Does Programming Burn Calories? (Let’s find out)

A study carried out by “shake that weight” has shown that sitting at your desk at work makes you burn an average of 102 calories in one hour.

Programmers are more involved in mental work; although the body burns calories when carrying out basic functions, it burns more calories when involved in more mentally demanding work like programming.

Meaning of Calories

Calories refer to the measure of the energy released when the body digests and absorbs food.

The number of calories a food has, the more energy it releases to your body.

Extra calories consumed are stored as fat in the human body; one major reason humans are frequently compared with gas-guzzling SUVs is our giant freak brains which burn calories that supply the body’s system energy.

This implies that we need food to fuel them.

As much as calories are essential and needed for the body, consuming excess calories without burning a substantial amount of them will lead to you adding weight.

You need to burn excess calories in your body to reduce weight and this can be achieved in many ways.

A lot of people burn calories without being aware of it.

For instance, Software development and programming are quite mentally demanding tasks.

As a programmer, to keep your coding tasks running, you need to feed well.

There are about 25 million programmers and software developers around the world, and a programmer consumes an average of 2.5kg of calories per food.

An average programmer spends an ample amount of their hour coding. This takes energy and after a long day, it’s normal to feel tired.

The nature of work programmers engage in can drain physical energy, which in turn burns more calories, unlike doing other less mentally demanding work.

How does programming help burn calories?

Firstly, it’s important to note that all actions carried out by the human body burn calories.

Even sitting down to watch a television program or doing any less stressful action also consumes calories, though it might not burn as many calories as programming will.

The difference is in “How many calories the activity consumes.” 

Programming is a strenuous activity; for many programmers spending long hours on your computer, coding day and night, and having to deal with bugs and deadlines is a daily routine, which is challenging and draining on its own.

Yes, it is not a physical task that most see as strenuous.

It is more of a mental challenge, which requires critical thinking. The brain while thinking consumes calories as it is also a unit of the body. 

The Long hours that programmers spend sitting on a spot working on the computer can lead to an increase in weight and a reduced metabolism rate.

This is due to the fact that programmers don’t carry out physical tasks like weight lifting which burns more energy.

 However, there are steps you can take to burn more calories, such as; taking breaks at intervals and getting up from your seat.

It is one sure way to burn calories while working, taking time to stretch your body in between work.

How many calories do programmers burn?

Having to deal with codes and bugs in programming can be mentally draining.

Have you tried to imagine how much calorie programmers burn? 

Well, the amount is relative and depends on several factors.

The brain is one of the most metabolically active organs. When resting, the brain still burns calories.

However, when it is engaged when doing computer programming tasks, the amount of calories you will burn will be determined by how good you are at the task you are working on.

The more mental effort you exert in a particular task, the more calories you burn.

When doing a programming task that you are proficient at, you tend to reduce the number of calories you will use.

To lose weight, you need to burn more calories and reduce your calorie consumption rate.

They are mostly found in products like ice creams, fast foods, snacks with high calories, and sugary beverages.

This must be complemented with more physical activities like exercise, trying more projects in programming, tasking yourself more, e.t.c.

It is advisable to consult the help of a dietitian who will state your calorie need and the necessary measures to put in place to ensure weight loss.

Conclusion

Programming requires concentration and focus, especially when working on projects you are not familiar with.

This is quite common for most people who are new to programming.

The concentration and focus programming work demands make your brain active and engaged, which makes you burn more calories.

With a mentally strenuous skill like programming, you can achieve that weight loss you want.

Software development helps to burn excess calories in the body.

Walking around your office frequently at intervals while working helps you burn more calories.

However, it’s important to note that the shortage of calories in the body system is not good, as there is a level of calories needed in the body to function efficiently, which varies based on age, size, gender, and physical activity level, to mention a few.

F.A.Q

Does burning calories mean losing weight?

Your body weight is a balancing act, i.e., when you consume more calories than you burn, you tend to gain weight.

So also, if you burn more calories than you eat due to the activities you are involved in, you tend to lose weight.

What does it mean to burn calories?

This is where your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. It’s often referred to as the metabolism.

The process involves the release of energy your body needs to function effectively by combining oxygen with the calories you eat in food or beverages.

Why burn calories?

Burning calories helps your body maintain blood circulation and temperature, digest food, adjust hormones level, eliminate wastes, grow and repair body cells and tissue, and maintain brain and nervous system activity. And it also helps you to reduce weight.

Average calories Programmers should burn in a day

The average calories you should burn in a day depends on many factors some of which are; age, sex, your personal and fitness health goal and your level of activity.

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Happy Coding!