Have a play, the maths is real

Fun health sums that use real distances and published exercise science.

The plan, in 5 steps

  1. 1Climb Everest on your stairs
  2. 2Walk the UK coast in steps
  3. 3Test your reactions
  4. 4Match a playlist to your pace
  5. 5Find your workout spirit animal

Step by step

A few to try first

No order needed. Every result is worked out on your device and nothing is saved.

  1. Climb Everest on your stairs

    Everest is 8,849 metres tall. Count the stairs at home and see how many trips up it would take.

    Open the stairs to Everest

  2. Walk the UK coast in steps

    Turn your daily steps into a stroll round the coast of Great Britain and see when you would get back to where you started.

    Open the steps to the UK coast

  3. Test your reactions

    Tap as fast as you can and compare your time with typical human reaction times. Best of three, obviously.

    Open the reaction time test

  4. Match a playlist to your pace

    Running or walking to music? Find the beats per minute that match your stride, then build a playlist that keeps you going.

    Open the playlist pace

  5. Find your workout spirit animal

    A few questions about how you like to move. Results include the otter, the mountain goat and the very determined tortoise.

    Open the workout spirit animal

How we check the figures

Fun sums, real numbers

Every playful calculator here still shows its working. Distances come from published figures, energy estimates come from the Compendium of Physical Activities, and anything that is a guess says so on the page.

Real distances

Everest is 8,849 m (the 2020 survey), the Moon is about 384,400 km away and a standard stair is about 17 cm.

Real exercise science

Calorie and step estimates use published values for how much energy activities take, so the answers are based on real figures.

Not about earning food

None of these tools are about earning or burning off food.

Make it social

Ideas for groups and families

  • Set a family step challenge to walk round the coast together, adding everyone's steps.
  • Do a reaction time league at work, best of three, with a very small trophy.
  • Count the stairs in your office and climb a mountain as a team.
  • Have a go at a parkrun and use the playlist tool to find your tempo.

Questions

Common questions

Are the fun calculators accurate?

The maths is accurate and the numbers are real. The assumptions are deliberately simple, like a fixed stair height or an average step length, and each page says what they are.

Why are there no calories burned for food?

Turning food into exercise debt is not a healthy way to think about eating, so we do not do it here. The calorie calculators on the food pages are there if you want energy numbers.

Can children use these?

Yes, with a grown up. They are great for maths homework too. Results that use adult averages say so.

How tall is Everest really?

The joint Chinese and Nepali survey in 2020 measured it at 8,848.86 metres, which we round to 8,849.

Is my data saved?

No. Every sum runs on your own device. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

Sources

Last checked 21 October 2026. Every calculator on this page links to its own sources too. More in Just for fun.

Have fun, stay safe

Playing is meant to be fun. If a challenge leaves you in pain, dizzy or short of breath, stop and rest, and check with your GP before taking on something big.

Other goals

Got a different goal?