Watching sports can burn same calories as playing once as fans enjoy Olympics summer

Watching sports can be a workout in itself, as a new study has shown you could burn up to 540 calories watching a 90-minute soccer match and also burn calories watching the Paris Olympics.

This could be the equivalent of a decent run, and you don't even need to kick a ball. Following your favorite sport is an emotional ride that can leave your heart racing, sweat dripping, and tense muscles, especially during nail-biting moments.

That's why, according to a new study, over half of sports fans (59%) feel like they've had a workout just watching. This summer, British people are set to watch almost 10 hours of sport a week, and new research by EDF to launch its Change is in our Power campaign, speaking to 2000 people, found watching it from your sofa could be burning the same energy as actually playing some sports.

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Over one in four people (42%) feel their heart rate rising while they're watching from home, while a similar number (38%) also say they can't sit still. There's even a runner's high, with a whopping 88% saying watching sports with others gives them an energy boost.

To put the findings to the test, EDF devised a new scientific formula in partnership with Dr. Dale Esliger, a Sports, Exercise, and Health Scientist at Loughborough University, which shows that energized watching of a 90-minute soccer match could burn up to 540 calories.

While a tennis fan could burn up to 432 calories, the equivalent of a 60-minute swim, while an athletics fan could burn up to 162 calories, which is similar to a 30-minute walk. The 'Power of Celebration' formula, which factors in how sports are watched, the intensity of spectators' celebrations, and body weight, allows sports fans to calculate their own energy expenditures.

The summer sports season isn't over yet with the Paris Olympics in full swing, but already more than half of Brits (55%) feel inspired to exercise more. The majority (75%) choose to work out at home, streaming workouts or using fitness apps, equipment, and trackers.

Dr. Dale Esliger, a Sports, Exercise, and Health Scientist at Loughborough University, who developed the Power of Celebration Formula, said: "It's great to see the research from EDF provides further support to the evidence-base that watching sport is positively associated with wellbeing and vitality, especially as we enter a summer packed with thrilling events where people gather with family and friends."

"By combining how we watch sport with the intensity of our celebrations, and considering factors including body weight and overall duration, the innovative Power of Celebration' formula allows sports fans to quantify their own energy expenditure while enjoying the excitement of the games."

Philippe Commaret from EDF said: "The summer of sport has given the nation a real energy boost and it's exciting to see people getting inspired to change their approach to exercise or try new things. From generating zero carbon electricity to installing EV chargers, solar panels and heat pumps, our new campaign shows how we're changing the way we're powering the nation, one home at a time. We're proud to be part of this change, as well as charging up new exercise regimes and powering the love of sports spectatorship."