Does Working as a Cashier Burn Calories? (10 Awesome Tips to Burn More Calories As a Cashier)
June 9, 2022
You are trying to lose weight, but you might be afraid your job as a cashier is hindering the process.
If you work in a grocery store for a living, you may be wondering, does working as a cashier burn calories?
Yes, working as a cashier burns calories because you are still burning calories, even though you are not doing labor intensive work.
Our body burns calories doing all kinds of things that we would not really expect could benefit us.
Remember, we burn calories just by existing. This is known as our BMR, or basal metabolic rate. Plus, you are also doing many other things throughout the work day that you may not even realize are burning calories.
Let’s jump right in and see how your job as a cashier or bagger might actually be helping you lose weight.
Working as a cashier undoubtedly will allow you to burn calories.
Just because you are standing most of the day, does not mean you’re missing out on burning some serious calories to lose weight in a calorie deficit.
To be honest, standing all day is actually benefitting you.
Did you know that in one hour of standing, the average person burns 206 calories?
This means that in one eight hour shift of being a cashier or a bagger, you could potentially be burning about 1,650 calories just by doing your job!
Does this make you feel better yet? Well, you are about to feel even better.
Tasks that Burn Calories For a Cashier
Think about how many things you do on a daily basis during working as a cashier that you may not even realize you do.
These things all burn calories, because they require you to expend energy.
These are tasks such as:
Lifting your arms
Twisting your torso
Lifting heavy bags for customers
Reaching across the belt frequently
Fidgeting
Turning the bag carousel
There are many others in addition to these, but the point is that you are burning calories just by doing these tasks, and you may not even know you are.
Let’s learn about 10 super helpful tips to boost your calorie burn even more as a cashier.
10 Tips to Burn More Calories Working as a Cashier
The tips I am about to give you are a sure fire way to burn more calories than you ever thought you could, and these tips are easy.
You can start including them in your daily work routine right away to up the ante.
1. Get up and move
On your breaks, you should get up and move around as much as possible.
Instead of sitting in the break room and eating your lunch, take your lunch on the go and walk around.
You can walk around the grocery store aisles, or you can even go outside and walk around the parking lot or the perimeter of the building.
By doing this, you are increasing the amount of calories burned and you will be on your way to burning more calories than you are taking in, and you will lose weight.
2. Take advantage of opportunities to walk or jog in place
Jogging in place is a great way to boost your calorie burn.
Just simply jog in place for a few minutes at a time.
If you feel silly doing this or think people will stare, you can go somewhere where no one will see you, such as a break room or a bathroom.
Just by jogging in place for 10 minutes, you can be burning anywhere from 90-100 calories.
3. Use a pedometer to track your steps on breaks
Remember that extra walking and jogging in place we discussed? You can use a pedometer to track your steps while doing this.
You can create a goal for yourself to try to get a certain amount of steps in per day.
Keep track of your steps and increase them by the day or by the week.
You should be striving to increase your daily step count when you’re not working as well. Keep track of these steps and increase them.
4. Drink plenty of water throughout the day
This will help to keep your body hydrated and boost your metabolism.
Water is essential for weight loss, so make sure you’re getting your eight glasses a day.
Studies have shown us that drinking only 17 ounces of water can increase resting metabolism by 10–30% for an hour.
You can boost this amount even more by making sure that the water is ice cold.
Drinking ice cold water instead of room temperature water increases metabolism and also the amount of calories burned.
This is due to the fact that your body has to burn calories and work to bring the water back down to room temperature.
Carry a water bottle or water jug with you to your register and make sure you are staying hydrated throughout the work day, and make sure the water is COLD.
Drinking water will also help you to feel full and avoid eating high calorie sweets and candy bars they are ever so tempting, as you are surrounded by them as a cashier.
This thought brings us to our next point.
5. Eat healthy snacks throughout the day to maintain your energy levels
You want to be eating healthy snacks throughout the work day.
I know it is tempting when working in a grocery store to not make the best choices when it comes to snacking. Where are all the candy bars typically located? Right where you work.
You want to make sure you are eating nutrient dense, calorie smart snacks.
Here is a list of examples of healthy snacks to consider:
An apple with 1/2-1 tbsp. of peanut butter
A hard boiled egg or two
A piece of your favorite fruit
Veggies and hummus, or dip
Greek yogurt
Nuts or granola
These are all great snacks that will give you energy and help to avoid those tempting, high calorie snacks.
