How accurate is a..........

MOMOFTWO29
MOMOFTWO29 Posts: 8,276 Member
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
pedometer when it comes to calories burned when walking? Or should I make sure I use my Polar 6 Heart Rate Monitor? Just wanted to see which would be more accurate. Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • MOMOFTWO29
    MOMOFTWO29 Posts: 8,276 Member
    pedometer when it comes to calories burned when walking? Or should I make sure I use my Polar 6 Heart Rate Monitor? Just wanted to see which would be more accurate. Thanks in advance.
  • clewliss
    clewliss Posts: 640 Member
    My opinion, the HRM is more reliable. I had a pedometer (what I started out with) and it wasn't counting all my steps. I have the Polar F6 and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!
  • Nessc
    Nessc Posts: 137 Member
    I was wondering the same thing...I bought one of those pedometers that tells how many calories are burned by counting your steps, but I'm not sure how accurate it is. It seems to me that the pedometer "clicks" too much for it to be accurate.
  • MOMOFTWO29
    MOMOFTWO29 Posts: 8,276 Member
    My opinion, the HRM is more reliable. I had a pedometer (what I started out with) and it wasn't counting all my steps. I have the Polar F6 and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!

    thanks, that is what I was thinking too.
  • Starchaser
    Starchaser Posts: 69 Member
    Depends whether it allows to input your bodyweight or not.

    Most of the calorie calculators are pretty crap anyway.

    Example: my treadmill routine is usually 5 minute warmup at 7.5pmh, then 45 seconds at 12mph then a 1min 30s rest at 8mph, for ten minutes.

    The counter on the machine told me that burned 218 calories.

    Last week, I did fifteen minutes on the treadmill at 7mph, since I'd injured my hamstring so didn't want to push too hard.

    The counter read: 218.
    There's no way that a 15 minute light jog burns the same calories as a 10 minute sprintathon!

    So what I'm saying really is forget about counting exercise calories since the machines that measure them are very inaccurate.

    The scientific defitinion of a calorie is the amount of energy required to raise 1kg of water by 1degree celcius. So to try to translate that measurement into a physical exercise...well it's inaccurate to say the least.

    I never count my exercise calories, just listen to your body!
    Do you feel you're working when you walk? As in, can you talk but not easily?
    If not, walk faster.

    Ditch the pedometor for calorie counting. But, they are REALLY useful to see whether you're covering the same distance in a better time or not.
  • MOMOFTWO29
    MOMOFTWO29 Posts: 8,276 Member
    Depends whether it allows to input your bodyweight or not.

    Most of the calorie calculators are pretty crap anyway.

    Example: my treadmill routine is usually 5 minute warmup at 7.5pmh, then 45 seconds at 12mph then a 1min 30s rest at 8mph, for ten minutes.

    The counter on the machine told me that burned 218 calories.

    Last week, I did fifteen minutes on the treadmill at 7mph, since I'd injured my hamstring so didn't want to push too hard.

    The counter read: 218.
    There's no way that a 15 minute light jog burns the same calories as a 10 minute sprintathon!

    So what I'm saying really is forget about counting exercise calories since the machines that measure them are very inaccurate.

    The scientific defitinion of a calorie is the amount of energy required to raise 1kg of water by 1degree celcius. So to try to translate that measurement into a physical exercise...well it's inaccurate to say the least.

    I never count my exercise calories, just listen to your body!
    Do you feel you're working when you walk? As in, can you talk but not easily?
    If not, walk faster.

    Ditch the pedometor for calorie counting. But, they are REALLY useful to see whether you're covering the same distance in a better time or not.



    thanks for the great info.
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