Calories Burned

The amount of calories burned over a given day can vary for many reasons for each individual.  In order to be successful with weight loss, it is important that you create a caloric deficit, which is simply the difference between what you eat and what you burn.  In order to create this deficit, you need to burn off more than you consume each day and throughout the week.  Consider the information below as a guide to your daily calorie burn from various activities and from your overall metabolism.

What does it Take to Burn Calories?

For starters here, the first thing you can do to burn calories is to exercise.  Exercise is the most common way to purposefully burn off energy and to lean out.  Depending on the type of exercise you perform, shredding the excess energy from your body can be fairly quick.  With that said, let’s take a closer look at common exercises you can do to burn calories.

Calories Burned Walking

Walking is one of the easiest ways to burn calories and the good thing is most adults can make use of this exercise.  A standard 160 pound person can expect to burn off about 85 calories for every mile walked.  With that said if you weigh more than this, your calorie burn will be more, but if you weigh less than this then you will burn fewer calories.  The idea is to aim for at least a mile to day if you are just getting started.

Calories Burned Biking or Cycling

Another fun way to burn calories while enjoying the great outdoors is cycling.  This type of exercise is a fun way to cover large amounts of area without tiring too quickly.  A light cycle at a pace of about 11 miles in an hour will expend about 50 calories per mile.  Now, it is assumed that your body weight figures into this equation a bit, but considering that you are sitting and your body weight should have zero factor in your cycling adventure, you calorie burn should be consistent based off body weight.  However, if you speed your pace or slow down, your overall energy burn will change.

Calories Burned Swimming

If land exercise is not for you then consider hitting the pool for your activity.  A standard 155 pound individual can swimming at a slow pace could expect to use about 500 calories over an entire hour.  Consider this a fun way to burn energy when it is warm outdoors.

How Many Calories do I burn a Day?

In addition to burning calories throughout planned exercises, your body uses quite a bit of energy simply for survival.  This calorie burned, which is referred to as your metabolism, is necessary for your overall health, wellness, and survival.  Your metabolic rate can change throughout the course of your life and it can vary depending on what you eat as well.

Your metabolic rate will vary depending on a number of factors.  For starters, your metabolism is calculated (more of estimated) based off your age, gender, height, weight, level of physical activity, and sometimes based off your resting heart rate.  With that said, taller males tend to have higher metabolisms than older, shorter, females tend to have the lowest metabolisms.

While this is a general rule, some individuals have fast or slow metabolic rates; it just depends on your body.  You can estimate your metabolism and based off simple calculations.  Many online calculators use the information you input as a way to calculate your daily metabolic burn so consider these as good options.

How Many Calories Should I Burn a Day for Weight Loss?

A good calorie burn for weight loss should be one that creates a caloric deficit of about 500 calories per day.  If one pound of fat equals about 3,500 calories, then it should be expected that you will lose a pound of fat per week.  However, your weight loss may be more than this because generally weight loss is not 100 percent fat loss, meaning you are likely to lose water weight, bone weight, as well as muscle mass.  Consider creating a 500 calorie deficit each day for ample weight loss.

Tips for Burning Extra Calories Each Day

Since it takes about a 500 calorie deficit to lose weight, you should consider ways in which you can burn a little extra energy throughout the day.  If you are looking to lose weight merely based off burning more calories rather than from dieting then you should consider the helpful tips below to get you going.


Is may appear annoying to some, but fidgeting can be a good way to burn extra calories.  Some sources have stated that people lose weight simply by fidgeting, but this remains to be explored as a valid activity.  In addition, extreme fidgeters have been shown to burn about 350 calories a day, simply by fidgeting and moving. 

Change your Office Desk

For the longest time, offices have been equipped with chairs and sitting stations that allow for optimal labor.  However, the past few decades has changed the way in which offices are arranged.  It seems sitting is damaging to overall health and considering most jobs nowadays require sitting in front of a computer, offices have quickly made changes to how work is completed.  The use of standing work stations is spreading across the country and what was once considered to be an awkward way of working is now being viewed as ingenious among various companies.  Consider a standing work station to burn more calories throughout the day and to cut back on resting time.

Add Housework to your Daily Duties

After a long day at work, it seems unreasonable for some individuals to head home only to do more work.  However, housework can be a win-win for many.  It seems that a standard 150 pound person can burn significant calories in only 30 minutes of housework each day.  Washing the dishes for 30 minutes can lead to about 75 calories burned, vacuuming can lead to over 100 calories, and making your bed can lead to about 20 calories, depending how long it takes you.  The idea here is that burning calories for weight loss does not always need to occur only from the gym, but it can occur anywhere you desire.

Resistance Training

One of the best ways to add extra calories burned throughout your day is to lift weights.  The workout in itself creates an energy burn, but it seems the after effects of resistance training are even more important for lasting energy burn.  Let’s put it this way, 10 pounds of muscle can burn about 50 calories at rest, which can add up in the long run.  With more muscle mass on your body, your calorie burn is expected to increase as a result.

Wrapping up Calories Burned

One of the most important elements in your weight loss program is creating a caloric deficit.  A caloric deficit is created by burning more energy than what you eat.  The more caloric deficit you create means the more weight you should lose.  With that said, the content above is designed to inform you of some of the ways in which you use calories throughout the day, with additional tips on how to burn more in fun ways.

Consider moderately decreasing your calorie intake each day in addition to burning off additional calories with simple activities.  Adding a standing work station is one of the most effective ways to cut back on your body’s formation of fat, in addition to performing household chores.  The idea with burning calories is to keep moving and resist long periods of sitting.

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