Calculate calories burned during activities based on duration or distance. Estimate MET values for various exercises and fitness activities.
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Choose from various exercises and activities
Input duration/distance and body weight
View estimated calories burned and MET value
The number of calories a person burns during regular daily activities or exercise is dependent on various factors, so it is not an exact science. The results of this calculator (and any other) are based on standardized data that references an "average" person, so it is only an estimate.
The calculator uses the following formula to estimate calories burned:
Calories = Time × MET × Body Weight ÷ 200
Where time is in minutes, body weight is in kilograms, and MET is the Metabolic Equivalent of Task
For more information on the number of calories a person should consume each day for weight maintenance, weight loss, or weight gain, refer to our Calorie Calculator. Generally, the number of calories consumed, less calories burned through activities and basal metabolic rate (calories consumed - calories burned - BMR) will determine whether a person maintains, loses, or gains weight.
The number of calories a person burns by performing a given activity is dependent on many different factors. Most estimates involve the use of three key factors: body mass, duration of the activity, and the metabolic equivalent of a task (MET).
A person's body mass affects how many calories they burn, even at rest. A person who weighs 200 pounds will burn significantly more calories running 1 mile than someone who weighs 100 pounds, given that other conditions remain the same.
Duration of exercise also matters. The longer a person performs an exercise, the more calories they will burn, though intensity plays a role in the relationship.
The more intense the exercise, the greater the number of calories burned. Exercise intensity may be measured using heart rate or oxygen consumption. Higher intensity exercises have higher MET values.
Generally, lower intensity exercises burn more fat relative to carbohydrates, while higher intensity exercises burn more carbohydrates.
As a person ages, they tend to lose lean body mass, which decreases metabolic activity. Thus, older individuals burn fewer calories overall than younger people.
Muscle requires more energy than fat, so people with higher muscle mass burn more calories than those with higher fat percentages.
Fitness level affects exercise efficiency - fitter people burn fewer calories for the same task. Temperature, diet, and sleep also influence calorie burn rates.
People burn more calories in warmer environments, and poor sleep or inadequate nutrition can decrease metabolic activity.
This calculator estimates calories burned using the equation above. Many studies have been conducted to determine the number of calories expended while conducting certain activities. Our calculator uses data from these studies to determine the MET for certain activities.
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. There are a few different definitions of MET, but the one used by this calculator is based on oxygen utilization and body mass.
The MET is the ratio of the rate at which a person expends energy (relative to their body mass) while performing a given physical task compared to a reference. By convention, the reference is based on the energy expended by an "average" person while they are sitting quietly, which is roughly equivalent to 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram per minute.
This value was derived experimentally by measuring the MET of a healthy 40-year-old male who weighed 70 kg. This is the baseline, meaning that a MET value of 1 represents the energy expended by an average person at rest. Thus, an activity that has a MET value of 2 requires twice as much energy as an average person expends at rest; a MET value of 8 requires eight times as much energy, and so on.
Exercises are commonly categorized as being light intensity (low MET), moderate intensity, or vigorous intensity (high MET) exercises. For those interested in burning fat, it's worth noting that exercise intensity affects the type of fuel (carbohydrates, fats, protein) that the body uses.
The accuracy of this calculation is significantly affected by MET. By convention, 1 MET is roughly equivalent to expending 1 Calorie per kilogram of body weight per hour or consuming 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram of body mass per minute.
Important: This convention was derived based on a single specific subject: a healthy 40-year-old male who weighed 70 kilograms. A person's resting metabolic rate (RMR) is highly dependent on factors such as lean body mass, age, health status, and more.
Thus, calculations for an individual whose RMR varies significantly from that of the reference subject will be less accurate; some studies have shown that the conventional 1 MET value overestimates oxygen consumption at rest by up to 20-30% on average.
The estimate is also affected by the fact that MET values were derived under the assumption that the activity is performed at a constant rate. For example, playing tennis for 1 hour can involve taking breaks between games, resting, chatting, etc., meaning that the activity is only truly performed for a shorter duration.
Key Point: The only way to get a highly accurate number is for an individual to go to a lab that measures all of the necessary factors such as their maximum oxygen capacity, maximum heart rate, and more. Because this is often not feasible, estimates based on the MET are used instead, with the understanding that the MET is more effectively used as an index of intensity rather than for estimating calories burned for a specific individual.
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The calculator uses the formula: Calories = Time × MET × Body Weight ÷ 200. MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) represents the energy cost of activities compared to resting.
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. It's a measure of exercise intensity where 1 MET equals the energy expended at rest. Higher MET values indicate more intense activities.
The estimates are based on standardized data and provide good approximations, but individual results may vary based on factors like age, fitness level, body composition, and exercise efficiency.
The duration calculator estimates calories based on time spent in an activity, while the distance calculator estimates calories for activities like walking, running, or cycling based on distance traveled.
Body weight affects calorie burn because larger people expend more energy. Activity intensity (MET) determines how much energy is required compared to resting metabolism.
Yes, but remember that weight management involves both calories burned through activity and calories consumed through diet. This calculator helps estimate the exercise component.
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80 - 350 pounds or 35 - 160 kg
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