The Inaccurate Calorie Burn Readout on Cardio Equipment

I recently overheard a conversation in the gym that made me realize people are unaware of the accuracy of the calories burned feature on many machines. The conversation went as follows:

• Lady 1: "WOW! I burned 425 calories in 30 minutes!"
• Lady 2: "No way! I only burned 258."
• Lady 1: "Oh. Must burn more on this machine."

To add a little more context to the situation, Lady 1 was on an older style elliptical machine while Lady 2 was on a much newer model. Lady 1 hit the "Quick Start" button while Lady 2 punched in all her information. I am not sure of the level of intensity of each woman, but neither one was sweating enough to have burned that many calories in 30 minutes. To offer a tad more insight into the intensity level required to achieve this type of calorie burn: the average person would have to maintain a pace of 7.5mph on a treadmill for about 30 minutes to burn that many calories.

We would all love to believe the number our beloved cardio equipment gives us indicating the calorie burn we just accomplished, BUT... chances are that it is not an accurate number. The number the machine gives you is an estimated number based on the average person with the same measurements as you, assuming you even take the time to enter these numbers. Most machines just ask for your age and weight. They do not take into account your gender, height and overall fitness level, just to name a few. If you are looking for a more accurate way of counting the calories you burn use a heart rate monitor. This too is also not exact, but it will be more accurate than the number the machine gives you.

There is another level of danger in following this type of misinformation. Many people feel that after a hard workout they deserve a bit of a reward or treat for their efforts. If you reward yourself with a 150 calorie treat thinking you burned 425 calories when in reality you more likely burned close to 200 calories, that reward just wiped 75% of the workout away. Stick to your daily and weekly food plans to stay on target and do not take an unscheduled cheat day.