Jogging as a leisure activity has become more and more of a trend. Not only can you lose weight and make up for small sins, you can also keep yourself and your body fit. Jogging doesn't require incredibly expensive equipment, and you don't have to be a jock to do it. Anyone can do the sport, which is why it is so popular among others.
"Hardly any calories are burned when jogging." Such statements are often used to make the sport look bad. In the following article, the question of how many calories are actually burned during a running session is to be investigated. Furthermore, it is examined whether it is worth going jogging at all and whether there are better alternatives for a workout.
the essentials in brief
- The calorie consumption while jogging depends on many factors. Age, gender, weight and height play an important role.
- You can calculate the calorie consumption of your sports unit yourself with a simple formula. This requires the duration of the running unit and your weight. In addition, you can easily calculate your calorie consumption with various apps or on internet platforms.
- Compared to other sports, jogging burns a lot of calories. You can also use some tricks like sprints or built-in strength training to boost calorie burning.
Calorie consumption when jogging: what you should know
Admittedly, the calorie consumption while jogging is not easy to define, since it simply depends on many factors and varies from person to person. We have tried to collect and answer the most frequently asked questions on the subject:
What does the calorie consumption when jogging depend on?
Especially since it must be said that the calorie consumption when jogging is very individual and depends on various factors. How high the calorie consumption is depends, among other things, on gender, heart rate, muscle mass and weight.
In addition, the speed and duration is the key to endurance sports. Roughly speaking, the more you weigh and the faster and longer you run, the more calories you can burn.
The individual factors are examined in more detail below:
| factor | Description |
|---|---|
| weight and height | The taller and heavier a person is, the more calories are burned because physical exercise requires more energy. |
| Old | Age also plays an important role in energy consumption, because muscle mass decreases with age and so does calorie consumption. |
| Gender | The calorie consumption also depends on gender. Since men typically have more muscle, they also burn more calories. |
| fitness | Fat burning can increase if the person exercises regularly. The body knows how to access the fat reserve, thus increasing its consumption. |
Compared to other sports, jogging burns a lot of calories. It is also good to know that there is the so-called afterburn effect. Calories are still burned after the running unit at rest. In addition, regular jogging can also strengthen muscle mass, which consequently increases the basal metabolic rate.
How many calories do I burn while jogging?
As we have already seen from the factors described above, calorie consumption is not easy to calculate as there is a lot to take into account. It is therefore not possible to say in general how many calories are burned in a certain period of time, as it varies greatly.
Jogging is not only a great way to burn calories but also to stay fit and healthy. (Image source: unsplash/Isaac Wendland)
Nevertheless, there is the possibility to calculate the approximate calorie consumption, which will be shown in the next point. There are also many internet platforms and apps that calculate calorie consumption. For example, you can use the Yazio app to find out how many calories were burned during your sports session. The platform includes gender, age, duration and weight.
As has already been established, no two bodies are alike. Therefore, it does not have to be that weight loss can be achieved at all by jogging. So if you want to do sport to lose weight in a targeted manner, you should keep an eye on your body's reactions. On the other hand, it is undisputed that physical activity improves physical well-being and health. (1)
The Copenhagen City Heart Study also examined the impact of regular jogging on human health and mortality among athletes. It has been shown that joggers who run at a slow to moderate pace 2 to 3 times a week have the lowest risk of death. (2)
How can I calculate the calorie consumption while jogging?
As has already been explained in more detail, the calorie consumption depends on many factors, which is why an exact calculation is not very easy. So that you can still calculate the calorie consumption yourself, we would like to present a formula below:
Kilometers run x body weight in kilograms x 0.9 = calories burned
If you want to lose weight in a targeted manner, then you should find out your basal metabolic rate and eat and exercise depending on it. You can count calories per day by counting the calories you take in and subtracting them from the calories you lose from exercise. The total of these calories must therefore not exceed your personal basal metabolic rate.
