator for the American Council on Exercise. “It will have a 140-pound person burning around 100 calories in just 10 minutes.”

Dance like No One’s Watching. Regretting that you opted for a frappuccino instead of that (lower calorie) iced coffee? Turn on the radio and you can burn off most of the extra calories in a 20-minute dance session, says Matthews. Have an infant or toddler? Dance with him in your arms and those calories will disappear even faster.

Go Play! Your kids can be your best exercise buddies. A 30-minute game of Frisbee, 10 minutes of rollerblading, and 15 minutes of swimming or Wii boxing each burn approximately 100 calories, Matthews says. Have an infant? Thirty minutes of peek-a-boo crunches, baby bench presses and squatting while holding your baby will burn 100 calories and deliver a wave of baby grins and giggles.

rbeckner711

I don't know if it's burning calories but I use one in my office at home and I don't get the backaches and general stiffness that I get at work sitting in an office chair for more than 20 minutes at a time.

stellarshots

I researched this quite a bit because it was hard to find anything real on it. The best approximation I found is an extra 50 calories per hour just sitting/using it at desk. I've read vigorous bouncing burns approx. 58 calorie per 5 minutes. Of course this all depends on how vigorously you bounce on the thing. I imagine this is a pretty hard, consistent bounce.

Ndj318

I was reading this post to get some idea of calories burned when using a exercise ball because it was mainly for strength and toning which are very beneficial. I wanted to add them to my calories. I am also glad for those of you who were positive, helpful, and encouraging to the original poster who obviously has lost weight. Congrats

Ndj318

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned.asp


they have videos used with the ball and it calculates calories by weight