How Many Calories you Burn Doing Popular Exercises (Or, Why Exercising for Weight Loss Doesn’t Work)

In order to lose ONE POUND of body fat you must burn 3500 calories in a day!    Looking at it in this perspective tells you why you cannot exercise enough in a day to lose weight.  Losing weight comes from monitoring WHAT you eat, not necessarily how much. Although I will say 99% of most Americans do NOT MEET THEIR CALORIE needs, making it impossible to meet your nutrient needs…which is the key to successful weight loss.

Everything we do burns calories.

Calorie-counting isn’t the best way to lose weight — for that, you’re better off focusing on which foods you eat. But exercise offers a huge range of mental and physical health benefits, and it can be useful to know how much fuel you are burning.

Of course, the number of calories you burn varies based on body mass, body fat, age, sex, efficiency of movement, and conditions like altitude that impact the energy required for an activity. 

It’s also important to note that the figures below only count time spent engaged in the activity — so 60 minutes playing soccer doesn’t count as a full hour if you spent 15 minutes on the sideline. Also, doing an exercise in a vigorous way can burn up to twice as many calories as doing the same activity in a casual way.

Here’s the full list:

1. Hatha yoga: 183 calories/hour | 228 calories/hour
2. A slow walk (2 mph): 204 calories/hour | 255 calories/hour
3. Canoeing: 256 calories/hour | 319 calories/hour
4. Slow, easy cycling (under 10 mph): 292 calories/hour | 364 calories/hour
5. Volleyball: 292 calories/hour | 364 calories/hour
6. Power yoga: 292 calories/hour | 364 calories/hour
7. Golfing (and carrying your clubs): 314 calories/hour | 391 calories/hour
8. A brisk walk (3.5 mph): 314 calories/hour | 391 calories/hour
9. ‘Jogging’ on the elliptical: 365 calories/hour | 455 calories/hour
10. Resistance training/weightlifting: 365 calories/hour | 455 calories/hour
11. Kayaking: 365 calories/hour | 455 calories/hour
12. Water aerobics: 402 calories/hour | 501 calories/hour
13. Light or moderate lap swimming: 423 calories/hour | 528 calories/hour
14. Hiking: 438 calories/hour | 546 calories/hour
15. Backpacking: 511 calories/hour | 637 calories/hour
16. Tennis, singles: 584 calories/hour | 728 calories/hour
17. Running (5 mph): 606 calories/hour | 755 calories/hour
18. Running up stairs: 657 calories/hour | 819 calories/hour
19. Vigorous lap-swimming: 715 calories/hour | 892 calories/hour
20. Jump rope: 861 calories/hour | 1,074 calories/hour
21. Running, 8 mph: 861 calories/hour | 1,074 calories/hour