Contrary to what you may have heard, exercise alone is not great for weight loss.

Here are some estimated numbers for common forms of exercise.¹

NB: Average usual walking speed is 4.7 km/h.²

What do you need to know?

·        These estimated calories burned are per hour and some activities are easier to do for longer than others. For example, not many can run or swim for 1 hour, but many can walk for 1 hour. The other way you can think about it is: if you’re 70 kg (155 lb) and want to burn ~500 calories, you could either walk for 2 hours or run for 40 minutes.

·        You can’t outrun or outlift a bad diet – you don’t burn as many calories from exercise as you probably think. Consider the following: eating 1 serving (4 squares) of Cadbury Milk Chocolate is ~134 calories, while walking 4.8 km/h for 30 minutes is ~123 calories. Is it easier/quicker to skip eating the 1 serving of chocolate or to walk for 30 minutes?

·        Take the numbers in the table with a grain of salt. Many factors can influence calories burned, such as bodyweight, intensity and time

·        Consider how much time you have for physical activity. For instance, you may only have 10 minutes, so it may be more time-efficient to run than walk.

If you need help with planning your physical activity and exercise, feel free to reach out to us.

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References:

1. Wisconsin Department of Health Services (2005) (https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p4/p40109.pdf)
2. Murtagh et al. (2021) (PMID: 33030707)