Hiking in nature is a great activity to freshen your mind and energize yourself. Many people prefer hiking over other activities in nature. The activity isn’t limited to nature exploration; people also meet more people, socialize, and interact. Besides, what better way to lose some extra weight than to hike in the wilderness?
If you like hiking, you must consider how many calories you’ve burned. If so, the calories burned hiking calculator is perfect for you. This calculator helps you assess how many calories you burnt while hiking, considering certain factors like distance, time, weight, backpack weight, etc. Let’s have a deeper look into the tool’s working!
Calories Burned Hiking Calculator
You’re sure to have lost some calories on your hiking trip. How many, you might ask? The calories burned hiking calculator tool helps you assess that. While considering your weight, backpack weight, distance, time, etc., the tool calculates the number of calories you burnt! The tool is simple; just add the values and get your answers.
Hiking Calorie Calculator: How does it Work?
The working of the walking calories burned calculator is very straightforward. The tool uses the average metabolic rate to assess the calories burned during your hike. Here is a simple step-by-step guide on how to use the tool.
- First, select the unit of measurement you prefer; metric or imperial.
- Next, enter your weight in kilograms or pounds.
- Add the weight of your backpack in kgs or pounds. If you weren’t carrying any, add a 0 in this blank.
- Mention the amount of time you hiked in minutes.
- Next, enter the hiking distance. It would be best if you mentioned this in either kilometers or miles. The hiking calorie calculator uses your hiking distance and time to measure the speed.
- Choose the hiking type; all uphill, all downhill, a combination of downhill and uphill, or relatively flat cross country.
- If you hiked across hills (uphill or downhill hike), mention the average incline.
With all these factors, the calculator will estimate the number of calories you burn during your hike!
How Many Calories Does Hiking Burn?
The number of calories per hour hiking depends on your body weight. The higher your body weight is, the more weight you will burn during your hike.
The average results show that a person weighing around 160 pounds burns calories ranging between 430 to 440 in an hour of hiking. Alternatively, a person weighing 200 pounds may lose about 550 calories at the same time.
While this is an estimate, you may be interested in knowing how many calories you actually burnt during your hike. You can use our hiking calculator to get real insights into calories lost!
Factors Affecting the Caloric Burn Rate
Besides your body weight, several other factors also affect the caloric burn rate. We must discuss these factors so you can accurately assess your hiking calories burned.
1. Level of Fitness
Calories are harder to burn through hiking if a person has high fitness levels. Our bodies adapt well to higher activity and physical fitness thresholds.
2. Backpack Weight
Your backpack weight also has much to do with the calories lost during a hike. If you carry a light backpack with you, it will add around 50-100 calories to the calorie hourly burn rate. A heavy bag can increase this rate by almost 200 calories/per hour.
3. Intensity
Hiking faster will also increase your caloric burn rate during hiking. If you hike for 45 to 50 minutes at a high pace, you will increase the caloric burn rate both during and after the hiking. High-intensity hiking also gives your metabolic rate a boost.
4. Terrain
The more strenuous and challenging your hiking terrain, the more calories burnt. When you hike on the uneven, rocky, steep, or uphill ground, your muscles will work harder, resulting in increased burning of calories.
How Many Calories Are Burnt With a 2 Miles Hike?
There is no definite answer to hiking burns how many calories because it depends on certain factors like weight, backpack weight, gender, activity, time, intensity, etc. Yet, as per an average value, if you hike 2 miles, you’re likely to burn anywhere between 350 to 780 calories.
Can Hiking Help in Toning Your Body?
Hiking is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise that helps you burn many calories and not just that. It also tones your muscles very well. Besides muscle toning, hiking will also help you build stamina and better endurance.
Moreover, you can try these exercises for toned legs.
Is Hiking a Good Exercise for Losing Weight?
Hiking is a great way to lose weight because it is much like any other weight-lifting exercise. Since hiking is challenging, it helps burn many calories, aiding the weight loss process. Yet, how many Calories burned per mile hiking will depend on the abovementioned factors.
If you successfully create a calorie deficit, hiking becomes a wonderful exercise to lose weight. Besides, hiking also helps reduce heart disease risk and strengthens the hip portion, hamstring, and lower legs.
Can Hiking Help Me in Losing Belly Fat?
