Calories Burned by Activity
Calories burned across 32 activities from official MET values, calculated from your weight and duration — with why the number is an estimate, not a measurement.
MET values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities; calories = MET × weight (kg) × hours. Individual burn varies with fitness, intensity and body composition — treat these as good estimates, not lab measurements.
40% of the calories credited to yoga are calories you would have burned lying on the mat
The MET scale is a multiple of resting metabolism, so 1.0 is what your body costs to sit still. An activity rated 2.5 burns two and a half times resting — which means the extra you earned for turning up is 1.5, not 2.5. The figure above is the gross number, and the share of it that is simply resting metabolism is exactly 1 divided by the MET: not an approximation, and the same at any weight and any duration, because both terms carry the same kilograms and hours.
| Activity | MET | Gross (30 min, 75 kg) | Net of resting | Resting share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoga, hatha | 2.5 | 94 | 56 | 40.0% |
| Dancing, ballroom slow | 3.0 | 113 | 75 | 33.3% |
| House cleaning, general | 3.3 | 124 | 86 | 30.3% |
| Walking, 3.0 mph | 3.5 | 131 | 94 | 28.6% |
| Weightlifting, general | 3.5 | 131 | 94 | 28.6% |
| Golf, walking with clubs | 4.3 | 161 | 124 | 23.3% |
| Walking, 4.0 mph | 5.0 | 188 | 150 | 20.0% |
| Swimming, freestyle moderate | 5.8 | 218 | 180 | 17.2% |
| Cycling, 12-14 mph | 8.0 | 300 | 263 | 12.5% |
| Stair climbing, fast | 8.8 | 330 | 293 | 11.4% |
| Running, 6 mph | 9.8 | 368 | 330 | 10.2% |
| Jump rope, moderate | 11.8 | 443 | 405 | 8.5% |
| Running, 8 mph | 13.5 | 506 | 469 | 7.4% |
The gentler the activity, the more of its headline figure you would have earned anyway. At 13.5 METs it hardly matters — 7.4%. At 2.5 it is 40%, 5.4 times as large a correction. None of this makes the calculator wrong: gross is the standard way to report it and every calculator does the same. But “burned 300 calories” and “burned 300 more than I would have on the sofa” are different claims, and the gap is a fraction you can work out in your head from the MET alone.
Which changes the pizza, most where you would least expect
The comparison above is a 285-calorie slice. Working it both ways for a 75 kg person:
| Activity | Gross | Net of resting | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking, 3.0 mph | 65 min | 91 min | +26 min |
| Walking, 4.0 mph | 46 min | 57 min | +11 min |
| Cycling, 12-14 mph | 29 min | 33 min | +4 min |
| Running, 6 mph | 23 min | 26 min | +3 min |
An extra 26 minutes on the walk and 3 on the run — the correction is largest exactly where the activity is lightest, which is the opposite of where people look for fine print. If you are walking off a slice you have 91 minutes of walking ahead, not 65.
And the intensity labels are thresholds, not descriptions
The page calls anything at or above 6 METs vigorous and anything from 3 to 6 moderate, which are the CDC's cut-offs. They are cut-offs rather than judgements: 5.9 is moderate and 6.0 is vigorous, and nothing physiological happens in between. Of the 13 activities shown here, 1 is light, 7 are moderate and 5 are vigorous. Weightlifting and a 3.0 mph walk both sit at 3.5 METs and therefore share a label — which tells you the label is about energy cost per minute and says nothing about what the session does for you. Only one thing on the list is light by that rule, and even that is two and a half times sitting still.
How to use
- Pick your activity and its intensity.
- Enter your weight and how long you did it.
- Read the estimated calories burned.
- Do not add the full figure back to your daily intake.
Frequently asked questions
What is a MET?
A metabolic equivalent — a multiple of resting energy expenditure. An activity rated at 8 METs uses roughly eight times the energy of sitting still. The values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities, a published reference compiled from measured studies.
How is the calculation done?
The MET value multiplied by your weight in kilograms and the duration in hours gives an approximate calorie figure. Weight matters because moving a heavier body costs more energy, which is why the same activity burns more for a heavier person.
How accurate is this?
Loosely accurate at best. MET values are population averages, and individual efficiency, fitness, technique and terrain all shift the real figure substantially. Errors of 20 to 30 per cent either way are entirely plausible for any individual.
Why do fitness trackers give different numbers?
Because they estimate differently, usually from heart rate and movement, and each manufacturer uses its own undisclosed model. Studies comparing consumer devices against laboratory measurement have repeatedly found large errors in calorie estimates, even where step and heart-rate accuracy is good.
Should I eat back the calories I burned?
Cautiously, if at all. Exercise calorie estimates run high, food calorie estimates run low, and eating back a generous estimate of an over-generous figure is a well-worn way to wonder why nothing is changing. Many people find it works better to ignore exercise calories entirely and adjust from results.
Does the estimate include my resting metabolism?
Yes — the MET calculation includes the energy you would have used anyway during that time. The additional calories attributable to the exercise are therefore lower than the figure shown, which is one more reason not to treat it as a licence to eat.
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