FIND A PHYSICIAN        

How Many Calories Do You Burn?

Posted: Jan. 1, 2006

Physical activity simply means movement of the body that uses energy. Walking, gardening, briskly pushing a baby stroller, climbing the stairs, playing soccer, or dancing the night away are all good examples of being active.

For health benefits, physical activity should be moderate or vigorous and add up to at least 30 minutes a day.

Some physical activities are not intense enough to help you meet the recommendations. These include walking at a casual pace, such as while grocery shopping, and doing light household chores. Although you are moving, these activities do not increase your heart rate, so you should not count these towards the 30 or more minutes a day that you should strive for.

Moderate physical activities include:

• Walking briskly (about 3 ½ miles per hour)
• Hiking
• Gardening/yard work
• Dancing
• Golf (walking and carrying clubs)
• Bicycling (less than 10 miles per hour)
• Weight training (general light workout)

Vigorous physical activities include:

• Running/jogging (5 miles per hour)
• Bicycling (more than 10 miles per hour)
• Swimming (freestyle laps)
• Aerobics
• Walking very fast (4 ½ miles per hour)
• Heavy yard work, such as chopping wood
• Weight lifting (vigorous effort)
• Basketball (competitive)

How many calories does physical activity use?
A 130-pound woman will use up about the number of calories listed doing each activity below. Those who weigh more will use more calories, and those who weigh less will use fewer. The calorie values listed include both calories used by the activity and the calories used for normal body functioning. Approximate calories used by a 130-lb. woman In 1 hour

Moderate physical activities:

We Have Answers
Do you have medical questions or need help finding a doctor? The experts at Columbia St.Mary’s can help. Click here.