The food you eat contains calories, which are units of energy. Calories eaten represent the intake of energy for your body, and activities "burn" that energy, meaning you use calories every day to keep your body functioning. The more you weigh, the more calories your body will burn during various activities. Here are some energy expenditures for 60 minutes of activity, based on a body weight of 155 pounds, according to Harvard Medical School publications.
Activities of Daily Life
Simply being alive and breathing require energy. But not much. Sleeping for an hour will use about 46 calories. Watching television is hardly more strenuous, requiring only 56 calories per hour. Interestingly, reading requires about 50 percent more energy than watching television. You use 84 calories per hour to read, as you keep your eyes in action across the page.
More calories are burned by weekly errands and larger chores. Grocery shopping with a cart can burn up to 260 calories an hour, while painting or wallpapering inside your home will use about 335 calories an hour.
Fun and Recreation
For a 155 pound adult, playing with children at children's games will require 300 to 375 calories an hour. At the beach, you can play volleyball for an hour and burn upwards of 600 calories. Several enjoyable, solo activities log in at about 450 calories an hour, including ballet, hiking and downhill skiing.
With a partner you can choose tennis at 520 calories per hour or competitive racquetball, which burns more than 700 calories an hour. To get close with nature, you can garden for an hour and use more than 300 calories or go rock climbing at 800 calories per hour on the ascent.
At the Gym
Group classes and exercise methods you might want to check out include water aerobics or Hatha Yoga, which each require almost 300 calories per hour. Taking a low-impact aerobics class will burn 410 calories in an hour, but teaching aerobics calls for even more energy: 448 calories.
General weight lifting is less aerobic, burning 224 calories per hour. A vigorous weight training schedule can burn about twice as many calories, and circuit training for an hour uses almost 600 calories. Running and bicycling are two of the heaviest energy expenditures among aerobic activities performed at fast paces. Running a 6-minute mile burns 614 calories per hour, which is equivalent to running 10 miles in an hour. Biking 20 miles in one hour also burns 614 calories.
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