Have you ever wondered how long you’d need to ride a bike to burn off calories from eating a single hot dog? Or any other kind of food, combined with any other type of exercise?
You just need this formula:
Number of calories x 60 ÷ (weight in pounds x 0.45359237 x METS exercise value)
(METS are a measure of how hard your body is working. METS tables are found easily online.)
For example: Let’s say you weigh 170 pounds.
- Beef hot dog – 185.54 Calories
- Moderate bicycling - 7.0 METS
185.54 x 60 ÷ (170 x 0.45359237 x 7.0) = 20 minutes of bicycle riding
How long would you have to exercise on an elliptical machine (at 7.0 METS) to take care of a typical snack?
- An apple = 81.42 calories
81.42 x 60 ÷ (170 x 0.45359237 x 7.0) = 9 minutes on the elliptical - A jelly donut = 221 calories
221 x 60 ÷ (170 x 0.45359237 x 7.0) = 24 minutes on the elliptical - A piece of cheesecake = 411.65 calories
411.65 x 60 ÷ (170 x 0.45359237 x 7.0) = 45 minutes on the elliptical - A soda = 151.29 calories
151.29 x 60 ÷ (170 x 0.45359237 x 7.0) = 16 minutes on the elliptical
Knowing how much exercise you need to burn off calories from certain foods can come in handy. Plus, it has another benefit: You tend to start rethinking what you’re eating! (Especially those jelly donuts.)
To learn more (or if you don’t want to do all that math) you can use the online Burn it Off! Fitness Calculator.
filed in: Exercise & Fitness
subjects: calorie counter, diet, exercise, fitness
