Burning over 369 calories an hour
I was always curious as to how many calories a person burns while mowing grass. Since I’ve started helping my husband with his lawn business this year, it’s become my major mode of exercise. According to the Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, a 180 pound man burns 369 calories per hour using a power mower.
I weight more than that but figured it gave me a ball park figure. Then..what luck….my son installed a workout calculator. You can put in your weight…the length of time you are doing the activity, and it shows you how many calories you will burn. It shows such things as, cutting wood, cutting grass with a push and power lawnmower, playing with kids, and gardening. There are a few more activities I haven’t shared.
It’s going to be fun using this site when I get home every evening to see what I’ve burned off. It’s fun making my weight loss like a game. There’s nothing like trying to beat yourself. That’s like atheletes do…always trying to improve their time at their various sports.
July 5th, 2006 at 9:17 pm
You are sounding really upbeat Chris. Fantastic. And how AMAZING are your step counts lately. Over 30,000 for two days is just incredible. I take my hat off to you.
And speaking of hats, make sure you protect your face by wearing one, and plenty of sun screen whilst you are working outdoors so much. You could start a new fashion trend by designing funky lawn mowing hats for women.
November 30th, 2008 at 7:25 am
After an hour of on the recumbent bicycle i burned 480 calories in one hour
November 30th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Wow….480 calories….GREAT workout. There is always a feeling of accomplishment when you see results like that.
April 19th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Nice job everyone. I canceled my lawn guy to make this a work out. Thanks
June 1st, 2009 at 4:34 am
Yesterday I wore a heart rate monitor that calculates Calories while I was cutting the grass. Then about 20 minutes of gardening. I believe the total was 1:22 but that might have just been the time in the zone (wasn’t paying attention). At 228lbs my total was 1136Calories compared to the P90X workout I did earilier in the day which was 735Cal and 636Cal walking with the dog 4-5 miles (split into 2 walks).
September 23rd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I just bought an old-fashioned reel mower and decided to mow my yard instead of walking on the treadmill. With about 5 or 6 acres to mow, people think I’m crazy but it will give me something to mow everyday. Plus it makes more sense to walk in my yard and accomplish something than to walk to nowhere on the treadmill! My legs, butt, abs, back and arms are feeling it!
Oh, and it’s better for the environment and I won’t have to spend money on gas. Win-Win!