Food & Fitness

Burning Calories with Exercise

The amount of calories you burn will depend on how long you exercise and the intensity of the activity.

It also depends on your weight. A heavier person actually burns more calories than someone lighter than them when they exercise for the same amount of time.  

Choosing a higher intensity activity will burn more calories in 30 minutes than a lower intensity activity.

Lower intensity activities require more time to burn the same amount of calories.

Adding faster intervals into any activity that you do also increases your calorie use.

Ways to Burn 100 Calories

Here are just a few ways you can burn about 100 calories. Again, the exact amount of calories you burn will vary depending on your weight and the intensity at which you do the activity.

In 10 minutes

• Jump rope continuously
• Play a quick game of racquetball
• Swim laps without stopping
• Play a short tennis game (singles)
• Ski down that black diamond run
• Shovel snow

In 15 minutes

• Tread water
• Lift weights continuously
• Enjoy a short aerobics class
• Walk uphill
• Paint a small room—or part of a big one!
• Clean a gutter

In 20 minutes

• Rake leaves
• Wash and wax the station wagon or SUV
• Walk briskly through the mall
• Take a leisurely bike ride
• Adopt a highway—and volunteer to pick up trash

In 30 minutes

• Slow dance or ballroom dance continuously
• Put up holiday lights outside the house
• Push your child in a stroller
• Take the dog for a walk