If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to increase the time you spend on physical activity even more. As a general goal, include at least 30 minutes of physical activity in your daily routine. NEAT accounts for about 100 to 800 calories used daily.Īerobic exercise is the most efficient way to burn calories and includes activities such as walking, bicycling and swimming. This activity includes walking from room to room, activities such as gardening and even fidgeting. Scientists call the activity you do all day that isn't deliberate exercise nonexercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). Physical activity is by far the most variable of the factors that determine how many calories you burn each day.
Physical activity and exercise - such as playing tennis, walking to the store, chasing after the dog and any other movement - account for the rest of the calories your body burns up each day. About 10 percent of the calories from the carbohydrates and protein you eat are used during the digestion and absorption of the food and nutrients. Digesting, absorbing, transporting and storing the food you consume also takes calories. In addition to your basal metabolic rate, two other factors determine how many calories your body burns each day: As you get older, the amount of muscle tends to decrease and fat accounts for more of your weight, slowing down calorie burning.Įnergy needs for your body's basic functions stay fairly consistent and aren't easily changed. Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than do women of the same age and weight, which means men burn more calories. People who are larger or have more muscle burn more calories, even at rest. Several factors determine your individual basal metabolism, including: