Calories Burned

Quantifying Your Effort: A Guide to the Calories Burned Calculator

Understanding how many calories you burn during physical activity is a cornerstone of effective weight management and fitness planning. A calorie is a unit of energy, and every movement you make, from walking to the mailbox to running a marathon, requires energy and thus burns calories. The total number of calories you burn is a key factor in the 'energy out' side of the energy balance equation. By estimating the calories burned during exercise, you can better understand how to balance your 'energy in' (the calories you consume) to achieve your goals, whether that's creating a calorie deficit for weight loss, or ensuring you're eating enough to fuel your training and recovery.

This calculator uses a scientifically established method based on the Metabolic Equivalent of Task, or MET value, to estimate your energy expenditure. It takes into account your body weight, the duration of the activity, and the intensity of the activity itself, represented by its MET value. This provides a more personalized and accurate estimate than generic charts or treadmill readouts. Whether you're tracking your workouts for weight loss, calculating how to fuel for a long run, or are simply curious about the energy cost of different activities, this tool provides a simple way to quantify your effort.

The MET Value: A Standard for Activity Intensity

A Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) is a ratio that measures the energy cost of a physical activity relative to your resting metabolic rate. Your resting metabolic rate is the energy your body uses while at complete rest, and it is defined as 1 MET. An activity with a MET value of 5 means you are burning energy at a rate five times higher than if you were sitting still.

MET values have been compiled for hundreds of different activities through extensive scientific research, and they provide a standardized way to compare the intensity of different exercises. For example, sleeping has a MET value of about 0.9, while running at a fast pace can have a MET value of 12 or more.

The Formula for Calculating Calories Burned

The calculator uses a standard formula to convert the MET value into calories burned:

Calories Burned per Minute = (MET Value × 3.5 × Body Weight in kg) / 200

The total calories burned is then found by multiplying this value by the duration of the activity in minutes.

• Body Weight: A heavier person will burn more calories than a lighter person doing the same activity for the same amount of time, because they have more mass to move.
• Duration: The longer you perform an activity, the more total calories you will burn.
• MET Value: This is the most important factor, representing the intensity of the activity itself.

Compendium of Physical Activities

Below is a sample table of MET values for common activities, based on the Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide. This shows how intensity can vary even within the same type of exercise.