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How many calories do we burn with everyday activities?
Increasing your activity level may be easier than you think.
As we age, regular exercise that gets our heart going becomes more and more important, for reasons you probably already know:
- It may help lower high blood pressure, plus help to prevent and control diabetes.
- It can help you lose excess weight or stay at a healthy weight, which also helps to lower your risk of heart disease.
- Being a couch potato greatly increases your risk of developing heart disease and suffering a heart attack.
While it's true that sedentary activities like working at a computer or watching TV do burn a tiny amount of calories, what the heart needs is a moderate-to-vigorous physical experience, most days of the week, to stay healthy. You don't need to join a gym or take up marathon running, either. This chart shows the calories burned per hour by a person weighing 154 pounds for a variety of activities (a lighter person burns fewer calories; a heavier one burns more).
Moderate Physical Activity |
Calories Burned per Hour |
|---|---|
| Hiking | 370 |
| Light gardening/yard work | 330 |
| Dancing | 330 |
| Golf (walking and carrying clubs) | 330 |
| Bicycling (less than 10 mph) | 290 |
| Walking (3.5 mph) | 280 |
| Weight lifting (light workout) | 220 |
| Stretching | 180 |
| Vigorous Physical Activity |
Calories Burned per Hour |
|---|---|
| Running/jogging | 590 |
| Bicycling (more than 10 mph) | 590 |
| Swimming (slow freestyle laps) | 510 |
| Aerobics | 480 |
| Walking (4.5 mph) | 460 |
| Heavy yard work (chopping wood, for example) |
440 |
| Weight lifting (vigorous) | 440 |
| Basketball (vigorous) | 440 |
Generally, the more vigorous your activity, and the more time you spend on it, the more health benefits you'll receive. But any exercise is better than no exercise, so don't shy away from moderate-intensity activities, too. When done briskly for 30 minutes or longer most days of the week, the activities listed in the box below on the right side can help condition your heart and lungs, and reduce your risk of heart disease.
| Vigorous Activity |
Moderate Activity |
|---|---|
| Aerobic dancing | Bicycling (less than 10 mph) |
| Basketball | Downhill skiing |
| Bicycling (more than 10 mph) | Dancing |
| Cross-country skiing | Gardening |
| Hiking (up hill) | Golf (on foot) |
| Ice Hockey/field hockey | Hiking (flat ground) |
| Jogging/running (at least 5 mph) | Horseback riding |
| Jumping rope | Roller skating/ice skating |
| Soccer | Softball |
| Stair climbing | Swimming |
| Tennis (singles) | Tennis (doubles) |
| Walking briskly (4.5 mph) | Walking moderately (3.5 mph) |
| Weight lifting (vigorous effort) | Weight lifting (moderate effort) |
| Yard work (heavy) | Yard work (light) |
Pick your activity, on your time
Experts advise that one of the best ways to start and stay with activity is to find something you enjoy, and that fits into your life. If you can't stand treadmills, walk; if bicycling hurts your back, try a recumbent (leaning back) bike; if you love to swim but a health club isn't in your budget, how about the local YMCA?
Tactics like these eliminate excuses from the start, and make it easier to fit activity around you and your life -- instead of vice versa.
This year, give your heart the attention it deserves, and get moving!
Topics discussed on this page:
- benefits of exercise
- calories burned
- exercise calories
- burning calories chart
- preventing diabetes
- walnuts health benefits
- walnut oil health benefits
- stress and weight gain
- cortisol levels weight gain
- managing stress
Eating more green leafy veggies may reduce diabetes risk
Leicester, United Kingdom: Eating more leafy green vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, it was reported in the British Medical Journal.
Scientists reviewed six studies that involved over 220,000 participants, and found that eating 1.5 extra servings of green leafy vegetables a day reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 14%. Eating more fruits and vegetables combined didn't significantly affect this risk.
Study authors suggest that green leafy vegetables may reduce type 2 diabetes risk due to their high antioxidant and magnesium content. They suggest that offering tailored advice to encourage people to eat more of these vegetables should be investigated further.
Benefits of walnuts and walnut oil for managing stress
University Park, Pennsylvania: Adding walnuts or walnut oil to the diet may help improve the body's reaction to stress, new research from Penn State reveals.
In the study, 22 healthy adults were given all meals and snacks during three diet periods of six weeks each. The researchers found that including walnuts and walnut oil in the diet lowered both resting blood pressure and blood pressure responses to stress in the laboratory.
"This is the first study to show that walnuts and walnut oil reduce blood pressure during stress," said Sheila G. West, associate professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State. "This is important because we can't avoid all of the stressors in our daily lives. This study shows that a dietary change could help our bodies better respond to stress."
