Discouraging Walk...:(

MizzJuicy
MizzJuicy Posts: 19
in Fitness and Exercise
Good Morning,

Does anyone else get to the end of a 1 to 2 mile walk on the treadmill, move the towel that is hiding the screen, and become discouraged to find out that you have burned very few calories?????

I have a NordicTrack C 900 Treadmill and I will admit that I havent done a lot of extra stuff on it. I usually jump on, hit manual, and get to walking...maybe there is somewhere I am supposed to enter my weight??????? Any suggestions on how to know if this is accurate?????

Replies

  • girl_brett
    girl_brett Posts: 166 Member
    I think on some machines, you can enter your weight, height and age and it will give you an estimate. Don't know how accurate they are. You could always get a heart rate monitor and even there you have to enter all of the info so it can calculate correctly. Either way, the most important thing is you are doing the work!
  • HIITMe
    HIITMe Posts: 921 Member
    I did C25K on the treadmill yesterday...burned less than 200 cals after 30 minutes but I didnt really care...my purpose was to build cardio endurance more than anything... I want to be able to run 60ish minutes non-stop and to have a healthy heart.... for fat burning/calorie burning, Id look to more intense workouts
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    Get a heart rate monitor if you want to track accurately. I'd also so work on getting off the treadmill and get outside to work on runs. That said, plenty of people use the treadmills successfully.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    What do you consider "very low"? Also, walking is a very low intensity steady state activity. What are you expecting? It take a lot more than a mile or 2 to burn any substantial amount of calories through walking. For me, 2 miles will be around 150 to 175 calories. Have you considered something with more intensity to increase you fitness and calorie burn? The old saw about getting out what you put in applies here.
  • nguk123
    nguk123 Posts: 223
    If you want to burn significant calories you will have to jog for distance. Walking is a good intro, but you should plan to scale up
    your activity (slowly but steadily).
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    You are better off doing something like giant sets and super sets to burn those calories.

    This
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eGzglT5CEOs
    is much better than walking or running for an hour.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I burn about 100 calories a mile, so yeah, that wouldn't be much. But I wouldn't expect it to be.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    Same, about 100-120 calories a mile, but I run intervals and take walk breaks. I have a Polar FT4, keeps track of heart rate and calories. It's not exact, but I'm a numbers person - seeing that number go up helps me to want to keep at it. It's more fun that way.
  • darrenhowarth
    darrenhowarth Posts: 1
    HAve you thought about about going for an actual walk... outdoors.
    There are loads of aps that will measure your calorie burn and distance covered and it is so much more enjoyable!

    My dog has never been so happy
  • msmith3518
    msmith3518 Posts: 15 Member
    I have a smooth fitness treadmill that shows the same information - I found when I was wearing my heart rate monitor the treadmill reading was much lower - I have a POLAR FT7 heart rate monitor. For some reason the treadmill doesn't take an accurate reading on my heart rate.
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
    Get a heart rate monitor.
    Polar FT7.
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
    Increase the incline or the speed for 30 sec and do that every few minutes, that will get your heartrate up and help burn more
  • notreallytrillian
    notreallytrillian Posts: 77 Member
    If your treadmill has an incline function, increase your incline a bit and you'll burn more calories.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    For a mile, my dad's treadmill says I burn about 47 calories. My heart rate monitor says I burn around 120. That is at a 3.5 mph pace..
  • OBXbound4me
    OBXbound4me Posts: 245 Member
    Get a good pedometer and measure / input your stride, and weight. I use that for mine but also cross check what I did with a reputable calorie burning calculator to make sure it is close. Then I go with the one that is lower so I don't overestimate my burn.
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
    Nope because I don't even pay attention to those numbers, I use my HRM which usually gives me 100+ Calories more burned than the actual treadmill does so I wouldn't get too discouraged. Maybe look into getting a heart rate monitor and use that instead of the treadmill.
  • RobinvdM
    RobinvdM Posts: 634 Member
    Things that influence the calories burned:
    Heart rate

    Influenced by
    distance you walk, pace you are setting, your weight, and your current physical condition

    anything a machine tells you for cals burned is an estimate. The best you can do is figure out your target heart rate for a calorie burn, then get out there on that treadmill and hit it.

    Good luck :)
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Good Morning,

    Does anyone else get to the end of a 1 to 2 mile walk on the treadmill, move the towel that is hiding the screen, and become discouraged to find out that you have burned very few calories?????

    I have a NordicTrack C 900 Treadmill and I will admit that I havent done a lot of extra stuff on it. I usually jump on, hit manual, and get to walking...maybe there is somewhere I am supposed to enter my weight??????? Any suggestions on how to know if this is accurate?????

