confused

kaylou

I am really having a hard time understanding where my target heart rate should be to burn calories while exercising.
Can anyone give me a "dummy" version.
I was also wondering what to believe...my ellipitical or MFP as far as the amount of calories I burn. One says 232 for 25 min and the other says 350. I am 5'3 and 136lbs.
Thank you for helping me clear up my delima!!

kaylou

I am really having a hard time understanding where my target heart rate should be to burn calories while exercising.
Can anyone give me a "dummy" version.
I was also wondering what to believe...my ellipitical or MFP as far as the amount of calories I burn. One says 232 for 25 min and the other says 350. I am 5'3 and 136lbs.
Thank you for helping me clear up my delima!!

songbyrdsweet

You will always burn calories while exercising. There is no 'magic' number.

At lower intensities, you will burn fewer calories. A higher % of those calories will come from fats. The duration will be very, very long.

At moderate intensities, you will burn some more calories. An equal % of those calories will come from fats and carbohydrates. The duration will be pretty long.

At high intensities, you will burn a ton of calories. A higher % of those calories will come from carbohydrates. The duration will be short.

There are benefits to all levels of intensity.

Low levels can be maintained indefinitely and performed by anyone.

Moderate levels can be maintained for a long time and performed by most people.

High levels train different muscle types and energy systems and result in a highly elevated metabolic rate following exercise.

And the bad sides:

Low levels burn few calories and don't improve cardiovascular health.
Moderate levels may be too easy for highly trained individuals who have adapted.
High levels should only be performed by trained individuals and can't be sustained for a long time.

It's best to do a mix of all three to work your heart, make your body use fats during exercise more effectively, burn a lot of calories, and increase your capacity to work without oxygen.

songbyrdsweet

Oh, and levels usually relate as follows:

Low Level <60% Max heart rate
Moderate Level 65-80% Max heart rate
High Level 85%< Max heart rate

omid990

i would go with the elliptical, but with caution because machines overestimate by a lot. i only eat back 50% to 60% of what the machine gives me.