Jobs That Burn the Most Calories

By Monster Contributor

By Dominique Rodgers
Monster Contributing Writer

Worried that your desk job is wrecking your New Year’s resolution to drop some weight?

You may be right. A typical desk job does not involve any components of the “fitness triad,” according to Alice Beckett-Rumberger, physical therapist and owner of TheraFusion. Such jobs require very little in the way of cardiovascular fitness, strength or flexibility. (Even training for a marathon doesn’t make up for all that time sitting down, a recent study found.)

However, some jobs count as a workout all on their own. We worked with our colleagues at PayScale to compile a list of jobs that burn the most calories compared with a desk job (102.5 calories an hour), along with their typical annual pay.

Calorie counts are approximate and based on a 145 pound person. Information was compiled from FitnessBlender and CalorieLab.

Waiter or Waitress
175 Calories per Hour
$29,186

Wait staff are on their feet for their entire shift. They lift heavy trays of food, multiple pitchers of beverages, navigate the hustle and bustle of a hot kitchen and rarely slow down for a minute. After the restaurant closes, they’re often the ones doing the cleaning as well.

Search for waiter/waitress jobs.

Construction Laborer
297 Calories per Hour
$44,890

Construction workers do lots of heavy lifting. They’re on their feet a good deal of the time, carrying heavy equipment and tools. When not standing, they are climbing, crouching, bending and twisting. It can really work up a sweat. This applies also to roofers, painters, electricians, plumbers, masons, landscapers and most who fall under the construction umbrella. The good news for them? According to personal trainer John Rowley, a construction worker can “get away with a little more without it affecting their waistline.”

Search for construction jobs.

Commercial Diver
726 Calories per Hour
$73,698

Commercial divers work offshore to help construct or maintain platforms for the oil and gas industry, or inland, surveying lakes and rivers for construction projects. It’s a grueling profession and one that burns lots of calories. “Diving incorporates deliberate breathing, full body movement, additional resistance by fighting the current and your body has to adapt to water temperatures, all of which will help burn calories,” explains Rowley.

Search for commercial diver jobs.

Park Ranger
330 Calories per Hour
$44,514

Park rangers can be responsible for fighting fires, search and rescue operations, road maintenance and surveying. The job requires excellent endurance and leg muscles because of the prolonged standing and walking, especially over uneven terrain, says Beckett-Rumberger.

Search for park ranger jobs.

Farm and Ranch Laborers
462 Calories per Hour
$55,467

Baling hay, feeding and grooming animals, planting and harvesting crops - all these activities add up to a major calorie burn for men and women working on farms and ranches. Farmhands are in constant motion and often work 10 hour days. Even using modern equipment, they’re in the sun and lifting, bending, and stretching quite a bit. The same goes for ranchers who can spend a fair amount of their day in a saddle. Beckett-Rumberger notes that riding requires plenty of coordination in using the reins, balancing, and using the adductor muscles of the legs to guide the horse.

Search for farm and ranch laborer jobs.