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Counting Calories

A calorie is a type of measurement that indicates how much energy food gives us. Food labels tell you how many calories a food contains. In general, kids ages 7 to 12 should take in about 2,200 calories each day. Teenage girls should also need about 2,200 calories, while teenage boys require about 2,800.

Calorie Consumption

Here's a look at about how many calories you burn per hour for certain activities.

ActivityCalories burned
Bicycling (12 miles per hour)384
Dancing210
Downhill skiing288
Hiking 288
Jogging (6 mph)790
Playing basketball380
Playing soccer 360
Roller skating (9 mph)336
Sleeping90

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