A small group of participants were given flax oil in addition to walnuts/walnut oil. This group showed improvements in a test of vascular health and a reduction in c-reactive protein, a measurement of inflammation.
The strong connection between stress, cortisol and weight gain
Ever find yourself overeating, or eating unhealthy foods when you are stressed out? This could be more than just so-called emotional eating. A hormone that helps your body deal with stress can also lead to hunger cravings -- and eventual weight gain -- when your stress load becomes too heavy.
Cortisol -- the "stress hormone" that can pack on the pounds.
The hormone cortisol is secreted when the body experiences stress. Cortisol is typically beneficial to the body, playing a significant role in the body's utilization of fat, protein and carbohydrates, as well as the regulation of cardiovascular function. However, excessive levels of cortisol, usually caused by a state of chronic stress, can lead to a number of health problems, including:
- Impaired brain function
- Suppressed thyroid function
- Decreased bone density
- Increased appetite
- Weight gain (particularly in the abdomen)
- Depression
The "stress hormone" appetite.
Cortisol is a powerful signal to increase appetite and store fat. Higher levels of cortisol tell your brain that you're hungry. They also tell your fat cells to store as much fat as they can without releasing it. Being in a state of chronic stress can lead to cravings for high-fat, high-carb foods
-- and this reactive habit can lead to
dangerous weight gain, specifically around the waist. In fact, chronic stress is considered a major contributing factor to obesity.
Ways to decrease stress.
Reducing stress is easier said than done, but by doing so, you can help decrease the impact it can have on your body. Incorporate these techniques for stress reduction into your daily life:
- Exercise regularly
- Get sufficient sleep
- Practice relaxation techniques, like deep breathing and positive mental imagery
- Avoid excessive sugar and caffeine
Certainly, some stress is unavoidable. But by adopting smart lifestyle habits, you can help avoid its adverse effects on your health and weight.
L.A. Times - Health
Headlines from latimes.com| 05/20/2012 12:00 AM |
| Graduating collegians cope with student debt in a weak economy |
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Students and graduates from several Southland campuses talk of their loans and how paying them off figures into their plans. For some, the path seems secure; for others, uncertainty is the only certainty. College graduation is typically a time to tally accomplishments and to look ahead. But for many graduates, it is also a time to tally student loans and figure out how to repay them.
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| 05/20/2012 12:00 AM |
| McManus: A campaign bombshell |
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If the court upholds the healthcare reform law, the president wins; if it declares the law unconstitutional, he loses. Right? Well, not so fast. The Supreme Court is about to toss a judicial bomb into the middle of the presidential campaign, and nobody knows what impact it will have.
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| 05/19/2012 12:00 AM |
| Gear: Big wheels rule |
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The revolution is over — and big wheels have won. The "29er" mountain bike, which first appeared on the scene a decade ago with monster-truck tires 3 inches taller than the age-old 26-inchers, now dominates the market. It's easy to see why: The bike makes you faster and safer, gaining more momentum and floating better over sand and rocks. This year, the demand's so hot for huge hoops that some companies don't even sell 26ers anymore. Others have started experimenting with different-size big wheels, like the 650B, a "27.5er" (reviewed below) that touts faster speed with sharper steering. At the recent Handmade Bicycle Show in Sacramento, one company even rolled out a 36er — a cruiser with 3-foot-diameter tires. A mountain-bike version can't be far behind.
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| 05/19/2012 12:00 AM |
| Fitness: Exercise apps for your smartphone |
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IPhone, iPad and Android apps can help you boost your fitness level. Reviewed: Yoga With Janet Stone, Endomondo Pro, Nike Training Club, Zombies, Run!, Fleetly. Forget Angry Birds. Your smartphone can be a powerful tool for improving your overall fitness if you give it half a chance.
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| 05/19/2012 12:00 AM |
| Are raspberry ketones a 'miracle' fat burner? Dr. Oz weighs in. |
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Sales took off after the supplement was touted on 'The Dr. Oz Show.' But does it really work? Until recently, very few people had ever heard of raspberry ketones, the aromatic compounds that give the berries their distinctive smell. Today, health food stores have trouble keeping the capsules or drops of the stuff on their shelves. Almost overnight, an obscure plant compound became the next big thing in weight loss — and all it took was a few words from Dr. Oz.
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| 05/18/2012 12:00 AM |
| AIDS researchers sideline women |
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Although they account for 25% of those living with HIV in the U.S., women are significantly underrepresented in clinical trials. At any one time, hundreds of clinical trials are underway in the U.S. to test simpler and more effective ways to treat and prevent HIV infection, which afflicts more than 1 million people in this country. Most of those in the U.S. with HIV — and with AIDs in its full-blown stage — are men. So, understandably, men make up the majority of the participants in the trials.
