We all know the importance of exercise when it comes to our physical health, but did you know that playing guitar can help you lose weight too?
Guitar playing isn’t a high calory burning activity like running or workout. But it certainly does help you burn a considerable amount of calories and strengthen muscles in your fingers, hands, and arms. You can actually burn more calories while playing the guitar while standing for an extended period rather than sitting, thus helping you lose weight.
So, can playing guitar help you lose weight? Let’s learn more about that and some other advantages of playing guitar.
Can you burn calories by playing guitar?
The number of calories burned is determined by the frequency of motion, the intensity of an activity, body weight, and body muscle. If these factors are increased, the higher the number of calories burned.
So it is a welcome surprise for guitarists that playing the guitar can help them burn some calories. But the number of calories burned depends on which position you are playing the guitar. Let’s have a look at the breakdown of Calories Burned VS Guitar Playing Position.
Playing Guitar in Sitting Position
Although the number of calories burned depends on various factors such as weight and intensity of an activity. An average adult is likely to burn fewer calories while sitting and playing guitar. Because your body is relaxed and not much movement is involved.
On average, an adult can burn somewhere from 80-140 calories per hour while playing guitar in a sitting position. In other words, burning 140 calories would require a 15-20 minute exercise. Therefore practicing guitar for hours, even while sitting, can shed some of your body weight.
Playing Guitar in Standing Position
If you love playing guitar while standing, then you are burning more calories than while sitting. Meanwhile, due to a lot of body movement and moving around the number of calories burned is almost doubled than that of sitting.
Playing guitar in a standing position can help you burn around 150-239 calories per hour. You can compare it to a 25-minute jog that burns around 218 calories. This rate of burning calories can help you lose one pound of body weight within a week.
So by looking at the numbers, it is evident that if you play guitar standing for a few hours, you can stay in good shape. Although it might not help you lose much body weight if you don’t prefer playing the guitar daily.
Calories Burned VS Type of Guitar
Does playing different types of guitar affect the number of calories burned? The answer to this would be yes because guitars vary in weight. Moreover, every guitar type and style of music will influence the movements while you play it, which can help you burn different amounts of calories.
Let’s take a brief look at how types of guitar can influence the number of calories burned.
Classical Guitars
Playing a classical guitar requires periodic movements of your hands and fingers. Furthermore, these types of guitars weigh less and are played while sitting. Therefore you are likely to burn fewer calories while sitting or standing.
Electric Guitars
Electric guitars are usually heavier than classic ones and nearly weigh 8 lbs. Apart from the extra weight, the finger, hand, and overall body movements burn far more calories than you would with a classical guitar.
Health Benefits of Playing Guitar
Music is food for the soul, but do you know about the health benefits of playing guitar? You will be surprised to know that playing guitar has numerous health benefits other than burning calories and losing weight.
Here are some of the known health benefits of playing guitar.
Memory Enhancement
Studies have found that playing guitar can actually help boost memory power. You have to memorize music patterns and chords when playing guitar. Thus it is a good workout for your brain, and it might also help with memory loss.
Relieve Stress and Anxiety
Many people find refuge in music when they feel stressed or anxious. Therefore playing guitar can also help relieve stress and anxiety by keeping you calm and relaxed. Playing your favorite tunes can lift your mood and energize you.
Furthermore, playing guitar requires a lot of concentration which also helps you forget your stress and anxiety.
Better Concentration
It takes a lot of focus and concentration to become an expert guitarist. You can enhance your focus and concentration by regularly practicing guitar. When you start practicing guitar with attention, it becomes a habit that helps you play better and also concentrate in your daily life.
Ability to Multitask
Playing the guitar properly requires excellent hand and eye coordination. You must read the chords and music patterns and create a perfect tune by strumming the right strings. You can improve your hand and eye coordination with more practice to be an expert multi-tasker.
Stronger Arms and Fingers
Playing guitar requires a lot of finger and hand movement. As a beginner, your arms might feel tired after a jamming session. You must do some arm and finger strengthening exercises to keep playing guitar without getting tired.
By doing such exercises, you can increase flexibility in your arms and fingers which will help you get better at playing guitar. So the amount of time you spend playing guitar will determine your strength buildup.
Conclusion
Can playing guitar help you lose weight? Well, it is possible to burn a certain amount of calories while playing guitar. The key to burning calories while playing guitar is to practice and perform for at least a couple of hours at a time.
You can burn more calories by playing guitar while standing than sitting. And it has numerous health benefits as well. So it might not be an alternative to a gym workout, but you can stay healthy if you regularly play your guitar.
