Calories Burned in Everyday Activities

Key takeaways

1. kcal per minute = MET × 3.5 × body weight (kg) ÷ 200.
2. Vacuuming, cooking and mopping burn about as much as an easy walk.
3. Totals include resting burn: 30 minutes of vacuuming adds about 73 kcal over sitting at 70 kg.
4. Swapping an hour of TV for a dog walk and cooking adds about 165 kcal of movement.
5. Food is not something to earn; treat activity numbers as rough estimates.

How are calories burned in daily activities estimated?

Researchers describe the energy cost of an activity in METs (metabolic equivalents). One MET is roughly the energy you use sitting quietly. An activity of 3 METs uses about three times as much. The Compendium of Physical Activities, updated in 2024, lists MET values for hundreds of activities, from watching TV to mowing the lawn.

To turn a MET value into calories, a common formula is:

kcal per minute = MET × 3.5 × body weight in kg ÷ 200

For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, that works out to about 1.2 kcal per minute for every MET. So 30 minutes of an activity rated 3.0 METs burns roughly 3.0 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 ≈ 110 kcal.

How many calories do everyday activities burn?

The table below uses MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium and the formula above, for a 70 kg adult doing each activity for 30 minutes. Numbers are rounded.

Two things stand out. Many household jobs, like vacuuming, mopping and cooking, are in the same range as an easy walk. And the gap between sitting and light standing work is small per half hour but adds up across a whole day.

How much extra do these activities burn compared with sitting?

The figures above are totals, and they include the energy your body uses anyway just to keep you alive. Sitting for 30 minutes already uses about 37 kcal for a 70 kg person. So the extra from 30 minutes of vacuuming is about 110 − 37 ≈ 73 kcal, not 110. A quick way to estimate the extra is (MET − 1) × 37 for each 30 minutes at 70 kg.

This is why your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is not simply resting burn plus the calories from a workout. Our explainer on TDEE and maintenance calories shows how the pieces fit together, and you can estimate your own number here:

Does body weight change the numbers?

Yes. The formula scales with body weight, so a heavier person burns more doing the same activity. Thirty minutes of vacuuming (3.0 METs) works out to:

• About 87 kcal for a 55 kg person
• About 110 kcal for a 70 kg person
• About 142 kcal for a 90 kg person

Effort matters as well. The Compendium lists separate values for light, moderate and vigorous versions of the same job. Scrubbing a floor lightly is 2.0 METs, moderately 3.5 METs and vigorously 6.5 METs. Treat every number in this article as a rough guide rather than an exact measurement.

What does a more active ordinary day look like?

Small swaps can add up without any gym session. Take a 70 kg person who usually spends an hour after work on the sofa:

Over five weekdays, that is roughly 800 kcal more movement in a week, from things that also get the dog walked and dinner made. Taking the stairs, walking to a bus stop further away, standing for phone calls and carrying shopping instead of using a trolley all work the same way. Our guide to how many steps a day help with weight loss looks at this from the step-count angle.

The WHO recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week for adults and says all physical activity counts, including domestic tasks, and that time spent sitting should be limited. Brisk walking, cycling and active chores can all contribute.

How accurate are these numbers?

MET values are averages. They describe a typical adult doing a typical version of the activity, and the formula assumes that one MET is the same for everyone. In real life, age, sex, fitness, body composition, technique and how hard you actually work all shift the result. Two people vacuuming the same room for 30 minutes can burn noticeably different amounts. Some values in the Compendium are themselves marked as estimates because they have not been measured directly.

That does not make the numbers useless. They are good for comparing activities and for seeing that everyday movement adds up. They are less useful for precise daily bookkeeping. For weight change, what matters is the balance between intake and expenditure over weeks; our guide to how a calorie deficit works explains why.

Should you eat back the calories you burn?

Usually not all of them. The estimates can be off in either direction, devices vary, and your calorie target may already include your normal activity. In Sporty, the target comes from your goal weight, pace and activity level, which you set in Profile → My goal & plan, and Sporty can read your steps from Apple Health or Health Connect so you can see your movement next to your food log. If your activity changes a lot for weeks at a time, update your activity level rather than adding calories back meal by meal. The CDC suggests keeping track of physical activity alongside what you eat, sleep and stress; looking at your movement over a week tells you far more than any single day.

It also helps to keep food and movement separate in your head. Food is not something you have to "earn" or "burn off". If you want a sense of scale, our piece on snack calories in walking minutes puts some common snacks in perspective, but it is a rough comparison, not a rule.

If you have heart disease, joint problems, are pregnant or have not been active for a long time, check with your doctor before increasing your activity. This article is general information, not medical advice.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories does cleaning the house burn?

For a 70 kg adult, 30 minutes of vacuuming is about 110 kcal and moderate mopping about 129 kcal, based on Compendium MET values. Heavier people burn more, lighter people less.

How many calories does cooking burn?

Cooking with moderate effort is rated 3.5 METs, about 129 kcal in 30 minutes for a 70 kg adult. Around 37 kcal of that would be burned sitting anyway.

How do I calculate calories burned from METs?

Multiply MET × 3.5 × your weight in kg, divide by 200, then multiply by the minutes. At 70 kg, each MET is about 1.2 kcal per minute.

Do household chores count as exercise?

The WHO says all physical activity counts, including domestic tasks, and recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week. Active chores like vacuuming or gardening are moderate intensity.

Sources

• Compendium of Physical Activities (2024 Adult Compendium)
• WHO, Physical activity fact sheet
• CDC, Losing weight

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or under 18, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before changing your diet.