Treadmill Vs. Leisurely walk?

ReneeIsReady
ReneeIsReady Posts: 97 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I had been going to the gym 7 days a week up until 3 weeks ago where I decided to take Sunday's off and if I felt like it, do some leisurely walking in the park instead. The positive side of this is that I'm still being active while being outdoors and getting fresh air. But the down side of this is that I feel after walking around the park several times for 90mins I feel a little cheated. I say this because after I've done my walking, my pocket pedometer reads that I've only burned something like 120 calories when I could have been in the gym burning well over 700 calories on the treadmill in 65 mins alone...along with any other gym activity that I can fit in for the remaining 25 mins.

I realize I'm not going up any hills or walking as fast when I'm outside but damn I cant be walking that slow either. I don't know if my pedometer reads incorrectly or if I really am just walking that friggin slow. But anyway I'm just curious to see what others prefer when it comes to walking and why.

Replies

  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    1. your pedometer is lying to you
    2. walking outside>>>>>>>>>>>>>>walking on the treadmill
    3. i'd feel cheated if i could walk outside but drove to a gym and walked inside on a treadmill instead
    4. your pedometer is lying to you.
    5. next time you go to the gym do a full body resistance routine instead of the treadmill, then leave and walk in the park again
    6. your pedometer is lying to you
  • CDogg17
    CDogg17 Posts: 27
    So your pedometer tells you you're burning well over 700 calories in 65 minutes on the treadmill but only 120 calories in 90 minutes in the park? Or is it the treadmill telling you you're burning those 700 calories? Are you running the whole time on the treadmill?
  • eileen0515
    eileen0515 Posts: 408 Member
    1. your pedometer is lying to you
    2. walking outside>>>>>>>>>>>>>>walking on the treadmill
    3. i'd feel cheated if i could walk outside but drove to a gym and walked inside on a treadmill instead
    4. your pedometer is lying to you.
    5. next time you go to the gym do a full body resistance routine instead of the treadmill, then leave and walk in the park again
    6. your pedometer is lying to you

    The treadmill is lying as well. Highly doubt over 700 calories burned in 65 minutes.
  • vvvalentines
    vvvalentines Posts: 151
    Unless you weigh about 2 lbs*, you're burning more than 120 cals in 90 minutes of walking outside. Your ticker has you trying to lose 150+ lbs--I'm guessing you're close to my weight, in which case the 700 cals the treadmill tells you is a lot more accurate than what your pedometer is saying.

    *or something like that
  • vvvalentines
    vvvalentines Posts: 151
    1. your pedometer is lying to you
    2. walking outside>>>>>>>>>>>>>>walking on the treadmill
    3. i'd feel cheated if i could walk outside but drove to a gym and walked inside on a treadmill instead
    4. your pedometer is lying to you.
    5. next time you go to the gym do a full body resistance routine instead of the treadmill, then leave and walk in the park again
    6. your pedometer is lying to you

    The treadmill is lying as well. Highly doubt over 700 calories burned in 65 minutes.

    Nope. ~10 cals/minute for moderate walking pace is very typical for people in the high 200s, confirmed with an HRM, my doctor, and loads of data.
  • ReneeIsReady
    ReneeIsReady Posts: 97 Member
    So your pedometer tells you you're burning well over 700 calories in 65 minutes on the treadmill but only 120 calories in 90 minutes in the park? Or is it the treadmill telling you you're burning those 700 calories? Are you running the whole time on the treadmill?

    The 700 calorie read comes from the treadmill. I incline 4.0 with a distance of 3.0
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    1. your pedometer is lying to you
    2. walking outside>>>>>>>>>>>>>>walking on the treadmill
    3. i'd feel cheated if i could walk outside but drove to a gym and walked inside on a treadmill instead
    4. your pedometer is lying to you.
    5. next time you go to the gym do a full body resistance routine instead of the treadmill, then leave and walk in the park again
    6. your pedometer is lying to you

    The treadmill is lying as well. Highly doubt over 700 calories burned in 65 minutes.

