Calories Burned Painting

When most people think about burning calories, they imagine hours spent on rowing machines and treadmills at their local gym. However, many people are surprised to learn that they can burn a large number of calories by doing recreational activities and chores. If you're planning a painting project, you might be curious about exactly how many calories you might burn. The short answer is: It depends.

Calories Burned Painting

• Anyone who has ever decided to bypass the expensive price tag that comes with a professional painting contractor knows just how taxing a do-it-yourself paint job can be. The time spent hauling gallons of paint, and scurrying up and down ladders must require enough calories to make at least a tiny dent in a person's waistline. But, just how much depends on a few factors.

Body Mass

• A person's individual size and weight goes a long way toward determining how many calories he or she will burn while painting. The Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services estimates that an hour spent painting, papering, plastering or scraping burns about 266 calories for a person weighing 130 pounds, 317 calories for a person weighing about 155 pounds, and 388 calories for a person weighing 173 pounds.

Logistics

• Let's face it: not all painting projects are the same. Slapping a coat of paint on an 8-foot by 10-foot spare bedroom is not the same as painting the exterior of a two-story house. Obviously, if you have to navigate around tress and sloping land while carrying a 40-foot extension ladder, you're going to burn a lot more calories than someone who is on their hands and knees cutting in a baseboard with a paintbrush.

Environment

• If you are painting outdoors in the summer heat, you're going to burn a lot more calories than someone who is painting inside an air-conditioned environment. That's because the human body expends a great deal of energy when it's forced to cool itself. As your body temperature rises, your body works hard to efficiently manage sweat and blood flow so you don't suffer heat exhaustion.

Experience

• Those who paint for a living are remarkably efficient at doing their jobs while conserving energy. However, amateur painters must dedicate a lot of energy toward balance and focus. If you are not used to painting, you're likely to expend a great deal more energy than someone who knows what they are doing.