Calculating calories burned

Corinne_Howland
Corinne_Howland Posts: 158 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does anybody know how to calculate calories burned during an exercise that is not posted? I'm guestimating from researching the exercise dvd online. I fear I'm over guestimating! Will a heart rate monitor give me those answers? Please and and thank you in advcance.

Replies

  • rjd9266
    rjd9266 Posts: 15
    A heart rate monitor will definitely help you! I'm not 100% sure if all of them track calories burned, but mine had me enter my height and weight when I first got it and now every time I measure my HR while working out it pops up with the calories burned after reporting my heart rate. Just look at the packaging when you buy one.
  • Corinne_Howland
    Corinne_Howland Posts: 158 Member
    Thanks! I'll check them out.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Most DVDs would fall under circuit training or aerobics. Possibly calisthenics.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    HRMs, as any other number you see, are just estimates. They generally use max HR and current HR as the basis for their caluclations. Cardio machines generally use weight and the activity (walking/running, elliptical-ing, pedaling, whatever) as the basis for their calculation. I have no idea what MFP, DVDs etc use.

    But at the end of the day, they are all just estimates, and there is no way to guarantee one is any more or less accurate than another.

    IMO, the best thing to do is is to pick 1 method of estimating and use it exclusively. Be as accurate as you can with you food logging and exercise burns. Do that for a month, then compare the expected results with your actual results. From there you get a feel for how accurate your estimates are.

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