Calories Burned Calculator
Understanding Calories Burned
The number of calories that the body 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.
Factors Affecting Calories Burned
Body Mass and Duration
A person's body mass affects how many calories they burn, even at rest. A person who is larger due to more muscle, fat, or height burns more calories. Duration of exercise is another factor - the longer a person performs an exercise, the more calories they will burn.
Exercise Intensity
Exercise intensity is measured using MET (metabolic equivalent of a task). The more intense the exercise, the greater the number of calories burned. MET represents the ratio of energy expended during an activity compared to resting.
Exercise Intensity Categories:
- Light intensity: Walking slowly (2.0 MET)
- Moderate intensity: Swimming general (6.0 MET)
- Vigorous intensity: Running 8 mph (11.8 MET)
Calculating Calories Burned
Formula:
Calories = Time (hours) × MET × Body Weight (kg)
Where 1 MET is roughly equivalent to expending 1 Calorie per kilogram of body weight per hour.
Accuracy Considerations
The accuracy of this calculation is significantly affected by MET values, which were derived based on a specific reference: a healthy 40-year-old male who weighed 70 kilograms. Individual variations in resting metabolic rate (RMR) can cause the standard MET values to overestimate oxygen consumption by up to 20-30%.
Additionally, MET values assume the activity is performed at a constant rate without breaks. For activities like sports that include rest periods, the actual calories burned may be lower than calculated.
The estimated range (±15%) shown in the results accounts for some of these individual variations.