OccupationIncrease in
the basal
metabolism
in per cent.
Sitting5
Standing, relaxed10
Standing, hand on a staff11
Standing, leaning on support3
Standing, "attention"14

If one wishes to determine from the basal metabolism table the heat production of a person who is confined to his room, one should add to the metabolism of the twenty-four hours the increase above the basal for those hours of the day during which he is sitting in a chair or standing.

Passing to a consideration of the subject of mechanical work done by a man, one finds that it requires about 1.1 calories to transport a pound of body weight three miles during an hour, and that increasing power must be generated if the speed is increased above this rate of maximal economic velocity.

These relations are shown below:

Rate of movementExtra calories
per hour required
to move 1 pound
of body
Walking 3 miles per hour1.1
Walking 5.3 miles per hour3.6
Running 5.3 miles per hour3.1

If one wishes to determine the heat production of a man weighing 156 pounds and 5 feet, 7 inches in height, and who is walking or running, the following calculations can be made:

Rate of travel per hour in miles3[3]
Cals.
5.3[3]
Cals.
5.3[4]
Cals.
Metabolism for transporting 156 pounds172562484
Basal metabolism707070
Add for standing777
249639561

If the man's food cost 10 cents a thousand calories, it may be calculated that he would have to walk over eight miles at a rate of three miles per hour in order to save money when he pays a 5-cent carfare. (This, however, does not include the cost of shoe leather.)