If you want to lose weight in a targeted manner, nutrition is a very important factor in addition to exercise. You should not consume too many calories, which is also beneficial for physical performance. (3)
Not only can jogging burn calories, but it can also increase your mental well-being and alleviate a depressed mood. (4)
How can I increase the calorie consumption while jogging?
To burn more calories while jogging, you can do interval training. As the name suggests, interval training consists of intervals in which you increase the intensity. When jogging, you can do short sprints and then continue running at your usual speed. You can do sprints as often as you want, but remember: The more sprints, the more calories you burn. (5)
If you want to find out your exact calorie consumption, you can also go to a sports doctor.
You can also integrate strength training very well into your jogging routine. Take short breaks for squats, burpees, or push-ups. This not only makes your training varied, but also trains a specific muscle group and you can burn more calories.
In order for you to have optimal performance when jogging and consequently high calorie consumption, you should also pay close attention to your diet. What many disregard is a meal not after, but before the training session. It would be optimal to eat a modest amount of protein and carbohydrates about 2 hours before running. For example, a banana with yoghurt and oatmeal.
You can increase calorie consumption by inserting sprints and strength training while jogging. (Image source: unsplash/Braden Collum)
After exercise, on the other hand, not many carbohydrates should be consumed so that the afterburning effect can develop completely and more calories can be burned. After the workout, a light, protein-rich meal is best.
How many calories do you burn after jogging for 30 minutes?
There is no general answer to this question, as it has already been explained how different people burn calories and how many factors are involved. Running speed is particularly important. Half an hour of fast running burns the same number of calories as an hour of slow running.
You can calculate exactly how many calories you burn in 30 minutes of jogging using the formula given above or track it with a fitness app.
Assuming that 5 kilometers were run in 30 minutes, then, based on the above formula, a person weighing 60 kilograms would consume around 270 calories. A person weighing 80 kilograms would burn 360 calories for the same distance.
| Weight | calorie consumption |
|---|---|
| 50 kilograms | 225 calories |
| 60 kilograms | 270 calories |
| 70 kilograms | 310 calories |
| 80 kilograms | 360 calories |
However, this table is only an approximation. As previously mentioned, there are more factors that need to be considered for an accurate calorie burn calculation.
How different is the calorie consumption in men and women?
Basically, a woman burns around 10-20 percent less kcal than men during sporting activity. This is partly due to weight and muscle mass. As already mentioned, these two factors are crucial for the calorie burning during a sports session.
Women typically burn fewer calories than men for the same length and intensity jog. (Image source: unsplash/Kate Trifo)
The more muscle mass a person has, the more calories they burn. As a rule, men are genetically predisposed to have more muscle mass. However, this does not always have to be the case. Also, a man with more muscle mass and heavier weight will lose more calories when jogging compared to a man with less muscle mass and weight. The same applies to women.
Which sport burns the most calories?
Running has a very high calorie consumption compared to other sports. For example, a 130-pound person burns 100 calories walking for 10 to 15 minutes. To also burn 100 calories while cycling through the city, you have to pedal twice as long.
Above all, the sport should be fun, then the calories will tumble all by themselves.
Skiing can burn 100 calories about the same as running. Swimming, on the other hand, takes a little longer. For a 130-pound person to lose 100 calories walking, they would have to walk for an hour. Thus, the calorie consumption when walking is not particularly high, but still better than nothing.
Jumping rope is a very efficient workout. This activity burns 100 calories in just about 12 minutes. But even banal things like vacuum cleaning should not be neglected, because the calories tumble even with such activities. Not as much as a jog (about 100 calories / 44 minutes), but still a significant number.
| sport | minutes for 100 calories burned |
|---|---|
| Jog | about 10-15 minutes |
| cycling (free time) | about 25-30 minutes |
| To ski | about 15-20 minutes |
| walking | about 60 minutes |
| jump rope | about 12 minutes |
| vacuum cleaning | about 40-45 minutes |
However, it should be noted here that the speed and intensity must be taken into account for every type of sport, because cycling is not just cycling. Riding comfortably on a straight stretch to work or stepping up a mountain is a big difference and almost incomparable. Therefore, the table can only be seen as an approximate guide.
