70 kg, 60 minutes
Brisk walking about 301 kcal, running at 6 mph about 686 kcal, yoga about 175 kcal.
Calories burned calculator
Calories burned = MET × body weight in kg × hours. The MET values are from the Compendium of Physical Activities and describe an average person; your real burn depends on fitness, terrain and effort.
kg
minutes
Calories burned
226 kcal
Walking briskly, 3.5 mph (5.6 km/h) for 45 minutes at 70 kg uses MET 4.3. That is about 3.8 kcal every minute. Time and body weight both scale the burn in a straight line.
Skipping rope, moderate620 kcal
Running, 6 mph515 kcal
Running, 5 mph436 kcal
Cycling, moderate420 kcal
Football, casual368 kcal
Swimming laps, moderate305 kcal
Badminton, social289 kcal
Cricket, batting or bowling252 kcal
Walking briskly, 3.5 mph226 kcal
Cycling, easy210 kcal
Walking, 3 mph184 kcal
Weight training, light to moderate184 kcal
Yoga131 kcal
How exercise calories are estimated
Fitness watches give you a calorie figure, but the method behind it is old and simple. Researchers measured the oxygen people use in different activities and recorded the result as a MET value. Your burn is then MET × your weight in kg × hours.
A 70 kg person walking briskly, MET 4.3, for 45 minutes burns 4.3 × 70 × 0.75 = about 226 kcal. For a full hour the figure is 301 kcal. Running at 6 mph, MET 9.8, burns 686 kcal in that hour. Skipping rope is about 826 kcal, and yoga about 175.
These are averages. A more skilled walker is more efficient and burns less, and a hilly route or a headwind pushes the number up. The tool gives you a way to compare activities fairly, which is more useful than the exact figure.
It is also worth remembering that exercise is a small slice of weight change. A 300 kcal walk is balanced by two biscuits. So use the number to compare and to motivate, and look at food and sleep for the larger effect.
Sources
What this calculator does not account for
- Your fitness level, terrain and effort.
- Body composition.
- Calories burned after exercise.
How this is calculated
Formula: MET method
calories =MET × weight (kg) × time (hours)What the symbols mean
- METMetabolic equivalent, the energy cost of an activity compared with rest.
- weightYour body weight in kilograms.
Good to know
- One MET is about 1 kcal per kg per hour at rest.
- Heavier people burn more for the same activity and time.
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Worked examples
Each example is worked out by the same code as the calculator above.
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<iframe src="/embed/calories-burned-calculator" title="Calories burned" width="100%" height="720" style="border:0;max-width:42rem" loading="lazy"></iframe>Questions
What is a MET?
A multiple of the energy you use sitting still. Walking briskly is about 4.3 METs, so about four times as much as rest.
How many calories does walking burn?
A 70 kg person burns about 226 calories in 45 minutes of brisk walking, at 3.5 mph.
Is the number exact?
No. Fitness, terrain, wind and effort change it. Treat it as a good estimate, within about 10% to 20%.
Do I burn more by running than walking the same distance?
A bit more, but running is faster, so the gain is mostly from the speed and the time saved.