Apparently, the way scientists (and your fitness tracker) typically estimate calorie expenditure is underestimating your overall benefit. The most commonly used equation to calculate that burn comes from the American College of Sports Medicine, explains study author Peter Weyand, PhD, a professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and the director of the Locomotor Performance Laboratory in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development. "That equation predicts 74 calories would be burned by a woman with a height of 5'4" and weight of 140 pounds walking at an intermediate speed of 2.9 miles per hour to travel 1 mile," he says. But Weyand and his colleagues' new equation predicts that same woman would burn closer to 90 calories in the same scenario—and the difference between the two estimates gets even bigger the faster that woman walks, he says. (Burn calories and build muscle—all while boosting your mood—with our 21-Day Walk a Little, Lose a Lot Challenge!)
Their new model is roughly two to three times more accurate for adults, and takes a person's height better into consideration. "On a per-pound basis, tall people burn fewer calories at any speed or covering any distance because they take fewer steps," Weyand says. "The shorter the person is, the greater the underprediction factor for the ACSM equation is."
More great news: The six activities below can also burn more calories than you might think. (Note: Calorie counts are estimated based on a 140-pound person via MyFitnessPal except where otherwise noted.)
Or, once the weather warms up, mini golfing. Either way, you'll shed 191 calories in an hour.
OK, so you might not exactly laugh yourself skinny, but 15 minutes of chuckles throughout the day could use 10 to 40 calories, according to Vanderbilt University researchers.