What alternatives are there to jogging?
Are you motivated to go jogging, but the weather doesn't want to play along? Is there snow, ice or is it raining? No reason to miss your sports unit. In the following we would like to introduce you to some alternatives to jogging so that you can make your training more varied or simply try something different.
- Walking: Walking is primarily for those who aren't great athletes and still want to boost their calorie consumption. Walking is a very good way to do this and you can also lose a lot of calories.
- Biking: If you have the opportunity, instead of taking the bus or car, it's an easy and good way to burn calories. Not only is something good done for your body, but also for the environment.
- Swimming: Swimming is also a good option for calorie consumption. The advantages of this are that the sport can be carried out regardless of the weather and season, as long as there is an indoor swimming pool in your area.
- Cross-country skiing: Since jogging is often difficult to do in the winter months due to ice and snow, you can switch to winter sports such as cross-country skiing, skiing, ski tours or tobogganing during this time. You can also keep fit and burn a lot of calories with these sports.
- Aerobics: You can burn a lot of calories with aerobics and you can do it in the comfort of your own home. Many internet platforms show aerobic videos for at home, for which you usually do not need any equipment.
As you can see, there are countless alternatives to jogging. Exercise should be fun first and foremost, so you should find the one that's right for you. It should also never be forgotten: No matter what physical activity it is, calories are always burned, just in different amounts. Unfortunately, it is usually the case that the more strenuous the sport is, the more calories are lost.
Conclusion
In summary, it can be said that jogging is a very good way to burn calories compared to other sports. You can remember this quite simply: The faster and longer you run, the more calories are burned.
But you can also intensify running training with intervals or short strength training breaks, which in turn means that more calories are lost. There are also plenty of alternatives if you want to try something different.
Individual proofs(5)
- King NA, Horner K, Hills AP, Byrne NM, Wood RE, Bryant E, Caudwell P, Finlayson G, Gibbons C, Hopkins M, Martins C, Blundell JE. Exercise, appetite and weight management: understanding the compensatory responses in eating behavior and how they contribute to variability in exercise-induced weight loss. Br J Sports Med. 2012 Apr;46(5):315-22. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2010.082495. Epub 2011 May 19. PMID: 21596715. Source
- Schnohr P, O'Keefe JH, Marott JL, Lange P, Jensen GB. Dose of jogging and long-term mortality: the Copenhagen City Heart Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2015 Feb 10;65(5):411-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2014.11.023. PMID: 25660917. Source
- CapĂł X, Martorell M, Ferrer MD, Sureda A, Pons V, Domingo JC, Drobnic F, MartĂnez-RodrĂguez A, Leyva-Vela B, Sarabia JM, Herranz-LĂłpez M, Roche E, Tur JA, Pons A. Calorie restriction Improves Physical Performance and Modulates the Antioxidant and Inflammatory Responses to Acute Exercise. nutrients. 2020 Mar 27;12(4):930. doi: 10.3390/nu12040930. PMID: 32230858; PMCID: PMC7230395. Source
- Suter E, Marti B, Tschopp A, Wanner HU. Effects of jogging on mental well-being and seasonal mood variations: a randomized study with healthy women and men. Switzerland Med weekly 1991 Aug 31;121(35):1254-63. German. PMID: 1925456. Source
- Viana RB, Naves JPA, Coswig VS, de Lira CAB, Steele J, Fisher JP, Gentil P. Is interval training the magic bullet for fat loss? A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing moderate-intensity continuous training with high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Br J Sports Med. 2019 May;53(10):655-664. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2018-099928. Epub 2019 Feb 14. PMID: 30765340. Source
