Calorie Burning Chart

Calories burned in exercise



Why use a calorie burning chart? Well, as discussed in our calorie intake page, one of the best ways to lose weight on a calorie controlled diet is to increase both the number of calories you burn up, and also the rate at which you burn the.

Our bodies burn calories constantly, and even sitting here at your desk your heart is pumping blood, your digestive system is working on your last meal (low calorie meal, obviously), your lungs are lifting air into your body, and even your brain is burning a small amount of energy as you ponder these words. However it's the larger muscle groups that really need, and therefore use up, calorific energy to do their work - and if you can get them going, you can start to see your weight going down even if your calorific intake remains the same! Reduce the intake AND exercise regularly, and you simply can't lose.

There's an added benefit too. Exercising regularly will increase your ratio of lean tissue (muscle) to fat, and muscle needs (hence burns) more energy, even when it's at rest - so your basal metabolic rate actually increases as you get more healthy (that's the reason for those 'activity multipliers' at the bottom of that page incidentally). Don't worry, you don't have to build visible 'muscle' to get the benefits of this, just tone up what you've got and as your fat burns down through aerobic exercise, you will get the weight loss success you deserve simply through activity, according the calorie burning chart below.

Keep your basal metabolic rate in mind as you look at this table, which indicates the estimated number of calories burned during typical exercise activities, over a one hour period - calorie burning chart courtesy of The Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com). These calories are in addition to your BMR which represents the calories burned simply sitting doing nothing, browsing this website...

Activity (one-hour duration)Weight of person and calories burned
 160 pounds (73 kilograms)200 pounds (91 kilograms)240 pounds (109 kilograms)
Aerobics, high impact 511 637 763
Aerobics, low impact 365 455 545
Aerobics, water 292 364 436
Backpacking 511 637 763
Basketball game 584 728 872
Bicycling, < 10 mph, leisure 292 364 436
Bowling 219 273 327
Canoeing 256 319 382
Dancing, ballroom 219 273 327
Football, touch, flag, general 584 728 872
Golfing, carrying clubs 329 410 491
Hiking 438 546 654
Ice skating 511 637 763
Jogging, 5 mph 584 728 872
Racquetball, casual, general 511 637 763
Rollerblading 913 1,138 1,363
Rope jumping 730 910 1,090
Rowing, stationary 511 637 763
Running, 8 mph 986 1,229 1,472
Skiing, cross-country 511 637 763
Skiing, downhill 365 455 545
Skiing, water 438 546 654
Softball or baseball 365 455 545
Stair treadmill 657 819 981
Swimming, laps 511 637 763
Tae kwon do 730 910 1,090
Tai chi 292 364 436
Tennis, singles 584 728 872
Volleyball 292 364 436
Walking, 2 mph 183 228 273
Walking, 3.5 mph 277 346 414
Weightlifting, free weight, Nautilus or universal type 219 273 327

Source: Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Whitt MC, Irwin ML, Swartz AM, Strath SJ, O'Brien, WL, Bassett DR Jr, Schmitz KH, Emplaincourt PO, Jacobs DR Jr, Leon AS. Compendium of physical activities: an update of activity codes and MET intensities. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000 Sep;32(9 Suppl):S498-504.



The downside to supplementing your low calorie diet with increased exercise? Well not much to be honest! The only thing to bear in mind is, increasing your activity level WILL probably increase your appetite. So bearing in mind the calorie burning chart, don't counteract all that hard work with a large meal! Keep some healthy treats on hand, check out our 100 calorie snacks page, so you are prepared in case you finish your workout starving!

Calorie counting can get very complicated when you have to factor in the effects of exercise. One of our reviewers has been getting excellent results with this cost effective online diet and exercise journal, which allows you to track intake, exercise and progress towards your goals using a simple set of online tools, along with lots of motivation and advice.

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