Everything you do during the day burns calories. Some things, obviously, burn more calories than others. If you weigh more, you burn more calories doing the same tasks as someone who weighs less. Take a look at our comparisons below (calories based on a person who weighs 70kg):
Sitting vs. Standing
Yes, even as you sit, you burn calories – but not much. Sitting quietly burns about 100 calories per hour. Standing increases this to around 160 calories per hour.
Suggestion: Find any excuse to stand at the office. Take the post out, get tea for the team, or even just take a quick stroll around the office to stretch your legs.
Walking
To work, the dog, for exercise…
At a leisurely pace for an hour, walking the dog (or just yourself!) burns about 200 calories. A brisk walk, however, can burn over 450 calories in the same amount of time.
Suggestion: Take a walk on your lunch break at work. Or, find the nearest park on a weekend and go check it out.
Housework
Even 30 minutes of housework could burn up to 120 calories – even more depending on how vigorously you’re lifting, hoovering, and squatting to get to those hard-to-reach places.
Suggestion: Just some extra incentive to give your gaff the deep clean it’s been needing…
Jogging vs. Running
A light jog (8 kph) for 30 minutes would burn around 250 calories, while picking up the pace a bit (12 kph) increases that to about 400 calories.
Suggestion: If you’re not used to running, try alternating walking and running to build up your stamina. Check out our Couch-to-5k programme.
Outside or Inside?
Running outside is considered a more intense workout, but running on a treadmill decreases the risk of injury and you may run for longer.
Bicycling vs. Spinning
Bicycling a “moderate effort”, or 12 – 13.9 mph, burns about 560 calories per hour. This means you could burn about 235 calories on a 5 mile cycle to work. A vigorous spin class, meanwhile, can burn over 700 calories if you’re using proper technique.
Suggestion: Try one. Chances are, people do one or the other. Try spinning if you haven’t before and vice versa – you never know what you might learn.
Hiking
Hiking cross country burns about 422 calories per hour, while carrying a heavy backpack increases this to almost 500 calories.
Suggestion: Bring a few friends. There’s nothing like some friendly competition to keep the pace brisk.
Get Active to Get Healthy
Physical activity is essential to good health. It makes your bones stronger, decreases your risk of heart disease, and even improves your mood… and those are only a few of numerous health benefits. If you have symptoms or need medical advice, our GPs are here for you. You can book a video consultation or ask a GP a health question any time. Chat to your doctor today