    fair point. but it's probably not as off as you might think. and not nearly off to the degree as the pedo
  • shafa4321
    shafa4321 Posts: 132 Member
    1. your pedometer is lying to you
    2. walking outside>>>>>>>>>>>>>>walking on the treadmill
    3. i'd feel cheated if i could walk outside but drove to a gym and walked inside on a treadmill instead
    4. your pedometer is lying to you.
    5. next time you go to the gym do a full body resistance routine instead of the treadmill, then leave and walk in the park again
    6. your pedometer is lying to you

    Love your answer
  • andyluvv
    andyluvv Posts: 281 Member
    Personally,
    I find that I burn sometimes more calories by walking into town and shopping than I do running on a theadmill for 30 minutes. It tends to be a lot more enjoyable too as I tend to not really notice it. I use my Fitbit everywhere and it pushes me to do 10k steps a day and that in itself burns a lot of calories!

    So yeah, you could be burning more at the threadmill but I tend to not feel it as much if I'm just running errands in town :)
  • SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish
    SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish Posts: 831 Member
    Your treadmill is over estimating the caloric burn AND your pedometer is under estimating the burn. You can easily pick up the pace walking around and burn similar to walking on the treadmill. Unless you are running on the treadmill, then you are comparing running to walking and running will always burn more. Incline will add more calories than you might typically get outside since inclines aren't standard outside. The difference could be anywhere from none to as much as half depending on walking speed and inclines, but not 80cals/hr vs 650cals/hr, which is what you posted translates to,
  • ReneeIsReady
    ReneeIsReady Posts: 97 Member
    1. your pedometer is lying to you
    2. walking outside>>>>>>>>>>>>>>walking on the treadmill
    3. i'd feel cheated if i could walk outside but drove to a gym and walked inside on a treadmill instead
    4. your pedometer is lying to you.
    5. next time you go to the gym do a full body resistance routine instead of the treadmill, then leave and walk in the park again
    6. your pedometer is lying to you

    Yes I believe my pedometer is lying to me as well. As far as driving to the gym to get on the treadmill I don't feel cheated at all, especially when i'm doing other things as well such as the elliptical, weight machines etc., Being that I'm not as fortunate to have all of those things in my home. And I drive to the park as well also, it's where I prefer to walk and feel more comfortable...shrugs! But I appreciate your inpute all the same:wink:
  • Shropshire1959
    Shropshire1959 Posts: 982 Member
    So your pedometer tells you you're burning well over 700 calories in 65 minutes on the treadmill but only 120 calories in 90 minutes in the park? Or is it the treadmill telling you you're burning those 700 calories? Are you running the whole time on the treadmill?

    The 700 calorie read comes from the treadmill. I incline 4.0 with a distance of 3.0

    3 what? miles?

    3 miles in 65 mins and 700 cals? Sounds a 'wee' bit high

    http://www.healthstatus.com/perl/calculator.cgi

    or

    http://caloriesburnedhq.com/calories-burned-running .. which gave for me about 450 cals for 3 miles in an hour
  • ReneeIsReady
    ReneeIsReady Posts: 97 Member
    Sorry I mixed up the speed with distance

    Incline 4.0 with a speed of 3.0

    The distance is maybe only 2.3miles last I remember seeing but im not really sure because I don't pay very much attention to that aspect of it.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    So your pedometer tells you you're burning well over 700 calories in 65 minutes on the treadmill but only 120 calories in 90 minutes in the park? Or is it the treadmill telling you you're burning those 700 calories? Are you running the whole time on the treadmill?

    The 700 calorie read comes from the treadmill. I incline 4.0 with a distance of 3.0

    3 what? miles?

    3 miles in 65 mins and 700 cals? Sounds a 'wee' bit high

    http://www.healthstatus.com/perl/calculator.cgi

    or

    http://caloriesburnedhq.com/calories-burned-running .. which gave for me about 450 cals for 3 miles in an hour

    Q) How much does the OP weigh?

    A) Trick question. I'm 89.74% the OP was more concerned about not getting a decent amount of recorded calories during her outdoor walk than she was about getting a more accurate read on her treadmill walks.

