Fit Villains: Selfish, Shameless, Sassy, Fitness.

Hey there,

Don’t buy the calorie hype, especially when it comes to workout claims (on infomercials, you’ll often see claims of ‘up to ____ calories per hour. This is usually the highest numbers in the test group.)

Everyone is different and we all burn calories according to OUR bodies. Taller & bigger bodies burn more calories than shorter & smaller bodies. People with more muscle burn more calories than people with less. Intensity plays a huge role in calorie burn and is determined by the individual during the exercise, NOT by the workout itself. Most of the time, the numbers you see are averages (which doesn’t tell you a lot) or the highest range possible for the test group (which also doesn’t tell you a lot). 

Basic rule of thumb: the more muscles you use, the more intense/quick the movement, and the longer you go: the more calories burned. But that number depends on too many factors for anyone to ‘guess’ what you’d burn: two people can burn drastically different amounts doing the exact same workout. How much YOU burn will also change over time as your fitness level increases.

A better way to gauge is to boost YOUR intensity and invest in a calorie tracker, like a Body Bugg. It tends to be more accurate than anything else out there. Do NOT use machines to judge your burn.

Keep in mind: strength workouts & cardio intervals like H.I.I.T training increase your burn LONG after your workout’s done (up to 48 hours). Measuring only what you burn when you’re sweating won’t give you the whole story. A short H.I.I.T workout one day can burn as many or MORE calories than a longer, less intense workout when you factor in the after burn.

Personally, I use trial and error & adjust as I go: if I’m gaining or should be losing, I take a look at what I’m currently doing and tighten things up a bit in the following weeks. For my workouts, this might mean adding an extra workout to the mix or boosting the intensity of my regular routines until I’m back on track. For my diet, it might mean making healthier choices for a week or two. I’m not big on calorie counting, so I make up for it by paying attention to what’s working and what’s not, and making adjustments as I go.

YOU are the best monitor you can invest in! Simply do your best, pay attention and make adjustments if what you’re doing isn’t working. If you’d like a more accurate reading, most measurements are off by about 25-30%: it’s better to underestimate your burn than to overestimate it. A Body Bugg is a sound investment if you’d like a more accurate reading.

xo