Calories and exercising

Concentrating on the number of calories burned while exercising could be your way to fitness, say experts.

The July issue of the Harvard Heart Letter has suggested concentrating on the number of calories burned while exercising your way to fitness.

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According to a recent Harvard study, burning an extra 700-2,000 calories a week through some form of dynamic exercise garners significant health benefits.

The amount of calories burned during a workout depends on a personal weight, and the intensity and duration of the activity. The Harvard Heart Letter suggests finding benchmarks for various activities based on your weight.

Here are a few benchmarks for a 155-pound person:

*Walking briskly (at 4 miles per hour) for 30 minutes burns 150 calories. *Heavy cleaning for 45 minutes burns 250 calories. * An hour of singles tennis burns 300 calories.

The intensity of the exercise, however, does not make a difference in the number of calories burnt. Brief sessions of an intense activity can burn the same number of calories as longer or more frequent sessions of a less intense one.