The average person weighing 180 pounds burns 300-343 calories per hour raking the lawn, depending on the your weight and the specific activity.
Calories burned with Daily Activities (weight: 175 lbs)
| MET | 15 mins. | 30 mins. | 45 mins. | 60 mins. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mowing the Lawn | 6 | 125 | 250 | 375 | 500 |
| Stairs | 8.8 | 183 | 367 | 550 | 733 |
| Standing | 2.5 | 52 | 104 | 156 | 208 |
| Gardening | 5 | 104 | 208 | 313 | 417 |
| Sleeping | 1.3 | 27 | 54 | 81 | 108 |
| Sitting | 1.3 | 27 | 54 | 81 | 108 |
| Raking | 4 | 83 | 167 | 250 | 333 |
| Resting | 1.3 | 27 | 54 | 81 | 108 |
| Walking a Dog | 3 | 63 | 125 | 188 | 250 |
You might never have guessed that raking could actually be a great form of exercise and a way to burn calories. The best part about raking is that you can clear your property of the leaves as well as getting some physical activity.
When autumn comes around, the ground becomes filled with all the leaves that fall down from the trees.
Having to go outside and rake the leaves on your grass can feel tedious, but once you realize that it’s a hidden workout with a lot of benefits, you might be more likely to go outside and start raking the leaves.
Aside from filling your lungs with fresh air, raking leaves helps you to work major muscle groups in your legs, arms, back, and shoulders. In addition, you might be surprised that you are raising your heart rate when you rake, which is excellent for your cardiovascular health.
The number of calories you will burn from raking depends on a number of factors, including your height, weight, time spent raking, and the intensity of raking. Read on to find out how to determine how many calories you’ll burn doing regular maintenance in your yard while raking.
How To Use The Calculator
Using the raking calculator to determine how many calories you’ll burn while raking is very easy to do. In order to calculate the number of calories that you’ll burn, just input your weight and the time that you’ve spent or plan to spend raking leaves in your yard. Then select the intensity that you’re raking and hit CALCULATE. It’s just that easy.
- Choose your unit of measurement (pounds or kilograms)
- Enter your weight in the corresponding unit of measurement
- Find the specific activity of raking that you are doing. You can choose from raking using a leaf blower or raking manually.
- Enter the number of minutes for each selected activity
- Hit “CALCULATE”
How the Calculator Works
The metabolic equivalent of task (MET) is the ratio of the active metabolic rate to the resting metabolic rate. One MET is equal to the energy expenditure of 1kcal.kg/hour. Breaking it down, one MET can also be equal to the oxygen uptake of 3.5 ml/kg/min [1].
The MET value is what we use to estimate the calories that you will burn during any physical activity such as raking.
There are pre-set levels based on the raking activity that you do. The calculator will give you some idea of how many calories you will burn from manually raking or using a leaf blower.
MET
The main purpose of using MET values is to figure out your body’s energy output, and we do that by using the raking calculator above.
The active metabolic rate (AMR) determines the calories that you continue to burn while you conduct your daily activities, while the resting metabolic rate (RMR) measures the number of calories that you are burning when your body is at rest and not actively digesting.
Activities that have a MET value of 1 burn as many calories as your RMR, while activities with a MET of 7 will burn 7 times as many calories as your RMR. This means that you will burn 7 times as many calories as you would while resting.
Formula
Our raking calculator’s formula to determine the number of calories burned per minute is (MET x bodyweight in Kg x 3.5) ÷ 200.
Examples
With moderate effort, an individual weighing 160 pounds will burn approximately 288 calories from raking leaves. This activity has a MET of 3.8, which means that it burns 3.8 times as many calories as your resting metabolic rate.
This is what the formula for calculating the calories burned while raking leaves with moderate effort will look like for a 160-pound individual:
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = (72.6 x 8 x 3.5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 8 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 288 calories per hour
What about sacking leaves at the end of raking? This will also require a good amount of energy to perform. Raking leaves has a higher MET, which is at 4, being the raking activity that requires the most energy.
This time, we are going to calculate the number of calories burned per hour for a 160-pound individual sacking leaves at a moderate pace.
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = (72.6 x 4 x 5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 1 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 306 calories per hour
How many calories can you burn raking the lawn for one hour? (weighing 180 pounds)
| # | Activity Name | Met | Time Spend | Calories Burned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raking lawn (Taylor code 600) | 4 | 60 Min | 343 Cal |
| 2 | Raking lawn or leaves, moderate effort | 3.8 | 60 Min | 326 Cal |
| 3 | Sacking leaves | 4 | 60 Min | 343 Cal |
| 4 | Using a leaf blower | 3.5 | 60 Min | 300 Cal |
What is Raking?
You would probably be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t know what raking was, but there are also different ways in which you can rake. You can rake manually at a moderate effort or aggressively do the entire lawn in a short amount of time.
It’s hard to stay motivated when it comes to raking, it’s probably a task that most people would just rather not do. Thankfully there are a lot of health benefits that will make the chore a little more worthwhile.
The National Institutes of Health compares the work of raking leaves on par with taking a 15-minute walk at a brisk pace [3]. Also, 30 minutes of raking is the equivalent of 19 minutes of doing core exercises.
Raking Leaves as Calories Burned Activity
You can burn upwards of 400 calories just by raking the leaves in your yard, which means you’re getting a workout and you might not even know it. Some of the main benefits to raking include:
- Strengthening your back muscles
- Builds upper body and core strength
- Raises your heart rate to improve your cardiovascular system
- Getting strength training and cardio all at once
Extra Outdoor Chore Options
While raking can only be done for a few hours, you may still want to get more of a workout by doing other types of yard work. Some alternatives to raking include gardening, mowing the lawn, edging, and leaf blowing.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the benefit of raking leaves?
The reason that most people rake leaves is to make their lawn look as neat and clean as possible. It’s a little-known fact that having old leaves on your yard can also harbor and spread different diseases if they are left on the yard for a prolonged period of time.
Is raking good cardio?
Raking can in fact be a great exercise to improve your cardiovascular system. Since raking leaves at any type of intensity raises your heart rate, you can use raking as a way to get your cardio in for the day while straightening up your lawn.
How many calories do 2 hours of raking burn?
Any type of heavy yard work like raking leaves or shoveling snow can take a few hours to complete. For 2 hours of work, you can burn upwards of 600 calories, depending on your height and weight. If you have a lot of leaves to rake for a longer period of time, you can certainly burn more than 600 calories.
The Bottom Line
Raking is a necessary evil and if you are determined to have a neat and clean lawn, then raking is a chore that you’re just going to have to do. The great thing about raking is that it’s a workout that we didn’t even know that we were doing.
Not only can you tone up your shoulders, legs, arms, and back, but you are burning calories the whole time while you are doing it.
How many calories you burn while raking depends on the intensity you bring when you do the chore. Raking with a leaf blower will not give you the same benefits as if you manually raked the leaves or put them in a sack when you’re done.
It doesn’t matter what age you are, you can fully take advantage of the health benefits of raking. Be sure to check out all of the other calculators that we have to offer to get an idea of how many calories you can burn while doing any activity!
References:
- Jetté, M., Sidney, K., & Blümchen, G. (1990). Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clinical cardiology, 13(8), 555–565. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.4960130809
- Physical Activity Guidelines. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf
- Your Guide to Physical Activity and Heart. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/heart/phy_active.pdf
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