Exercise calorie counting and all there is to know about it

Exercise calorie counting is one of the numerous terms you have to keep in mind when on a weight loss routine. It simply concerns the number of calories you burn while doing your exercises. It may not be much of a big deal for everyone, but for anyone who is hoping to attain or maintain a healthy body weight, being intentional about it is a luxury that should not be traded for anything else.

Beyond you just consuming fewer calories than what you’re burning, getting the precise number of calories you’re burning per exercise session will help you track your progress better. More so, you will be able to plan your weight loss program better. Although there are a host of apps that can be useful in counting the calories you burn, having cognizance of some things could make a whole lot of difference. This is even more important considering the report on how calorie-counting apps have been implicated in incidences of eating disorders.

Factors to consider when counting exercise calories

You cannot be intentional about your weight loss program on the whole without the right knowledge of how things work. There’s no doubt of how valuable the expertise of a dietician can be in this respect, but nothing or no one says you can take charge of certain aspects yourself. This begins by having a sense of direction, and this is exactly why you should read on as we buttress the factors that should be weighed in on while your exercise calorie counting.

Total calories/active calories

When it comes to the number of calories expended from the body; there are two terms you need to keep in mind – total calories and gross calories. Total calories concern the whole calories – including that which you use up for basic metabolic functions like circulation, blinking, and breathing – at a particular point in time. On the other hand, active calories have to do with only the number of calories you expend while doing your exercises or any physical activity. In essence, the rate at which you burn active calories will always be increased as you engage in more physical activities. That said, you may need to know the average number of calories – that is, your basal metabolic rate – you burn to get at an accurate figure for your active calories. Being able to determine your active calories will help you know how much calorie deficit you need to reach your daily weight loss goal. You should also bear in mind that most of the apps out there will usually present your total calories. So, you should look out for the ones that will provide you with information about both the active calories and total calories.

Current body weight

Your current body weight will also matter if it boils down to counting exercise calories. Most apps or websites designed to calculate the calories expended while doing exercises usually factor this in. The major thing to note is that the bigger the body weight, the higher the number of calories doing a particular exercise. This means that a person with a body weight of 180 pounds will burn more calories than someone weighing 130 pounds while running, brisk walking – or you name it – for a specific timeframe.

Types of exercise

The type of exercise you do should be taken into account since the burn rate varies from one exercise to another, and they also come with different advantages. There are different types or categorizations of exercises. For one, we have the weight-bearing type which basically entails movement against gravity. These exercises will help to promote the health of your bones, even as they ensure that a substantial number of calories are burned. Some notable examples of this include hiking, tennis, stair climbing, running, dancing, jumping rope, and brisk walking. There are also non-weight-bearing exercises that can be done with little or no support from your body. Though the number of calories you get to burn from doing non-weight-bearing exercises is relatively lesser than what is attainable with the weight-bearing sort, these (non-weight-bearing exercises) will benefit your cardiovascular health in a great way. Non-weight-bearing exercises are usually recommended for individuals with disabilities or joint issues – anyone can do it, nonetheless. Examples of non-weight-bearing exercises include swimming, rowing, deep-water running, arm cycling, etc.

Still on the categorization of exercises; we can yet have either resistance training or cardio exercise. Cardio exercises, which are commonly known as aerobics, refer to the set of activities done to increase the aerobic capacity – that is the rate at which your body consumes oxygen. Examples of cardio exercises include squat jumps, arm circles, jumping rope, trunk rotation, burpees, jumping jacks, and so on. Resistance training, on the other hand, is good for building muscle mass, and you will surely burn some calories while doing it. You should take note of the fact that the number of calories burned while doing resistance training will probably be fewer than what you will burn doing cardio exercises. However, resistance training is more appreciated for the maintenance of your body weight – it ensures the actualization of a sustainable weight loss outcome. That said, when done in the morning, resistance training can increase the chances of burning more calories all through the day. Deadlift, push-up, dumbbell chopper, glute bridge, and reverse lunge are some of the most common resistance training exercises.

Relatedly, the intensity of the exercise you intend to do – as well as how long the exercise last – will also determine the number of calories that will be burned. You will get more calories doing high-impact exercises than low-impact/low-intensity exercises. You should also bear in mind that your heart rate will be relatively higher when you do high-intensity exercises.

Exercise compensation

Exercise compensation describes the condition whereby you experience a spike in appetite as a result of doing an exercise routine. You can have a marked effect on the number of calories you will ultimately burn in a day so you should be mindful of it when doing your exercise calorie counting. That aside, compensation here can also be viewed in terms of the indulgences you subscribe to after your exercise. It may be about you consuming more foods or resting than necessary. The thing is that there is that tendency to feel you can eat – maybe regular meals or snacks – as much as you like since you have burned some calories during the workout. The same scenario could apply to resting where you find yourself crashing into the couch for the rest of the day after your workout. Both scenarios will result in you burning fewer calories. So, in essence, you should be mindful of overcompensating for the expended calories.

References

Chiu, C.H., et al. (2017). Benefits of different intensity of aerobic exercise in modulating body composition among obese young adults: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Health Qual Life Outcomes 15(1): 168.

Donnelly, J.E., et al. (2013). Aerobic exercise alone results in clinically significant weight loss for men and women: Midwest exercise trial 2. Obesity (Silver Spring) 21(3): E219 – E228.

Kreider, R.B., et al. (2011). A structured diet and exercise program promotes favourable changes on weight loss, body composition, and weight maintenance. J Am Diet Assoc. 111(2): 828 – 843.

Melanson, E.L. (2013). Resistance to exercise-induced weight loss: Compensatory behavioural adaptions. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 45(8): 1600 – 1609.

Strasser, B., and Schobersberger, W. (2011). Evidence for resistance training as a treatment therapy in obesity. J Obes. 2011: 482564.