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Well
Tara Parker-Pope on Health| 05/18/2012 02:48 PM |
| Turning Yoga Into Art |
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Robert Sturman, an artist from Santa Monica, Calif., has traveled around the world painting and photographing landscapes, musicians and athletes. But it is the study of yoga that has triggered one of the most creative periods of his career.
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| 05/14/2012 12:32 PM |
| Can Runners Have 'Too Many Miles on the Tires'? |
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If you start racing when you are young, will you be slower in middle age than if you started when you were older?
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| 05/20/2012 02:01 PM |
| Sleep Apnea Tied to Increased Cancer Risk |
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Two new studies have found that people with sleep apnea, a common disorder of sleep that causes snoring, fatigue and dangerous pauses in breathing at night, have a higher risk of cancer, the first time that sleep apnea has been linked to cancer in humans.
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| 05/18/2012 01:04 PM |
| When Garlic Goes Green |
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Shoppers at farmers' markets may come across green garlic, which has been harvested early, before the cloves have matured. The Recipes for Health columnist Martha Rose Shulman offers five new ways to cook with green garlic.
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| 05/17/2012 01:15 PM |
| Does Facebook Turn People Into Narcissists? |
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Some research suggests that people who frequently update their Facebook status are more likely to exhibit narcissistic traits, but the social medium of choice for the self-absorbed may actually be Twitter.
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| 05/17/2012 09:35 AM |
| Using a D.M.V. Wait to Enroll Organ Donors |
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Showing people who were waiting to get a driver's license a short video about the impact of organ donation increased the number of organ donors by more than 10 percent, and the increase was especially dramatic among African-Americans.
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| 05/17/2012 07:26 AM |
| Life, Interrupted: Hope Is My New Address |
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I've left the isolation of the hospital after my bone marrow transplant and no longer need to be connected to IVs around the clock. I'm enjoying my freedom, but cancer continues to dictate my choices, writes Suleika Jaouad.
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| 05/16/2012 02:00 PM |
| Coffee Drinkers May Live Longer |
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The largest-ever study of the relationship between coffee consumption and health showed that regular coffee drinkers had a lower risk of dying from a variety of diseases.
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| 05/16/2012 12:28 PM |
| Skechers Toning Shoe Customers to Get Refund |
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Federal regulators announced on Wednesday that Skechers has agreed to pay $40 million to settle charges that the company deceived consumers with claims about its toning shoes.
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Healthland
A healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit| 05/18/2012 12:00 PM |
| Why Cell Phones Are Bad for Parenting |
Kids can tell when they don’t have their parents’ full attention. Dominique Browning argues it’s time for parents to put down their cell phones before it’s too late. Read her full opinion piece on our companion blog Ideas.
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| 05/18/2012 10:49 AM |
| Five Unconventional Fitness Classes to Try Now |
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| 05/18/2012 09:00 AM |
| Profanity in Teen Novels: Characters Who Curse Are Often the Most Desirable |
In a recent analysis of best-selling teen novels, researchers from Brigham Young University report that young readers encounter about seven instances of profanity per hour — and those characters with the dirtiest mouths are often the richest, most popular and best-looking. As with so many things, surmise the researchers, parents are probably in the dark about [...]
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| 05/18/2012 07:30 AM |
| Online Dating Gets a Little Less Virtual |
Online dating, it’s now universally agreed, has its limits. Among the two biggest glitches: dates who look nothing like their profile pictures and dates who are happy to email but decline to ever actually go on a bodily, non-virtual date. In an effort to combat such digital diversionary tactics, one of the biggest online dating [...]
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| 05/18/2012 05:29 AM |
| Traces of Marijuana Found in Trayvon Martin’s Body: Does It Matter? |
Among the voluminous evidence released Thursday in the shooting death of 17-year-old Florida high school student Trayvon Martin is a toxicology report showing that the teen had trace levels of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his blood and urine. The evidence includes abundant new information: conflicting witness statements, an autopsy report showing that [...]
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| 05/18/2012 03:00 AM |
| For Arthritis Sufferers, Smoking Hinders Knee And Hip Replacements |
People with arthritis — especially those with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis — are some of the most likely to need hip and knee replacements, making them especially vulnerable to the ill effects of smoking. Two recent studies presented at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in San Francisco report smoking [...]
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| 05/17/2012 12:06 PM |
| Q&A: How A Little Exercise Brings Big Benefits |
Gretchen Reynolds writes the New York Times’ “Phys Ed” column and has been a devotee of physical exercise — particularly running — for decades. In her work, she’s discovered that while inactivity can drastically shorten the healthy lifespan, most of the benefits of working out don’t require hours of effort or marathon-type training. Healthland spoke [...]
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