Jogging is Everyman's exercise. Running snobs may pick nits about whether a jogger's feet both leave the ground at the same time, as theirs do, but jogging, say many exercise physiologists, is slow running. Assume that jogging is running at a rate of four to six miles per hour (10- to 15-minute miles). The calories you burn jogging mainly depend upon your weight and speed, although level of work increases calories spent.
What It Means
Each body is different and no equation is exact. Your energy expenditure is the amount of oxygen your specific body uses. If your jogging route has a lot of hills or if a brisk wind blows in your face, you will burn more than the average number calories.
Moving Faster
It is not true that walking, jogging and running all burn the same amount of energy over the same distance. Generally speaking, moving faster over the same distance increases calorie expenditure. Running and its slower sister, jogging, burn more calories per mile than does walking, although walking remains a good exercise.
Calorie Calculator
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) offers a simple scheme for estimating energy expenditure. Gender doesn't matter in the ACSM system, which calculates both gross and net energy expended. Net calorie burn is the energy expended after subtracting the basal metabolism. Net energy expenditure quantifies the efficacy of jogging: how many extra calories you burn during exercise.
The Math
In a 2004 Runner's World article, "How Many Calories Are You Really Burning?" Amby Burfoot offers a synopsis of the ACSM energy expenditure equation. At speeds of 5 mph (12-minute miles) and faster, multiply your weight by 0.75 to estimate total calories burned per mile and by 0.63 to estimate net calories burned per mile.
Weight (in pounds) x 0.75 = Total Calories Burned per Mile Jogged
Weight (in pounds) x 0.63 = Net Calories Burned per Mile Jogged
Bonus Calories
By raising your metabolic rate with regular aerobic exercise, you reap an extra fitness benefit: your resting metabolic rate also may rise. For 24 hours after exercise, the average resting metabolic rate tends to be a bit higher. This variance correlates with the level of exercise intensity and is most pronounced over the first 12 post-exercise hours.
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