The Calories Burned Breathing Calculator is a tool that helps estimate how many calories are burned through the act of breathing. While it may seem like breathing is a passive process, it actually accounts for a significant portion of your body’s daily energy expenditure. At rest, breathing typically uses around 10% of your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), while during physical activities, this percentage can increase due to the body’s heightened oxygen demand.
Breathing is essential not only for life but also for regulating your body’s energy expenditure, even when you aren’t engaged in strenuous activities. This calculator is designed to help you understand how much of your daily caloric burn is attributed to breathing, both in resting and active states.
Formula of Calories Burned Breathing Calculator
To calculate the number of calories burned through breathing, you can follow two key steps.
Step 1: Estimate Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is a widely accepted formula for estimating your BMR. BMR represents the number of calories your body burns at rest, keeping essential functions such as breathing, circulation, and digestion going.
For men: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) - 5 × age (years) + 5
For women: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) - 5 × age (years) - 161
Step 2: Isolate the Energy for Breathing
Breathing typically accounts for about 10% of BMR while at rest. However, when you engage in physical activities, breathing can account for 15% to 20% of your total energy expenditure, depending on the intensity of the activity.
To calculate how many calories are burned through breathing, you can apply the following method:
- Resting energy from breathing: 10% of BMR.
- Active energy from breathing: 15% to 20% of total energy expenditure.
Common Terms and Helpful Table
Here’s a quick reference table to show the estimated percentage of energy burned from breathing at different activity levels:
| Activity Level | Percentage of Energy from Breathing (%) |
|---|---|
| Rest (sitting or lying) | 10% |
| Light activity (walking) | 15% |
| Moderate activity (jogging) | 18% |
| High-intensity (running) | 20% |
By understanding these estimates, you can calculate how much energy you burn while breathing, both during rest and physical activity.
Example of Calories Burned Breathing Calculator
Let’s walk through an example of how to use the Calories Burned Breathing Calculator.
Problem: A 30-year-old woman weighs 60 kilograms and is 165 centimeters tall. She is at rest for 1 hour. How many calories does she burn through breathing?
Solution:
- Estimate BMR using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:For women: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) - 5 × age (years) - 161BMR = 10 × 60 + 6.25 × 165 - 5 × 30 - 161BMR = 600 + 1031.25 - 150 - 161 = 1320.25 kcal/day
- Isolate the energy for breathing:Since she is at rest, breathing accounts for 10% of her BMR.Calories burned through breathing per day: 1320.25 × 10% = 132.03 kcal/dayFor 1 hour: 132.03 / 24 = 5.5 kcal/hour
Thus, this woman burns approximately 5.5 calories per hour just by breathing while at rest.
Most Common FAQs
The calculator provides an estimate based on standard percentages of energy used for breathing and an individual's BMR. While the estimates are based on scientific research, factors such as individual metabolism and body composition can affect actual energy expenditure.
Yes, during physical activity, the body’s demand for oxygen increases, which leads to more energy being expended for breathing. This can account for up to 20% of your total energy expenditure during intense physical activities.
Understanding how many calories you burn during breathing can give you a clearer picture of your overall energy expenditure. It helps you better estimate your daily calorie needs, especially when aiming for weight loss, weight maintenance, or other fitness goals.