    It's not. To get the closest estimate for caloric burn per exercise buy a heart rate monitor with chest strap. I do the same thing that you do (just on and hit go), but even when I put my wieght in on those things they inevitably are about double what my Polar says. Both they and mfp are highly unreliable. I can tell you, however, that I burn about 100 calories per mile running.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    Exercise does not burn as many calories as people think. Some of the advice that has been circulating in the usual "public health news" places (NPR, NYT in the US) is that exercise is good for your health and to reshape your body or help maintain weight, but it's not a good way to lose weight. The best way to lose weight, if that is your goal, is to eat less and to eat better.

    I would not get discouraged if I were you, though--focus on the positive gains you get from exercise. Can you walk farther today than you did last week? Can you do the same amount of work without getting as winded? Do you work up a sweat at least once a day? If so, you're getting something out of it.
  • legnarevocrednu
    legnarevocrednu Posts: 467 Member
    You won't burn much on the treadmill, unfortunately. It's why I prefer the elliptical. Unless I'm running...then I do that on the treadmill but not for the calorie burn.
  • krissa3670
    krissa3670 Posts: 76 Member
    I know the calories are a bit dissappointing but what you need to think about is that your being active, its more than the calories, its what its doing for you on the whole, moving about and getting the oxygen flowing through the body and the muscle being used, it all adds up. Keep at it, your doing a great job and if you want to add me as a friend then please do :)
  • anna0478
    anna0478 Posts: 505 Member
    Found out recently my NordicTrac automatically calculates calories burned based on a 185 pound male...Since I am neither, I have to go to a website and calculate my calories burned.
  • lasmit4477
    lasmit4477 Posts: 308 Member
    Like others have suggested, get a HRM.

    However, it doesn't matter if you were to walk one mile or jog one mile, you still burn the same amount of calories. The only difference being the time it took for you to reach the mile.

    Intensity is key and as your fitness level improves, you will need to increase intensity depending on your goals.
  • Siekobilly
    Siekobilly Posts: 401 Member
    I've found that number to be rather inaccurate compared to using the formula provided by Journal of Sport Sciences, and a HRM:

    Male:
    Calories = [(Age x 0.2017) -- (Weight x 0.09036) + (Heart Rate x 0.6309) -- 55.0969] x Time / 4.184

    Female:
    Calories = [(Age x 0.074) -- (Weight x 0.05741) + (Heart Rate x 0.4472) -- 20.4022] x Time / 4.184
  • ameerah77
    ameerah77 Posts: 37 Member
    Don't be discouraged... Your burning more calories than you would if you didn't excercise at all. Just keep at it.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Good Morning,

    Does anyone else get to the end of a 1 to 2 mile walk on the treadmill, move the towel that is hiding the screen, and become discouraged to find out that you have burned very few calories?????

    I have a NordicTrack C 900 Treadmill and I will admit that I havent done a lot of extra stuff on it. I usually jump on, hit manual, and get to walking...maybe there is somewhere I am supposed to enter my weight??????? Any suggestions on how to know if this is accurate?????

    I have the C900 Pro. Did yours come with a chest strap? Mine did - a HRM that the machine will pick up. That will make it more accurate for sure, but there's still no where to enter height/weight/gender that I've found. Which is bizarre!
  • cubbies77
    cubbies77 Posts: 607 Member
    Calories aren't the only benefit of regular exercise. My resting heart rate used to be 110. Now it's 72. So even though I "only" burn around 400 calories after walking for an hour, I'm in much better shape, and my heart is healthier. That's a win-win.
  • Shoechick5
    Shoechick5 Posts: 221 Member
    For a mile, my dad's treadmill says I burn about 47 calories. My heart rate monitor says I burn around 120. That is at a 3.5 mph pace..

    My HRM shows about 120 a mile too.
  • MizzJuicy
    MizzJuicy Posts: 19
    Thanks Everyone! Walking and/or jogging outside would be great. However, it is COLD. And even though I have lived in Michigan my entire life, I still dont like to be outside in the very cold weather. In the past I would just not walk at all in the winter months, which is why I broke down and bought a treadmill. I will look into a heart rate monitor. And you guys make a good point, as long as I do more today than I did yesterday, I should be happy about that. I wont pay as much attention to the numbers...

    Thanks Again!:happy:
  • Jill_newimprovedversion
    Jill_newimprovedversion Posts: 988 Member
    Don't be discouraged... Your burning more calories than you would if you didn't excercise at all. Just keep at it.

    My thoughts EXACTLY.

    Your profile states you're still recovering from injuries.
    I was in maintenance mode until a head on collision this fall- in which I sustained less injuries than my daughter
    but a high ankle sprain, wrist fracture AND soft tissue damage to these areas and my neck/shoulders (whiplash)
    have made my rehab challenging.
    Even the brisk walking wasn't do-able until now.

    Check out the burn MFP calculates for the miles per hour walk you'd do on foot.
    If you do one mile in 20 minutes, that's a 3 mph.
    It'll calculate it by your current weight, as long as the data you've entered is accurate.


    I started this journey out by simply walking around my house, up and down stairs, speeding up....
    the calorie burn wasn't as important to me as getting into a new routine of doing something
    besides being sedentary.

    Best Wishes to you~

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