HealthMiles Blog

How Many Calories?

Ever wonder how your activities stack up? Check out the chart below to see how many calories these popular activities burn. Remember, this is only an estimate - actual calories burned are influenced by several factors including your body weight and workout intensity.

This table from the CDC shows calories used at both moderate and vigorous levels.

Calories Used per Hour in Common Physical Activities
Moderate Physical Activity	Approximate Calories/30 Minutes for a 154 lb Person1	Approximate Calories/Hr for a 154 lb Person1
Hiking	185	370
Light gardening/yard work	165	330
Dancing	165	330
Golf (walking and carrying clubs)	165	330
Bicycling (<10 mph)	145	290
Walking (3.5 mph)	140	280
Weight lifting (general light workout)	110	220
Stretching	90	180
Vigorous Physical Activity	Approximate Calories/30 Minutes for a 154 lb Person1	Approximate Calories/Hr for a 154 lb Person1
Running/jogging (5 mph)	295	590
Bicycling (>10 mph)	295	590
Swimming (slow freestyle laps)	255	510
Aerobics	240	480
Walking (4.5 mph)	230	460
Heavy yard work (chopping wood)	220	440
Weight lifting (vigorous effort)	220	440
Basketball (vigorous)	220	440
1Calories burned per hour will be higher for persons who weigh more than 154 lbs (70 kg) and lower for persons who weigh less. Source: Adapted from Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, page 16, Table 4.

Member Spotlight: Cheryl L.

Last July, 2010 my physician ordered bloodwork and found that I was borderline diabetic and also borderline in need of medication to control my cholesterol readings.  I faithfully continued my goal of 7,000 steps per day on my pedometer. I also participated in all challenges (and met the goals) and those pushed me to boost my steps from time to time. I was feeling so good physically that I also decided to start working out at Curves.

In January, 2011 when my blood work came back, my doctor was very pleased to see that I was within the normal range in both glucose and cholesterol readings. That means no medication for either of these conditions. I feel better, have more energy, have improved range of motion and am saving money because I don't need prescriptions for blood sugar or cholesterol control.

Thank you, Virgin HealthMiles, for improving my life.

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Member Spotlight: Phil W.

I work from an office in my home which sometimes means that, without even noticing, I can spend an entire day just sitting at my desk in my chair. If I do get up, the temptations of the kitchen and refrigerator are just down the stairs. So it has been difficult for me to make sure I get enough exercise and manage my weight.

When I got my Virgin HealthMiles pedometer I suddenly found a way to keep track of my activity in a very conscious, quantifiable way. This winter has at times made it difficult for me to take the long walks I enjoy, but many an evening I look at my step count and resolve to bundle up and add a few thousand more steps.  The results? I’ve lost around 10 pounds and have moved one belt hole closer to my first goal—reaching the weight I was when I got married almost 28 years ago.

Recently, I went on a vacation in Costa Rica. One of the things I did was zip-line through the cloud forest in Monteverde. At the end of the exhilarating 15 zip-lines, there was the option to swing on a Tarzan swing. Before we got to the swing, a staff member asked me how much I weighed. I said, 195. He responded “good, because 200 is the limit for the swing.” So because I had lost weight, I was able to enjoy flinging myself off a tower and swinging at the end of a 26 foot rope. Not something I want to do every day, but I was glad I had the opportunity.

 

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