    Extra Credit Answer: It doesn't really matter. Get the workouts in and keep logging your food and the results will come. Just go lift and eat.
  • Shropshire1959
    Shropshire1959 Posts: 982 Member
    Yeah but if the 'Dreadmill' number is way out too, it's not going to help the OPs diary at all is it?


    Check out that last link and see how many calories they say for that time and distance .. but 700 is probably well over the top (sorry to say)
  • Natmarie73
    Natmarie73 Posts: 287 Member
    The treadmill is lying to you as well. No way would you burn 700 calories walking 2.3 miles at a speed of three and incline of 4 for 65 minutes unless you weigh upwards of 300 pounds and are very unfit. You will burn more calories walking or running outside than you will on a treadmill.

    I highly recommend you get a good quality heart rate monitor for a more accurate calorie burn count.
  • ReneeIsReady
    ReneeIsReady Posts: 97 Member
    So your pedometer tells you you're burning well over 700 calories in 65 minutes on the treadmill but only 120 calories in 90 minutes in the park? Or is it the treadmill telling you you're burning those 700 calories? Are you running the whole time on the treadmill?

    The 700 calorie read comes from the treadmill. I incline 4.0 with a distance of 3.0

    3 what? miles?

    3 miles in 65 mins and 700 cals? Sounds a 'wee' bit high

    http://www.healthstatus.com/perl/calculator.cgi

    or

    http://caloriesburnedhq.com/calories-burned-running .. which gave for me about 450 cals for 3 miles in an hour


    Thanks for this website!
    According to what it says I'm now seeing what my outdoors walk activity is so suppose to say which is slightly over 600cal burned as well as treadmill walking which is still within the 700's cal burned.
  • Natmarie73
    Natmarie73 Posts: 287 Member
    Oh, and read this article about gross calorie burn v net calorie burn. Turns out we have been doing it wrong!

    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/articles/net-versus-gross-calorie-burn.aspx
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I'm in the same situation really but walking outside has won every single time I had the opportunity. I only go to the gym when it's way too cold, too rainy, snowing, or the kids don't have school... even if I burn probably 25% less calories in the same time outside (but I have to take a shower if I go to the gym too, so in the end it takes longer anyway).
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Oh, and read this article about gross calorie burn v net calorie burn. Turns out we have been doing it wrong!

    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/articles/net-versus-gross-calorie-burn.aspx

    Don't overthink this
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    Sorry I mixed up the speed with distance

    Incline 4.0 with a speed of 3.0

    The distance is maybe only 2.3miles last I remember seeing but im not really sure because I don't pay very much attention to that aspect of it.

    Sorry but you are not burning 700 cal walking 2 miles on a treadmill, and you are burning more walking outside. It doesn't matter where you walk.
  • ReneeIsReady
    ReneeIsReady Posts: 97 Member
    Oh, and read this article about gross calorie burn v net calorie burn. Turns out we have been doing it wrong!

    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/articles/net-versus-gross-calorie-burn.aspx

    Very helpful website, thanks for this!
  • mandieme0w
    mandieme0w Posts: 11
    DON'T trust the calorie calculations at the gym on the machines! Get a heart rate monitor :) I have the Polar FT4 and absolutely love it. However, I don't always trust it either. I usually take off 50-75 calories from what it says I burn.
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    I agree that you are almost certainly not burning 700 per hour walking at that speed. I probably wouldn't burn that if I *ran* for the same amount of time. Without knowing your weight, though, it is hard to say exactly. I've heard figures like 100 calories per mile thrown around...I imagine your burn probably lies somewhere in the middle of the two numbers, e.g. ~400 calories per hour of walking. But that is possibly on the high-side of estimates as well. You will need to get a heart rate monitor if you wish to be more certain of your calorie expenditure.
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    DON'T trust the calorie calculations at the gym on the machines! Get a heart rate monitor :) I have the Polar FT4 and absolutely love it. However, I don't always trust it either. I usually take off 50-75 calories from what it says I burn.

    Me too! With both the FT4 and reducing that number a wee bit. I tend to round down to the nearest hundred and then eat back 100% of those calories. It works perfectly for me.

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