A common goal is 300 to 500 active calories a day, which depends on your weight and fitness. Health guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity a week.
What are active calories
Active calories are those burned through movement and exercise, on top of your resting (basal) calories.
How many
- 300 to 500 a day is a common goal.
- Weight, age and intensity change the number.
Guidelines
The CDC and WHO recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity a week plus 2 days of strength training.
Ways to burn
A 155 lb person burns about 140 calories walking 30 minutes at 3.5 mph. Running 6 mph for 30 minutes burns about 370.
Active versus total calories
Total daily energy expenditure includes the basal metabolic rate (calories burned at rest, about 60% to 70% of the total), the thermic effect of food (about 10%) and activity. Active calories are those burned beyond resting, through exercise and daily movement such as walking and chores.
Typical ranges
Many fitness trackers show active calorie burns of 300 to 700 per day for moderately active adults, though numbers vary by body size, age and workout intensity.
Guideline for exercise
Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, according to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, plus muscle strengthening on 2 or more days. That is typically about 150 to 300 active calories per day depending on body size.
Example burn rates
For a 155 pound person, 30 minutes of walking at 3.5 mph burns about 140 calories, cycling at a moderate pace about 260, running at 6 mph about 340 and swimming laps about 250, according to Harvard Health data.
Weight loss
A deficit of about 3,500 calories is roughly 1 pound of fat in a simple model, though real weight changes vary. The CDC suggests 1 to 2 pounds per week as a safe rate.
Accuracy of trackers
Studies by Stanford researchers found that wrist fitness trackers measure heart rate fairly well, but energy expenditure estimates can be off by 27% to 93%.
Ways to increase active calories
- Take more steps, with 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day linked with lower mortality.
- Take stairs.
- Add strength training, which builds muscle that burns more calories at rest.
- Use interval training.
Health conditions
Check with your doctor before starting a new program if you have heart disease, diabetes or other conditions.
Calculating active calories
Total daily energy expenditure combines basal metabolic rate, the energy used at rest, the thermic effect of food, and activity energy. Active calories are the extra calories burned by movement, including exercise and daily activity, and they often range from about 200 to 600 for moderately active adults, though numbers vary widely. A 150 pound person burns roughly 100 calories in a mile of walking or running, 260 per hour of casual cycling and 400 or more per hour of jogging. The 3,500 calorie per pound rule is a rough guide, and body weight changes do not follow it exactly.
Accuracy and goals
A 2017 Stanford study in the Journal of Personalized Medicine tested seven wrist worn trackers and found heart rate was accurate within about 5 percent, but energy expenditure estimates had errors from 27 to 93 percent. Treat tracker calories as rough estimates. Public health guidance recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity per week, which for many adults equals roughly 1,000 to 2,000 active calories weekly. Raise activity by walking more, taking stairs and adding strength training, which builds muscle that increases resting burn modestly. Pair exercise with sleep and a balanced diet.
Based on data from the Journal of Personalized Medicine and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
