Heat and heart rate

msiamjan
msiamjan Posts: 326 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I use a HRM (Polar FT 60) when I jog to monitor calories burned. I have noticed that in the heat my heart rate increases with less exertion. So, do I actually burn more calories in the heat for the same amount of exercise?

Replies

  • msiamjan
    msiamjan Posts: 326 Member
    Nobody knows?
  • StarIsMoving
    StarIsMoving Posts: 437
    Yes you are burning more. Here's why: The heart works harder in heat, is why folks like me who have had heart surgery have a more difficult time in the heat. With that being said, it's the same as any other irregularity that can change caloric burn. If you are bigger, you burn more... if you go uphill, you burn more....same thing... the hotter your environment, the harder the heart works, and the more calories you burn out of exertion.

    Hope that helps!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I use a HRM (Polar FT 60) when I jog to monitor calories burned. I have noticed that in the heat my heart rate increases with less exertion. So, do I actually burn more calories in the heat for the same amount of exercise?

    That's usually a sign of mild dehydration, your heart rate goes up as your blood volume decreases. Whether or not this has an appreciable effect on calories burned I don't know for certain (my intuition says no as you're going to be covering less ground in the same amount of time)

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