How many calories do you burn?
Every activity has a typical energy cost, and researchers have measured it for a long list of them. The Compendium of Physical Activities collects those costs as MET values. It was first developed in 1989, published in 1993 and updated in 2000, 2011 and 2024. The 2024 Adult Compendium lists 1,114 specific activities under 22 major headings, each with a 5-digit code, for adults aged 19 to 59. This calories burned calculator takes the MET value of your activity from it, together with your weight and the minutes, and estimates the calories you burn in total, per hour and per minute.
A MET (metabolic equivalent) compares an activity with sitting quietly. The Compendium defines 1 MET as 3.5 mL of oxygen per kg of body weight per minute, about 1 kcal per kg per hour. Brisk walking for exercise at 3.5 to 3.9 mph is 4.8 METs, so it costs about 4.8 times as much energy as sitting still. Running at 6 to 6.3 mph is 9.3 METs.
The formula
The Compendium website lists this formula for turning METs into kcal per minute. It follows from the definition: 3.5 mL of oxygen per kg per minute times your weight gives your oxygen use, and the Compendium counts 5 kcal per liter of oxygen. Example: a person of 160 lb (72.6 kg) walking briskly for 30 minutes burns 4.8 × 3.5 × 72.6 ÷ 200 × 30 = about 183 kcal. The shortcut of 1 kcal per kg per hour, which the Compendium also mentions, gives results about 5% lower.
| Activity, 30 minutes | METs | 130 lb | 160 lb | 190 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sitting quietly | 1.0 | 31 kcal | 38 kcal | 45 kcal |
| Yoga, hatha | 2.3 | 71 kcal | 88 kcal | 104 kcal |
| House cleaning, general | 3.3 | 102 kcal | 126 kcal | 149 kcal |
| Weight training, 8 to 15 reps | 3.5 | 108 kcal | 133 kcal | 158 kcal |
| Walking, 2.8 to 3.4 mph | 3.8 | 118 kcal | 145 kcal | 172 kcal |
| Walking, 3.5 to 3.9 mph | 4.8 | 149 kcal | 183 kcal | 217 kcal |
| Mowing the lawn, power mower | 5.0 | 155 kcal | 191 kcal | 226 kcal |
| Swimming freestyle, slow | 5.8 | 180 kcal | 221 kcal | 262 kcal |
| Tennis, general | 6.8 | 211 kcal | 259 kcal | 308 kcal |
| Cycling, 12 to 13.9 mph | 8.0 | 248 kcal | 305 kcal | 362 kcal |
| Running, 6 to 6.3 mph | 9.3 | 288 kcal | 354 kcal | 421 kcal |
| HIIT, vigorous | 11.0 | 341 kcal | 419 kcal | 498 kcal |
MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium. 130, 160 and 190 lb are about 59, 73 and 86 kg.
Light, moderate and vigorous
The 2024 Adult Compendium paper sorts activities by their MET value: 1.0 to 1.5 METs is sedentary, 1.6 to 2.9 light, 3.0 to 5.9 moderate, and 6.0 or more vigorous. The calculator shows this class next to the MET value. Brisk walking (4.8 METs) is moderate, running at 6 to 6.3 mph (9.3 METs) vigorous, and cooking (2.0 METs) light. The class always uses the standard MET, as the Compendium team advises for classifying activities in research.
Standard and corrected METs
Standard METs assume that everyone rests at 3.5 mL of oxygen per kg per minute. The Compendium website notes that measured resting rates are often lower, so the standard MET can underestimate the energy cost, and that a study found intensity was misclassified more often in people who are overweight, older, less fit, or women. The Compendium website describes a corrected MET for personal estimates: estimate your resting rate with the Harris-Benedict equation from your sex, age, height and weight, convert it to mL per kg per minute, and divide 3.5 by it. The standard MET times that factor is your corrected MET.
