Calories Burned Running a Mile

Among the various exercises touted to lose weight or maintain it, running and jogging are perhaps among the most effective types to pursue. Not only do they help lose weight, there are a lot of benefits of running daily. Among these are body toning, increase in metabolism, lowering the risk of injury to the body, and a general energized feeling. With all these benefits, you have ample reason to run and burn calories in the process. Now we're all aware that running aids weight loss by burning calories, but not all of us are aware of the number of calories burned running a mile. Here, we will discuss how to calculate these calories.

Factors Affecting the Number of Calories Burned Running a Mile

The calories burned when you run a mile depend on a variety of factors. For one, your body weight is of utmost importance. If you weigh more, you will burn more calories, and if you weigh less, you will burn fewer calories. This is because you are carrying your own body weight while running, and the body is required to expend more energy when you perform this activity. Secondly, the calories you burn depend on the terrain you are running on. For instance, if you are running on a leveled terrain, the calories burned will be different from when you are running on an uneven terrain such as sand or grass. Again, this is so because your body is required to expend more energy to run on an uneven surface. Both these factors determine the speed at which you are running, and the higher the speed, the greater will be the number of calories burned. Finally, the environment in which you run, and the time duration also determines how many calories are burned in running a mile. The calories burned when running on a treadmill vs. running outside will also be different, and slightly lower in case of the former.

Calculating Calories Burned Running a Mile

On an average, a person who weighs 150 pounds burns approximately 100 calories per mile. This is based on a 12-minute pace, while running on an even terrain. There is also a specific formula that has been devised in order to calculate the number of calories you have burned after running a mile. This formula is as follows.

Body Weight x 0.73 = Number of Calories Burned Running a Mile

This formula considers the aforementioned factors, i.e. the average time to run a mile (12 minute pace per mile), and an even terrain, and gives an approximate value of the calories you are burning in the process. For more specific details, you may resort to the use of the various calorie calculators available online. It is advisable to keep a track of the time you take to complete a mile. You may use a stopwatch to do so. In that case, if a person weighing 150 pounds burns 100 calories in 12 minutes, you can calculate how much you have burned by taking into account your weight and the time spent running. These will all give you approximate values and not absolute figures.

Now what you must keep in mind is that this is a general formula to calculate the calories burned while running. We have already seen the number of factors that affect this number. This means the figures may vary largely based on these factors. However, it is definitely helpful to be able to gauge an average number of calories you are burning in the running process.

Knowing the number of calories burned when you run a mile can enable all of you to keep a solid track of your weight loss or weight gain regime. Though it depends on a number of factors, knowledge of average calories burned is usually sufficient for this purpose. Hopefully this information has helped you in your endeavor, and you have gained a better understanding of the process of calorie burning while running.