Calories Burned While Resting and Doing Nothing Calculator – Fitness Volt (2024)

The average person weighing 180 pounds burns 81-154 calories per hour resting or doing nothing, the total calories burn depends on the your weight, type of activity.

Calories burned with Daily Activities (weight: 175 lbs)

Resting is an activity that everyone does, whether you realize it or not. Your body at rest typically doesn’t use much energy since there is not much physical activity involved, which is why you might be surprised to hear that you can burn calories while at rest. Read on to find out exactly how many calories you can expect to burn while resting.

There are many different types of resting that you can do. Some types of resting you consciously do, while other types of resting like sleeping are done unconsciously.

There are some ways that your body is resting that can burn calories. For example, while you’re standing in line at the grocery store or a restaurant, your body is burning calories. This may shift the way that you think about resting.

No matter which type of resting you’re doing, our calculator will help you determine how many calories that you’re actually burning.

How To Use The Calculator

Using the calculator to determine how many calories you’ll burn while resting is easy and only requires a few steps. To calculate the number of calories that you’ll burn, just input your weight and the time that you’ve spent or plan to spend resting. Then select the specific type of resting that you’re doing and hit CALCULATE.

Using the calculator step-by-step:

1. Choose your unit of measurement (pounds or kilograms)
2. Enter your weight in the corresponding unit of measurement
3. Find the type of resting that you’re doing
4. Enter the time (in minutes) you are resting for
5. Hit “CALCULATE”

How the Calculator Works

Our calculator uses MET values to give you an accurate estimate of how many calories you can expect to burn while resting and doing other activities. The higher the MET value, the more calories you will burn.

MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task)

MET stands for metabolic equivalent and MET values allow us to give you an estimated expenditure of energy for many different activities, such as resting.

A MET value is a ratio between the working metabolic rate and the resting metabolic rate [1], which is the rate of energy that is used relative to the duration of time spent doing activities like resting.

So a MET value of 1 is the equivalent of the amount of energy you expend while at rest, and a MET value of 2 means you are expending twice as much energy compared to being at rest.

Almost all activities that you can think of have MET values assigned to them. Some activities with MET values are common, and some are not so common. For example, there are MET values assigned to activities like meditating, painting, and horseback riding.

Most activities come with varying levels of intensity and have different MET values assigned to them. For instance, there are different types of resting that you can do. One type of resting is lying in bed awake, while another is standing quietly in line.

Formula

The formula that our resting calculator uses to determine the number of calories burned per minute is (MET x bodyweight in Kg x 3.5) ÷ 200.

Examples

A person weighing 160 pounds will burn approximately 102 calories per hour from standing quietly in line. This activity has a MET of 1.3, which means that it burns slightly more calories than you would while doing activities like watching television.

This is what the formula for calculating the calories burned while standing quietly in line will look like for a 160-pound individual at a MET value of 1.3.

• Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
• Calories burned (per minute) = ( 72.6 x 3 x 3.5 ) ÷ 200
• Calories burned (per minute) = 7 calories x 60
• Calories burned (per hour) = 102 calories per hour

The most physically involved type of resting that you can do is standing and fidgeting. This activity has a MET value of 1.8. Below you will see what the formula for calculating the calories burned while standing and fidgeting will look like for a 160-pound individual.

• Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
• Calories burned (per minute) = ( 72.6 x 8 x 3.5 ) ÷ 200
• Calories burned (per minute) = 7 calories x 60
• Calories burned (per hour) = 174 calories per hour

What is Resting?

The act of resting is characterized by being dormant or inactive. However, resting can be much more than this definition. There are plenty of different types of resting that you can do that involve some physical activity.

Many times when your body is at rest, you were previously being physically active. For example, if you are doing sprints on a track and competing in a race, once the race is over your body must rest for a certain amount of time. While your body is resting and recovering, you are actually burning calories.

Resting is an essential part of physical fitness. Every time you do an intense set of bench presses or squats, you must rest for a few minutes before you can do another set. Resting allows your body to recover from physical activity and recharge so you can repeat the activity with the same amount of strength as before.

Some activities like meditating involve your body being in a rested state as well. While meditating may not burn very many calories, it has mental and spiritual benefits that can have a positive effect on your daily life and well-being.

Getting enough quality sleep is also an example of an essential type of resting that you must do. Getting enough sleep has been shown to speed up muscle recovery and provide you with more energy throughout the day.

What Muscles Does Resting Work?

Certain types of resting like sleeping and watching television don’t necessarily work any muscles directly. However, meditating often involves making sure that your core muscles are engaged and providing the stability to hold your body upright and in a position that makes it easy to meditate.

Other situations when your body is at rest include standing in line at places like the grocery store or at the airport. In these situations, you are using your lower body to stand upright, which does burn calories when standing for a long period of time.

Benefits of Resting

As we mentioned previously, resting is an essential part of your well-being. Resting also plays a crucial part in building muscle and your overall level of physical fitness. Without a sufficient amount of rest, your body wouldn’t be able to recover from strength training and your results in the gym will suffer.

There are many different ways that you can rest your body, such as after performing different strength training exercises or simply getting enough sleep at night. No matter what type of resting you are doing at the moment, it’s an important part of recovery in the gym.

Equipment

While there is no equipment that is directly needed to rest, some resting activities like meditating will involve some equipment to do effectively. If you decide to meditate, you may need a special pillow or mat that is designed for meditation. Most other types of activities where your body is at rest do not require any equipment.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How many calories does a body burn at rest?

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) shows you how many calories your body burns at rest without any type of physical activity. Your BMR will vary depending on factors like mass, height, and age. If you are doing activities like standing or meditating at rest, you will burn more calories than you would while sleeping or when your body is truly at rest and not moving.

Does sleeping burn fat?

It is possible to lose weight while sleeping. However, this weight loss is mostly through losing water by sweating and breathing. Sleep is also a fundamental component of well-being, and a lack of sleep can result in weight gain and the inability to recover from physical activity like lifting weights and strength training.

Is rest important for weight loss?

Getting enough rest each night is a major factor in your ability to lose weight. If you don’t get enough rest each night, you will not only put on weight but you may experience other side effects like irregular heart function, mental health problems, anxiety, and an increased risk of depression [2].

Is one rest day per week enough?

The amount of rest that you need each week depends on your current level of fitness. If you are new to exercising regularly, you should get at least two days of rest each week. If you are a more experienced athlete that exercises more frequently, you can get by with just one day of rest each week.

The Bottom Line

Resting is an essential part of fitness. Whether you are getting rest while sleeping or resting in between sets, getting enough rest will allow you to put on muscle and lose weight easily. Certain types of activities when your body is at rest will also burn calories!

Use our resting calculator to get an idea of how many calories you can expect to burn while at rest, and be sure to check out all the other calculators that we have to offer at Fitness Volt!

References:

1. Jetté, M., Sidney, K., & Blümchen, G. (1990). Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clinical cardiology, 13(8), 555–565. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.4960130809
2. Lin, Y. F., Liu, Z. D., Ma, W., & Shen, W. D. (2016). Hazards of insomnia and the effects of acupuncture treatment on insomnia. Journal of integrative medicine, 14(3), 174–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2095-4964(16)60248-0

If you have any questions or need further clarification about this article, please leave a comment below, and Scott will get back to you as soon as possible.