How to calculate calories burned
- Choose an activity from walking and running to cycling, swimming, strength training, sports or housework.
- Enter how many minutes you did it and your body weight.
- Read the estimated calories burned, the rate per minute, and a comparison with other activities for the same time.
How the estimate works
Each activity has a MET value (metabolic equivalent of task) from the Compendium of Physical Activities, a research database compiled by Ainsworth and colleagues. One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly, roughly 1 kcal per kilogram per hour. Running at 10 minutes per mile is 9.8 METs, almost ten times resting. Calories are calculated with the standard formula used by the American College of Sports Medicine: kcal per minute = MET × 3.5 × body weight in kg ÷ 200. A 70 kg person running for 30 minutes at that pace burns about 360 kcal.
The results include the energy you would have used anyway at rest, which is how fitness trackers usually report it. Real burn varies by 10–20% or more with fitness, terrain, technique and intensity: two people doing the "same" workout can differ a lot. Heavier people burn more for the same activity because they move more mass. Use the numbers for comparisons and planning rather than precise food budgets, and remember that exercise is far more valuable for health than for calorie counting. Everything runs in your browser.
How many calories does walking 10,000 steps burn?
Roughly 300–500 kcal for most adults, depending on weight and pace (10,000 steps is about 75–100 minutes of walking).
Why do fitness trackers show different numbers?
They use heart rate and movement data with their own formulas. All methods are estimates.
Does lifting weights burn many calories?
Fewer per minute than cardio, but building muscle supports your metabolism and health.