How Long Does It Take To Burn 1000 Calories?
Losing 1,000 calories a day is difficult, but it’s possible. Anything from walking, running, cycling, or even doing yard work can burn 1,000 calories as long as you maintain a healthy diet and always listen to your body.
Be aware, however, that looking to lose 1,000 calories a day as a part of a crash diet almost never works. When you deprive your body of nutrients and engage in excessive exercise, you can do some real damage to your body.
As long as you are playing it safe and fueling your body with the right nutrition, there are plenty of ways to fit in a calorie-shedding workout!
3 Factors to Consider
Before we dive into the type of workouts that will shed calories, it’s important to note that there isn’t one rule that works for everyone.
Factors such as your age, weight, and gender play big roles in how you burn calories. Younger people tend to burn calories quicker than older people because you tend to lose more overall muscle mass as you age.
Gender also plays a big role as well. Biologically speaking, men are naturally equipped with more lean muscle mass than women, and the more lean muscle you possess, the faster you burn calories.
This means that older folks and women will have to work a little bit harder to hit the target of 1,000 calories, but it’s possible!
How To Burn 1,000 Calories While Running
Lacing up your running shoes and jumping on a treadmill is one of the easiest ways to gauge how many calories you burn. Most treadmills (or any cardio machine at the gym) provide a calorie counter that displays how many calories you have burned.
These calorie counters aren’t incredibly accurate (because they aren’t considering your age, weight, and gender), but they can give you a general idea.
A more accurate picture of how long it takes to burn 1,000 calories also depends on how fast you run. If you are a woman weighing 150 pounds, you will need to run at 5 MPH for 1.8 hours to burn 1,000 calories. This means 1.8 hours straight with no breaks or lowering the speed on the treadmill!
A 200-pound man needs to run at 5 MPH for around 1.4 hours to yield the same results.
To burn 1,000 calories while walking (which is far kinder to your joints), it will take significantly longer. A 160-pound man walking at a speed of 3.5 MPH can burn 1,000 calories in just over 3 hours.
If you have a few hours to spare (and a full gas tank for the long journey), losing 1,000 calories on a treadmill is possible.
How To Burn 1,000 Calories While Cycling
Cycling is another great alternative to shred calories without damaging your joints as a treadmill. For a 150-pound woman to burn 1,000 calories, she will need to cycle at around 5.5 miles per hour for 3.7 hours! A 200-pound man traveling at the same speed will take him 2.8 hours.
While cycling is kinder to your joints than other forms of cardio, it’s important to note that hitting the 1,000-calorie mark will take a long time.
How to Burn 1,000 Calories Outside Of The Gym
Simple everyday tasks make hitting your 1,000 calorie goal a little bit easier (and you will be left with a very clean house in the process!). Things like washing dishes, yard work, shoveling snow, and vacuuming all add up in a big way throughout the day.
If you want to shed 1,000 calories and work on your home at the same time, this is the way to do it:
- Mowing the lawn for 1 hour = 240 calories
- Vacuuming for 30 minutes = 99 calories
- Hand-washing your car for 30 minutes = 130 calories
- Cleaning gutters for 1 hour = 250 calories
- Cleaning the bathroom for 1 hour = 230 calories
- Dusting for 1 hour = 100 calories
- Total calories burned = 1,049 calories
You will have effectively burned a little over 1,000 calories and can take a breather in your super-clean home!
4 Tips To Keep In Mind
Crash diets don’t work. If you want to lose weight and you want to lose it quickly, good old-fashioned calorie counting and exercise is the best way to reach your goals in a healthy way.
If you drastically cut back your calories and amp up your exercise, you are more likely to fail and slip right back into your old ways.
Before you set out to burn 1,000 calories in a single day, it’s important to keep these 4 things in mind.
1. It’s only safe if you have taken in enough calories. Burning excessive calories demands good nutrition. Be sure to pack your diet with enough protein (such as beans or chicken), slow-burning carbs like oatmeal, and good old-fashioned fruits and vegetables!
2. Be realistic. Weight loss doesn’t happen overnight. Listen to your body. If you don’t have enough fuel left in the take to hit the 1,000 calorie mark- your body will let you know. It’s up to you whether or not you listen.
3. Hydrate. Burning 1,000 calories will likely wring your muscles dry. Be sure to stay hydrated, and even boost hydration with a good recovery drink if you can.
4. Be aware of harmful habits. Compulsive exercise to burn the calories from food is just as dangerous as bulimia or anorexia.
There’s nothing wrong with fitting in a calorie-busting workout after a day of overindulging, but if you make a habit of it is can become incredibly damaging to your body and overall wellbeing.
