Best app to track walking/running?

paynebearclan
paynebearclan Posts: 19 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I downloaded a 'Runtastic' app lastnight prior to my walk. I am just starting some exercise and I want to track it. This app seems real cool. It tracked my route, average speed, timed me, and how many calories I burned. Seems great. Except....I walked for about 25 minutes and 1.3 miles, average speed 3.0 mph. It says I burned 415 calories. That seems crazy high to me! I was pushing a 30 lb toddler in a stroller (although the app didn't know that). I felt like I burned that much...lol. I just want it to be as accurate as possible. Especially if I am going to reward myself with a treat.....THANKS!! ")

Replies

  • mfclingan
    mfclingan Posts: 158 Member
    I've not used runtastic. I use mapmyrun (or mapmyride). It does basically the same thing as runtastic. I know for mapmyride I've compared my HR monitor calories burned with the mapmyride calories burned and also cross checked it with myfitnesspal. I typically find that they are all within 50 calories of each other. SO pretty dead on.
  • wwhite72082
    wwhite72082 Posts: 36 Member
    I switched from Runkeeper to Runtastic when MFP began syncing activities. Runtastic seemed to work fairly well but the calories burned number always seemed a bit high. I switched back over to Runkeeper today (since MFP now syncs with it as well) and the same run that I've done a bunch of times with Runtastic is significantly less in regards to reported calories burned.

    Runkeeper seems more realistic and I'm happy to be using it again.
  • bpmartyr
    bpmartyr Posts: 141
    I use Runtastic and find it pretty accurate. Are you sure it didn't double post or something? No way you burned 415 calories walking 1.3 miles unless it was uphill or you weigh 600lbs.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Trust your instincts - that is crazy high!! The average is about 100 calories per mile for walking or running. You would likely burn a bit more than average being heavier so I'd maybe go with 120 or 130 calories per mile.
  • laurie62ann
    laurie62ann Posts: 433 Member
    I use MapMyRun... and love it... I get emails each week about my miles, then a monthly total! It's rewarding to see them add up!
  • TaureanWoman
    TaureanWoman Posts: 26 Member
    I use RunKeeper it works pretty well and you can use it as a trainer to schedule your activities.
  • GFielding_56
    GFielding_56 Posts: 76 Member
    I've used Mapmywalk/run - I've found them to be about 30% higher in calories burned than my Polar FT HRM

    Near enough as makes any real odds and it's always useful to have an awareness of how much you can burn by walking - under rated in my opinion
  • TheGr8Kimbini
    TheGr8Kimbini Posts: 92
    LOVE Runtastic! There is also one for biking too. At first, I thought that was high too, until I kept using it and saw weight coming off.
  • sineanbroc
    sineanbroc Posts: 25 Member
    doesn't give calories burned, but I use Charity Miles, it measures distance walked/ran by GPS and time taken. The main reason I use it though is because for every mile i log 20c gets donated to a charity of my choice. It's a free app and doesn't interfere with other apps, I know one girl that uses it and mapmyrun simultaneously, I just work out my average speed from the distance and tome and log it that way.
  • crazybrody
    crazybrody Posts: 1 Member
    Make sure you have runtastic set for walking and not running.
  • Grlnxtdr0721
    Grlnxtdr0721 Posts: 597 Member
    I use Nike+ and love it...it keeps track of my times, the distance, my fastest times, .5/mile splits....etc...
  • NashvilleScott
    NashvilleScott Posts: 34
    I use RunKeeper for runs and outdoor walks.

    I use Striiv as a pedometer and daily measure.

    I think they both work really well. Striiv also connects to MFP, so I prefer it and lets it track all my calories rather than enter the workouts indivdually. It probably tracks lower, but IMO thats better than making you think you burned more than you actually did.

    35386824.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I don't know if it is because I use an iPod instead of an iPhone, but neither Runtastic or Runkeeper accurately logs my GPS position. The positioning "zig-zags" all over my walking route, so when I actually cover about 3 miles, the apps say I did about 7miles.

    Any one else experience this? Any suggestions?

    I use Nike+ which tracks my times, distance, pace, etc, but offers no mapping for my iPod.
  • bpmartyr
    bpmartyr Posts: 141
    I don't know if it is because I use an iPod instead of an iPhone, but neither Runtastic or Runkeeper accurately logs my GPS position. The positioning "zig-zags" all over my walking route, so when I actually cover about 3 miles, the apps say I did about 7miles.

    Any one else experience this? Any suggestions?

    I use Nike+ which tracks my times, distance, pace, etc, but offers no mapping for my iPod.

    iPod does not have GPS so it is using the accelerometer only.
  • hpilon27
    hpilon27 Posts: 43
    I love Endomondo! It also syncs with MFP and I find the calorie burn to match up pretty good. This is a free app but I upgraded to a Premium subscription because I like it so much. I have several friends using the same and we can view each other's workouts, add comments and encouragement, and even send live peptalks.
  • alwayslisa920
    alwayslisa920 Posts: 6 Member
    i started out using runtastic but i ended up switching to RunKeeper. I friggin LOVE RunKeeper, I'm even considering upgrading to the paid-version. It does exactly what I want it to do! The only thing is its not very expansive on other kinds of exercise, so when you have a non-running workout day, theres not many options they have of other exercises you can input. Luckily MFP has all of those!
  • ames105
    ames105 Posts: 288 Member
    I use Endomondo to track time, distance and speed but I found it is also very high on the calorie count. I also found that I walked the same route in the park on two consecutive days and it gave me different distances! It was impossible to be 3/10ths of a mile futher when I parked in the same spot and walked the same route.

    So, I just use it as an estimate. I've found that MFP gives about half of the calories and Endomondo and I still don't eat back all of the calories that MFP uses. I think its best to underestimate and just use these trackers as a guideline.

    Good luck in your journey!
  • mrsburghart
    mrsburghart Posts: 166 Member
    I use Runkeeper and I love it. It syncs to MFP and to Gym-Pact, and the calories burned are pretty accurate. I have noticed that the distance is a bit off when I compare it to my Garmin (gets worse the longer the distance) so speed/pace might be off with, but that would be more of a training problem and not necessarily a problem if you are out for an evening walk.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    If you're looking for a higher degree of accuracy you might want to consider something along the lines of a Garmin Forerunner GPS watch / HRM rather than a smartphone app (the model #s ending in 10 use a more accurate algorithm)

    Typically the GSP receivers in smartphones aren't as accurate as those in the Garmin (and presumably other brands of GPS/HRM watches) and the caloric burns are more accurate when a HRM is involved.

    An alternative (that doesn't involve spending any more $$) you can use a formula that Runners World published a while back to sanity check the numbers given by the smartphone app:

    Walking: .57 x body weight in lbs per mile

    Running: .72 x body weight per mile

    keep in mind these are guidelines only.
  • paynebearclan
    paynebearclan Posts: 19 Member
    I switched from Runkeeper to Runtastic when MFP began syncing activities. Runtastic seemed to work fairly well but the calories burned number always seemed a bit high. I switched back over to Runkeeper today (since MFP now syncs with it as well) and the same run that I've done a bunch of times with Runtastic is significantly less in regards to reported calories burned.

    Runkeeper seems more realistic and I'm happy to be using it again.

    After reading all the posts, I think I will try Runkeeper if I can figure out how to get it to sync with MFP. Lol. Thanks, guys! I didn't think about it being set to walk instead of run.
  • angesjourney
    angesjourney Posts: 10
    I've been using Endomondo and it seems very accurate. I had issues with runkeeper and mapmywalk.

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