Pick Corrected for me to use it. For a 45-year-old woman of 170 cm and 80 kg, the estimated resting rate is about 2.65 mL per kg per minute, so a 3.0 MET activity becomes about 3.97 corrected METs, a third more. The Compendium team also notes that corrected METs should not replace standard METs in research, and that neither replaces measuring energy use directly.
How accurate is it?
The result is a standard estimate. The Compendium team writes that the Compendium was not developed to determine the precise energy cost of activities for an individual, and the 2024 paper says it can serve as a starting point but does not reflect precise individual energy expenditure. Resting metabolic rate varies with age, sex, height, body weight and body composition. As one example, the paper cites a study in which women with obesity used about 8% to 15% more energy than women without obesity at the same treadmill speeds and grades.
Pick the variant that matches your speed or effort, and count only the time you were actually moving. The Adult Compendium is meant for adults aged 19 to 59 without conditions that change energy use, such as heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or pregnancy. For people 60 and older the Compendium team publishes a separate Older Adult Compendium, and for wheelchair users a Wheelchair Compendium.
Keep in mind that the result includes the energy you would use at rest anyway, because 1 MET is the cost of sitting quietly. The calculator shows the difference to sitting quietly for the same time as well. To compare your result with your daily needs, see the Calorie Calculator, and to turn running speeds into paces, the Running Pace Calculator.
How to use the calories burned calculator
- 1Pick US or metric units and enter your body weight.
- 2Search for an activity or pick one from the list, then choose the intensity or speed that fits, and enter the hours and minutes.
- 3Read the calories burned in total, per hour and per minute, compare them with other activities, and copy the result or a link to it. Switch to Corrected for me to adjust the MET value for your sex, age and height.
Sources: Compendium of Physical Activities and its pages on unit conversions and corrected METs; Herrmann SD et al., 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, Journal of Sport and Health Science 2024;13(1):6-12.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does walking burn?
It depends on your weight, speed and time. In the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, walking at 2.8 to 3.4 mph on level ground is 3.8 METs and brisk walking at 3.5 to 3.9 mph is 4.8 METs. For a 160 lb (72.6 kg) person, 30 minutes of walking at a moderate pace comes to about 145 calories, and 30 minutes of brisk walking to about 183 calories.
What is a MET?
A MET, or metabolic equivalent, compares the energy cost of an activity with sitting quietly. The Compendium defines 1 MET as 3.5 mL of oxygen per kg of body weight per minute, or about 1 kcal per kg per hour. An activity of 4 METs costs about four times as much energy as sitting quietly. MET values for over a thousand activities are listed in the Compendium of Physical Activities.
How accurate is this calories burned calculator?
It gives a standard estimate, not a measurement. The Compendium team writes that the Compendium was not developed to determine the precise energy cost of activities for an individual, and that it can serve as a starting point but does not reflect precise individual energy expenditure. Resting metabolic rate differs with age, sex, height, weight and body composition, and how hard you actually work matters too.
Does the result include the calories I would burn anyway?
Yes. A MET value describes the total energy cost of the activity, and 1 MET is the cost of sitting quietly. So the result includes what your body would use at rest during that time. The calculator also shows how much more that is than sitting quietly for the same time, which is closer to the extra energy the activity costs you.
Why do heavier people burn more calories?
MET values are expressed per kg of body weight, so the calories for a given activity and time grow in step with weight. In the formula MET × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200, doubling the weight doubles the calories. For a 200 lb person, 30 minutes of brisk walking comes to about 229 calories, for a 130 lb person about 149.
What is a corrected MET?
The standard MET assumes everyone rests at 3.5 mL of oxygen per kg per minute. A corrected MET divides the energy cost by your own resting rate, estimated with the Harris-Benedict equation from your sex, age, height and weight. The Compendium website describes the method and says it may suit personal estimates, while standard METs should be used to classify activities and to compare groups.
Does this work for older adults or wheelchair users?
The 2024 Adult Compendium covers adults aged 19 to 59 without health conditions that change energy use. The Compendium team publishes a separate Older Adult Compendium for people 60 and older and a Wheelchair Compendium for wheelchair users, with their own values. This calculator uses the adult values only.