How many calories do you burn Running?
You burn around 120 calories per mile while running. Studies have shown that the speed at which you run doesn’t really matter. If you run an hour at 7 mph, you burn around 800 calories. If you run 9 mph then you burn up to 950 calories. The total amount of burned calories mostly depends on your weight. Calculate how many calories you burn while running.
The fact that running and jogging is healthy for you is widely known and recognized. There are conflicting views, however, on whether you can lose weight by running. What we do know is that running is one of the most practiced sports in the world. And that’s obvious because you only need a pair of running shoes and sports clothing. It’s easy to start with and you can run almost anywhere.
Different types of running
There are different ways of running. On top of the standard single-tempo runs, there are interval runs, endurance runs and sprints. This article is about the most practiced type: recreational running or jogging.
What are the advantages of running?
As mentioned before, running is good for your body. What are the most important advantages running has to offer for your health? We’ve listed the seven down below:
- It increases your lifespan
Yes, really. It has been proven. Research from the British Journal of Sports Medicine has proven that running lowers the chances of heart failure and cancer. Scientists claim that this also counts for people that only run once a week.
- It produces endorphins
You might know the term ‘runner’s high’. It’s the good feeling you get from the release of endorphins after running for a while. This makes running an addicting sport for many people. Scientists have discovered that people with depression have had positive results after running for 30 minutes. While it can be difficult to start with for some people, its not something you’ll regret afterward.
- It allows for better sleep
A good night's sleep in one of the most important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. In a digitalized world where we live, it’s common that we try to fall asleep after watching a busy movie or an evening of being distracted by social media and work-related emails. Not optimal for a good night's sleep. Running helps you clear your head mentally and physically ready you for sleep.
- It helps you lose weight.
Whether you’re a fast or slow runner, you burn calories by shifting your bodyweight at a specific heart-rate. And your burn calories faster compared to many other sports. Research has shown that people who can run for longer periods are less likely to become obese.
- It’s good for your knees and back.
Maybe you’ve heard that exercising prevents unhealthy bones( or bone diseases such as osteoporosis.) When your bones are put regularly under pressure, they’re able to stay strong. There is an advantage that may seem too good to be true, however… Running is good for your knees and back! In a research experiment, scientists compared the knees and hips op runners with non-runners and they found less arthritis in both areas of the body.
- You age slower
Have you ever heard of the difference between your biological and actual age? 60% of the population is physically older than they actually are. Running prevents this and helps you stay at your actual age and may help you look younger as well!
- It improves your immune system
Runner David Nieman researched what kind of effect running has on your immune system. He concluded that relatively high effort activities, such as running, have a positive effect on the immune system. So with running, as his research has proven, it improves your resistance against pathogens, one of them being lung diseases.
How to lose weight by running
Losing weight requires you to burn more calories than you consume them. Running burns lots of calories because you use a range of different muscles, from the ones in your upper as well as lower body. Especially running in intervals tends to burn more.
Researchers at Harvard University have looked into how easily you can lose weight by running compared to other sports and activities. The research shows that you burn a relatively large amount of calories. An average person burns 372 calories by walking 30 minutes at 6 mph. You burn that much with 30 minutes of intensive swimming or playing basketball.
The more intensely you train, the better the advantages. The ‘afterburn effect’ allows you to burn a few calories for a while after your workout. Furthermore, you tend to have a lessened appetite after an intense exercise session, which leads to eating less.
Finally, another advantage of running for your health is that you burn unhealthy fats while exercising at an average intensity. Running is good for your health!
Whether you’ll lose weight once you start running is a difficult question to answer. This is because you gain the muscle mass that replaces your burned fat, which is relatively lighter than muscles. This can cause your weight to increase.
How many calories do you burn by running?
Multiple factors determine how many calories you burn by running: your weight, how long you run for, and the intensity at which you run. Use this tool to simply calculate your calories burned at certain speeds. You can see how many calories you burn in the table below and the graph above. The amount of calories is determined by your speed and weight.
| 140 lbs | 160 lbs | 180 lbs | 200 lbs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Running - Cross-Country | 627 kcal | 716 kcal | 806 kcal | 895 kcal |
| Running - 6 mph | 653 kcal | 747 kcal | 840 kcal | 933 kcal |
| Running - 7 mph | 733 kcal | 838 kcal | 943 kcal | 1048 kcal |
| Running - 8 mph | 787 kcal | 899 kcal | 1012 kcal | 1124 kcal |
| Running - 9 mph | 853 kcal | 975 kcal | 1097 kcal | 1219 kcal |
| Running - 10 mph | 967 kcal | 1105 kcal | 1243 kcal | 1381 kcal |
| Running | 733 kcal | 838 kcal | 943 kcal | 1048 kcal |
| Running - 5 mph | 553 kcal | 632 kcal | 712 kcal | 791 kcal |
Some examples
How many calories do you burn during 10 miles?
If someone of 180 pounds ran 10 miles at a speed of 8 mph they would burn around 1265 calories during the run.
How many calories do you burn running a half or whole marathon?
If someone of 150 pounds ran a half marathon at 6 mph they would burn
around 1529 calories. For a whole marathon, the amount would double and
the number of calories burned would be around 3058 calories.
How do you start running?
A common mistake that people make when starting with running is that they can get too enthusiastic. In the beginning, everything is exciting, there is a lot of motivation and the shoes and clothes are still brand new. These expectations for results may cause you to lose motivation quickly. Despite the initial excitement and motivation, many beginners do not manage to reap the rewards of running (such as losing weight and gaining muscles) in the long run.
You want to start with something small and achievable, something you can keep up for a while so that it becomes a habit. If you don’t manage to even get yourself out of bed to run after a while, we have a tip for you: Start with changing into your sports clothing first. If you manage to do that every day without forcing yourself to run, you’ll notice that you’ll go out willingly. This theory comes from the book: ‘Tiny Habit: The Small Changes that Change Everything’. We’ve tested this ourselves and can say that it does indeed work!