Hiking, like any other exercise involving your belly muscles, can help you lose belly fat. Exercises targeting the belly, like cycling, running, hiking, aerobics, dancing, cardio, or weight training, cut down your belly fat. That’s not all; hiking also strengthens your belly muscles, helping you achieve your goal of a flatter belly!
Do I lose More Calories by Hiking or Biking?
Hiking is a more strenuous activity than biking because it includes all your muscles. While bikers may travel more miles in the same time frame, a hiker will burn more calories. Yet, this comparison isn’t always 100%. Sometimes, a demanding cyclist may burn more calories than a fast hiker.
Calories Burned Hiking Vs Walking
Comparing calories burned walking and hiking, we see that hiking will burn more calories. Let’s take a few examples of how this works.
If your weight is 175 lbs and you walk at a regular pace for 2 hours, you will burn around 580 calories. Yet, if you hike for the same time with a 30lbs backpack, you’ll burn 1,120 calories which is 540 more calories than walking!
Regardless of the backpack weight, a hike will always burn around twice more calories as a walk.
How Does a Backpack Affect the Calories Burned During a Hike?
The weight of the backpack you carry along on a hike has a lot to do with the calories burnt. Even with a bag weighing only 1lbs, you increase your calorie burn count by five calories/hour of hiking.
Yet, it’s necessary to maintain the ideal backpack weight for a safe hike. Your backpack should not weigh more than 20% of your body weight. For example, a person who weighs 150 lbs shouldn’t carry a load weighing more than 30 lbs.
How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking a Mile Uphill?
The distance you travel and your weight affect the number of calories you burn during a hike. Walking uphill, your speed and weight will also affect how many calories you burn. As per the estimate, if you weigh 130 lbs, walking a mile uphill will burn around 25 to 350 calories. These numbers are just an estimate. You can always use the calorie-burned hiking calculator to get the exact numbers.
What are the Advantages of Walking Uphill?
A study in psychological science displayed the benefits of having a walk in nature, mentioning that it leads to better focus. Hiking can help you lose weight and improve overall strength. Yet, the benefits of walking or hiking uphill are endless. Here is why you should be walking uphill instead of on flat surfaces!
- Walking uphill targets different muscle groups of your legs
- It helps in giving your metabolism a boost
- Improves exercise intensity
- You’ll feel happier and refreshed
The Takeaway
The calories burned hiking calculator is a convenient tool to calculate the number of calories you lose while hiking. If you want to find out how many calories you burned during your hike, use our tool to get the exact answers! Let us know your results. We’ll love to find hear from you.
You can try our other helpful tools like BMI calculator, water intake calculator etc.
FAQs
Is hiking a better option than running?
Running is a better choice than hiking because you burn more calories with this strenuous cardio activity. It is listed as a high-intensity activity that is more beneficial than hiking.
Is it reasonable to hike every day?
Hiking is a moderate-level exercise; a category everyone is encouraged to follow daily. So, you should hike daily as it helps you lose weight, strengthen muscles, and reduce stress.
What distance covered is considered a hike?
There is no actual distance that can be labeled as a hike. Yet, most people think a hiking trial should be less than 2 miles long.
How often should I hike if I want to lose weight?
If you regularly hike, you’ll likely get all the benefits of this strenuous activity. Yet, three times per week is considered the best duration if you want to lose weight by hiking.
How often should you rest during a hike?
Hiking is a tiring task for most, and breaks are always encouraged. So, take a 10-minute break during hiking.
Is hiking seen as a full-body workout?
When most people hike, the legs usually go through the most pressure. Yet, many hikers use trekking poles to improve speed and agility while they hike. In this case, your arms also significantly undergo exercise. So, if done correctly with good pressure on the entire body, hiking is a full-body workout.
A fervent champion for holistic well-being, graces this community with her expertise in health and fitness. With a solid educational foundation in physical fitness and a commitment to empowering others, Sara distills her extensive knowledge and experience into actionable insights. Her writing, firmly grounded in evidence-based practices, aims to demystify health complexities and inspire readers to cultivate sustainable habits for a balanced life. As a certified fitness trainer, Sara offers a well-rounded perspective on wellness. Join Sara on this transformative journey towards a happier, healthier, and more vibrant you.
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