MapMyFitness question - walk vs. run

princess7955
princess7955 Posts: 1,277 Member
edited November 18 in Fitness and Exercise
I did a quick search and didn't find anything...so I thought I'd ask all you very smart people!!!

Still fairly new to all of this, and trying to work more exercise into my days. I like to walk and have recently pushed myself a bit to try jogging. I've started out slowly so I jog for a few minutes, then walk for a few minutes, repeat (realistically jogging for about half my route). I am using MapMyFitness to track my walks, but was unsure of how to enter these walks/jogs.

If I enter the workout as a "run" (jogging is not an activity type option) will it automatically calculate a higher calorie burn since it assumes I am running the entire time? Or will the gps part of it realized I've slowed down? If I enter the workout as a "walk" will it underestimate my calorie burn for the same reasons? How 'smart' is this app?

I do not have a HRM (yet - as I realize this is probably a better way to track), but I was hoping that the MMF app would do for now...so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance :)

Replies

  • grandmothercharlie
    grandmothercharlie Posts: 1,356 Member
    Why not link MapMyFitness to MFP and let it add it in for you? Then you don't have to add anything! I like MapMyWalk because it takes into consideration speed, distance, inclines, etc. It has seemed to be pretty accurate, too. When I save it, it then puts the calorie burn under exercise in MFP.
  • princess7955
    princess7955 Posts: 1,277 Member
    Sorry, I should have added that I have linked it to MFP already. I am just confused that when you start a walk with MMF, that you need to enter the type of activity you are doing...and was confused about the difference in calorie burn based on what you enter....
  • DrLauraDVM16
    DrLauraDVM16 Posts: 64 Member
    It seems like calories burned are measured by distance rather than by speed or time. This means that if you go farther in 30 minutes by jogging partway, you'll burn more calories than if you walk for the same amount of time, but if you walk a mile it burns about the same amount as jogging a mile. I don't think it matters whether you choose walk (like I usually do, since calling a walk/jog a run just seems like an exaggeration) or run when you get started. Try it both ways on the same route over a couple of days and see if there's a difference.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    I doubt it matters a whole lot if you are using it in GPS mode but it is a very interesting question. The GPS signal allows the app to know your distance and speed. Do it both ways several times over the same route and let us know.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    edited May 2015
    Either is a great exercise. It depends on what I feel like each day

    29509743.png

    It will base your calories burned based off the speed it tracks and any elevation changes you encounter. I have found it to be pretty accurate
  • JamesSmedley
    JamesSmedley Posts: 37 Member
    If you time how long it takes to do a mile then you can work out the speed your roughly doing, meaning that you can then just put running on MFP at the speed you did which will give you an average amount of calories. Regardless to whether this helps or not, it won't matter whether you know how much you burn, if you can feel it working and know your pushing yourself, then job done!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    It calculates your burn based on the distance adjusted for the speed. I have done the same route at 3.5 mph and 3 mph and the slower one was a few less calories burned than the faster one. I have also entered the same route as "walking" and "hiking" and got the same calorie burn. The only difference was the walking gave me the average time per mile and the hiking gave me total time only.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    DrLauraDVM16 wrote: »
    It seems like calories burned are measured by distance rather than by speed or time. This means that if you go farther in 30 minutes by jogging partway, you'll burn more calories than if you walk for the same amount of time, but if you walk a mile it burns about the same amount as jogging a mile. I don't think it matters whether you choose walk (like I usually do, since calling a walk/jog a run just seems like an exaggeration) or run when you get started. Try it both ways on the same route over a couple of days and see if there's a difference.

    A mile running burns roughly double the net of walking one mile.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/how-many-calories-are-you-really-burning?page=single

    MapMy(insert activity here, they are all the same program) calculates primarily based on selected activity. Tell it you're running, it uses that formula ... a different one for walking ... yet another for cycling. It does not do a good job of differentiating between runs and walks ... at 15 mins per mile are you running or walking, speed alone doesn't determine that and the mechanical difference between the activities is substantial when it comes to caloric output.
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
    The differences aren't meaningful. If you are mostly walking, use walk. If you are run/walking, use run. If you are running, use run.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    If you run the same course, log it as walking one time and log it as running the next and see what the difference is.
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
    Many apps over-estimate calorie burn. I'd use whichever is lower.
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