There may be some who are attracted to stationary bikes because it's a way to burn calories while sitting down. For those who don't want to pedal while sitting, you can take consolation in the fact that you burn some calories even when you're at rest. How many calories you burn depends on how much you weigh.
100-Lb. Person
On average, a 100-lb. person burns 1 calorie per minute sitting quietly.
200-Lb. Person
A person who weighs more will burn more calories even if he is just sitting. His greater mass demands greater energy expenditure for maintenance activity such as pumping blood throughout the body and maintaining cells. Consequently, a 200-lb. person will burn 2 calories per minute sitting.
Other Factors
Several other factors influence the number of calories you burn, even when you are just sitting around, reports MayoClinic.com. People who are younger have higher metabolisms, as do males. Those who have greater muscle mass also burn more calories, even when they are idle. So, if you want to burn more calories when sitting around doing nothing, you can either work out more or, in one of life's interesting ironies, gain a lot of weight. Of course, just sitting around won't help you take that weight off again.
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