Does Standing Burn Calories? Expert Doctors Speak to the Science

It may be another case for the standing desks trend: Doctors say spending more time on your feet can help you burn calories even without adding movement.

There are several reasons to take a (literal) stand: US adults spend around six to eight hours sitting each day, says Mani Singh, MD, a dual board-certified sports medicine physician and assistant professor at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Sedentary (sitting) behaviors include “desk-based office work, driving a car, watching television, or any prolonged period of sitting with decreased movement,” Dr. Singh says.

Spending more time on your feet is a simple way to boost your health, says Shane Davis, MD, a sports medicine doctor at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. “Sedentary behavior contributes to many health issues, including obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes,” Dr. Davis says. “I have seen a research study showing a large increase in cardiovascular disease when sitting more than 10 hours a day—other research has suggested that sitting more than eight hours per day increases your risk of dying similar to obesity and smoking.”

On the upside, not only can standing help counteract that, it can help you trim down while doing virtually nothing.

Ahead, these medical doctors explain how many calories you can burn by standing, and how the science works.

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Does standing burn calories? Yes, a doctor says—here’s how

According to Dr. Singh, “There are various research studies that suggest, on average, standing may burn more calories than sitting.”

This is thought to be a result of greater muscle activation. “When standing, more muscles are tensed in order to combat forces of gravity and bear our body weight—this leads to increased metabolism and heat production, resulting in a small increase in overall energy expenditure.”

The number of calories you burn from standing versus sitting varies from person to person, explains Dr. Davis. For instance, in general, “This effect is greater in men, likely due to greater muscle mass.” Your body’s basal metabolic rate (BMR) also plays a role. Dr. Davis explains that this basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy—or calories—that your body burns at rest to perform basic functions such as breathing, circulating blood, maintaining body temperature, and fuel cell growth. “This can be affected by some things that we cannot control, such as age and height, but also by factors we can control, such as diet, weight, and fitness level.”

How many calories does standing burn?

A 2019 research study published in PloS One measured participants’ basal metabolic rate while sitting, lying down, and standing. The researchers found no difference between the number calories burned whether we’re sitting or lying down. But, on average, standing increases someone’s standard energy expenditure by about 10%.

To put that 10% into context, a review of 46 studies published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology estimates that a 143-pound (65 kilogram) person who swaps sitting for standing for six hours daily will burn an extra 54 calories per day.

While expending an extra 54 calories a day might not sound like much, the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology research points out that this can amount to burning about 5.5 pounds (2.5 kilograms) or body fat mass in a year—just from standing during the day. However, the researchers note that this result relies on someone having otherwise healthy dietary and lifestyle habits.

“The difference is small in comparison to our overall energy expenditure, so while it is beneficial to substitute sitting time with standing, people should not view standing as a substitute for regular exercise,” Dr. Davis says.

But hitting the gym once a day doesn’t necessarily make up for a sedentary lifestyle, according to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers found that people who sit more than 11 hours a day had a 57% higher risk of all-cause death—even if they participated in daily moderate-to-vigorous exercise.

“Regular exercise has many benefits, but it’s important to remember that what you do during the rest of the day matters as well,” Dr. Davis says. “Regular exercise can help mitigate the effects of otherwise sedentary behavior, but individuals are still susceptible to negative effects and should view [exercise and standing] as complementary to a healthy lifestyle.”

How to stand more, as advised by doctors

Dr. Singh says the easiest way to incorporate more standing time into the day is to pair it with activities you enjoy. “This might mean adding a daily walk through the park or simply standing during the commercial breaks of your favorite television show,” he says. “Other ways to incorporate more standing and walking time in your day include standing during meetings or phone calls, standing while performing household chores, or using public transportation where you are able to stand rather than sitting in a car.”

If you’d benefit from a more structured approach, experts also point to the 20-8-2 rule: A system developed by Alan Hedge, a Cornell University ergonomics professor. Throughout your day, for every 20 minutes you spend sitting, stand for eight minutes and then spend two minutes moving around (stretching, walking to another room, or completing a quick chore, for instance). “You can use your phone or smartwatch to set reminders for yourself during the day to get up and get moving,” says Dr. Singh.

About the Experts

• Mani Singh, MD, is dual board-certified in Sports Medicine and in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is an Assistant Professor of Sports Medicine in the Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.

• Shane Davis, MD, is a board-certified sports medicine physician at Tufts Medical Center, team physician for Tufts University, physiatrist, and Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine.

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