You do not want to blow through your entire calorie allotment for the day just eating high calorie and high carb snacks and then have nothing left to enjoy a nice meal when you are done with the work day.
6. Squat in place
Squatting in place is a great way to burn calories.
Did you know that just by doing squats in place, with no weight, can burn upwards to 8 calories per minute?
This is because squatting engages or quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and these are large muscles which require energy.
Squats are one of the best exercises out there, in my opinion.
You can do these squats right at the register if no one is watching you (if you feel uncomfortable) or you can do the squats in a break room that is empty or even a bathroom.
7. Stand up straight and tall to improve your posture and burn more calories
Standing up in a straight position can help you to burn more calories.
This is because it takes more energy to maintain good posture than it does to slouch.
So, if you’re looking for a simple way to boost your calorie burn as a cashier, stand up straight and tall when you are working.
You’ll feel better and you might add a few calories to your daily expenditure.
8. Engage your core muscles
Doing this while standing can help “tone” your abdominal muscles and improve your balance.
Remember, engaging your core also burns calories.
This is an easy way to strengthen the core muscles and build up your abs underneath, so when you do lose the amount of weight you are looking to lose, you will have a nice solid foundation underneath.
9. Swing your arms while you work to increase the caloric burn
Try to avoid just standing in one position and not moving.
You can burn more calories by swinging your arms by your sides, instead of leaving them hang or resting on a surface.
In a recent study, scientists found that participants burned more calories when they swung their arms by their sides, as opposed to leaving them hang or resting on a surface.
The researchers believe that this is because swinging your arms requires more muscle activity, which in turn increases the body’s energy expenditure.
So next time you go for a walk, try swinging your arms and see if you notice a difference in your calorie burn. You may be surprised at just how effective this simple change can be.
10. Smile and have positive interactions with customers
Just by doing this simple step, you can uplift your spirits and boost your calorie burning potential.
Smiling has been shown to release endorphins that make us feel good, which can lead to a better mood for you.
When you are in a good mood, you tend to have more energy and are more likely to be active.
In other words, smiling and being positive can lead to an increase in your overall activity level, which can lead to more calorie burning to get you to your weight loss goals.
Our brain is a powerful organ, and your mindset can be the biggest hinderance or the biggest tool to reaching your goals to burn calories and lose weight.
Also, your customers will appreciate your smiling, positive attitude and may even leave you a bigger tip!
Conclusion
There you have it, working as a cashier does in fact burn calories.
While it may not be the most labor intensive occupation out there, you can still burn upwards to 2,000 calories per day or more as a cashier.
There are ways to increase your calorie burn as a cashier and make the most of your time working.
By following the tips mentioned, you can make sure that you are burning more calories while working as a cashier and help yourself reach your weight loss goals.
The following are a list of frequently asked questions related to burning calories in an occupation as a cashier:
1. How many calories does a person burn working as a cashier?
The number of calories burned working as a cashier can vary depending on the individual. However, the average person burns around 200-300 calories per hour while working as a cashier.
2. How many calories burned stocking shelves?
Stocking shelves is more physically demanding than a job as a cashier as it requires frequent bending, squatting, and lifting heavy merchandise.
A person stocking shelves can expect to burn around 500 calories an hour, depending on activity level and if that entire hour is actually spent stocking shelves.
3. Do you burn calories while sitting?
Yes, you can burn calories while sitting. This is because your body is still using energy to maintain itself even when you are inactive.
4. Do you burn calories being a teacher?
Yes, you can burn calories being a teacher. Depending on the activity level, a person can burn anywhere from 200-700 calories per hour while teaching.
This is also dependent on what kind of teacher the person is. A gym teacher, for example, would burn more calories on average than a kindergarten teacher.
5. Do you burn calories working in a warehouse?
Yes, you can burn calories working in a warehouse. Depending on the activity level, a person can burn anywhere from 200-700 calories per hour while working in a warehouse.
A warehouse worker is a physically demanding job which requires bending, squatting, climbing steps, and lifting heavy objects.
6. How many steps should I take to burn calories?
The number of steps you need to take to burn calories varies depending on the individual. However, the general guideline is to fit in 10,000 steps per day to maintain good health and fitness levels.
7. How can I increase my calorie burn?
There are various ways you can increase your calorie burn. These include: exercising regularly, eating healthy foods, and avoiding processed foods. Additionally, you can try some of the tips mentioned in this article to help boost your calorie burning potential while working as a cashier.
