Calories burned while bowling?

kensj87
kensj87 Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I've searched around the web for an approximate amount of calories burned during bowling. I understand there are a lot of variables involved such as the person's weight. I'm 180. So for a single game of bowling that lasts about 45 minutes, using an eleven pound ball (does that matter?), sitting while the other players bowl, does 150 sound like a reasonable amount of calories burned while bowling? I'm a noob to the whole fitness and diet scene so please forgive me if this is a silly question. I couldn't find anything in this community, I had trouble finding bowling related posts. Thank you in advance!
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Replies

  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    edited May 2016
    I won't even log it - it is fun and part of your day, and it won't burn much more than just walking..... If you walked around your house, tidied up and putting things away, sitting down and catching the news on tv, picking up up your toddler/dog for a hug now and then - would you log it?
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    Not enough to log.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    astrampe wrote: »
    I won't even log it - it is fun and part of your day, and it won't burn much more than just walking..... If you walked around your house, tidied up and putting things away, sitting down and catching the news on tv, picking up up your toddler/dog for a hug now and then - would you log it?

    Agreed. Everything is an estimate, so try logging your food as accurately as possible for 4 weeks. If you're losing faster than you expect, maybe try adding a few calories for bowling.
  • kensj87
    kensj87 Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you for the feedback! I should say, I never bowl just one game. I was looking for an approximation for one game so I could add it up depending on how many games played. I have been logging my food with a high measure of accuracy and wanted to start doing the same with any activity I have since I have a pretty sedentary lifestyle. My phone tracks steps, and it sounds like that's sufficient to use to track bowling too. Any thoughts?
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
    I wouldn't log it. You're sitting waiting for your turn 90% of the time. Is bowling 9 frames? (I don't bowl a whole lot) So 30 seconds of activity each turn - so lets say 5 minutes of activity total. I guess you could log like 10 calories or so...
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    kensj87 wrote: »
    Thank you for the feedback! I should say, I never bowl just one game. I was looking for an approximation for one game so I could add it up depending on how many games played. I have been logging my food with a high measure of accuracy and wanted to start doing the same with any activity I have since I have a pretty sedentary lifestyle. My phone tracks steps, and it sounds like that's sufficient to use to track bowling too. Any thoughts?

    I would think a step counter could track bowling calories pretty well. And personally, I've found my fitbit to be spot on for how fast I'm losing. YMMV.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    astrampe wrote: »
    I won't even log it - it is fun and part of your day, and it won't burn much more than just walking..... If you walked around your house, tidied up and putting things away, sitting down and catching the news on tv, picking up up your toddler/dog for a hug now and then - would you log it?

    This. I'm in a league and for the 3+ hours it takes us, I'm probably only doing something for half an hour or so. Not even worth estimating.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    More than sitting and watching television but probably less than going grocery shopping. In other words, not much.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    beemerphile1 wrote: »
    More than sitting and watching television but probably less than going grocery shopping. In other words, not much.

    I'd call that pretty accurate. You'd take more steps and move more continuously grocery shopping than you would bowling. I'd estimate that it would burn about half the calories of a leisurely (very leisurely) walk for the same amount of time per activity.
  • RespectTheKitty
    RespectTheKitty Posts: 1,667 Member
    I'm in a sport league, all of us are pretty serious bowlers. I personally think I get a halfway decent workout from bowling because I can work up a bit of a sweat, plus my legs are sore afterward. (I am in pretty decent shape, workout 6x/week running/walking). I do log my bowling, but I cut the time at least in half to account for the standing around waiting for my turn. My bowling nights are typically 3 hours, but I usually log 90 minutes, and MFP gives me over 400 calories for that, which I think is extremely generous. I maybe burn half that. Still, I like to account for all physical activity... YMMV.
  • jmaidan
    jmaidan Posts: 93 Member
    Yeah don't log bowling lol
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
    If you take a lap around the bowling alley after each frame, I'd log it. Otherwise, don't bother.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    When bowling you are literally walking 15 feet or so to the ball return, picking up the ball and another 3-5 steps. Much more exercise walking to the bathroom to take a leak during the time bowling. Anyone log that?

    I would call it a very safe bet to say 99%+ of the bowlers consume more in drinks and snacks during their bowling time than they burn with the activity.
  • debsdoingthis
    debsdoingthis Posts: 454 Member
    I bowled for years and was overweight the whole time. Personally speaking, I wouldn't log it.
  • Tweaking_Time
    Tweaking_Time Posts: 733 Member
    If you try to count it as weight lifting - you don't get to log hardly any calories because that's the way it is with lifting things up and setting them down.

    If you try to count it as cardio - you don't get to log hardly any calories because you did not get your heart rate up, there is no exertion, etc.
  • RespectTheKitty
    RespectTheKitty Posts: 1,667 Member
    Then why is bowling even included in MFP if it's not some form of exercise?
  • kensj87
    kensj87 Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you for all the replies, everyone!!
    RespectTheKitty wrote: »
    I'm in a sport league, all of us are pretty serious bowlers. I personally think I get a halfway decent workout from bowling because I can work up a bit of a sweat, plus my legs are sore afterward. (I am in pretty decent shape, workout 6x/week running/walking). I do log my bowling, but I cut the time at least in half to account for the standing around waiting for my turn. My bowling nights are typically 3 hours, but I usually log 90 minutes, and MFP gives me over 400 calories for that, which I think is extremely generous. I maybe burn half that. Still, I like to account for all physical activity... YMMV.

    I think this is an interesting point. I work up a sweat every time I bowl. I know sweating doesn't have a direct correlation to burning calories, but in a very cool environment, I would imagine such an activity at least is worth logging.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    edited May 2016
    RespectTheKitty wrote: »
    I'm in a sport league, all of us are pretty serious bowlers. I personally think I get a halfway decent workout from bowling because I can work up a bit of a sweat, plus my legs are sore afterward. (I am in pretty decent shape, workout 6x/week running/walking). I do log my bowling, but I cut the time at least in half to account for the standing around waiting for my turn. My bowling nights are typically 3 hours, but I usually log 90 minutes, and MFP gives me over 400 calories for that, which I think is extremely generous. I maybe burn half that. Still, I like to account for all physical activity... YMMV.

    Do you thing you are actually active for 90 minutes in 3 hours of bowling? Most bowling teams I know of have 4 people. It's only each person's turn to bowl 1/4th of the time. Take out the time between games, waiting for the ball return during your turn to bowl, etc. You are probably only active for 30 seconds or so per frame. Around 5 minutes of a moderate level of activity per game max.

  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
    Sweating isn't always an indication of calories burnt.
    The mfp database is full of daily life tasks that people believe are exercise. A lot of newcomers will log things like grocery shopping, walking to the mailbox and cleaning their bathroom as exercise. When I first started, I thought I had to log all of those things too because I saw them in the database. I didn't realize that was actually double dipping.
    I would not log bowling as exercise.
  • Tweaking_Time
    Tweaking_Time Posts: 733 Member
    RespectTheKitty wrote: »
    Then why is bowling even included in MFP if it's not some form of exercise?

    Good question. I would guess you never hear anyone say I am going to the bowling alley to get a good workout...

    I also have to wonder why "Cleaning, heavy, vigorous effort" is listed as well.

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