Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with caloriesburned

Is ice skating really that good an exercise for the beginner?

tel3path — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:13:24 -0800

Everything I am reading about ice skating raves about what a wonderful workout it is and how you will develop a core-o'steel and burn no end of calories! How true is that, really, for the beginner? I am teaching myself ice skating from, essentially, absolute beginner level. I am just getting to the end of chapter four of the book I am using, which teaches forward stroking and a preparation for skating backwards.

Up until now I have been teaching myself to stop, and to glide forward on one foot on the flat of the blade. So until yesterday, all of my workouts consisted of: stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, stop. Stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, glide. For an hour or more.

Yesterday I reached the dizzying heights of proper forward stroking. Yes, seven whole minutes without stopping! I was on the ice for almost an hour and a half. It was not strenuous at all. I did not break a sweat. I did not suck wind. My ankles, calves and glutes do not ache and my abs wax not tense upon me. I didn't check my heart rate but I assume it was bobbling along at resting pace.

Basically I don't believe that what I did amounts to a workout. In terms of effort, it was easier than walking. It's supposed to be! That's what skates are for, to propel you with effortless speed along those frozen canals!

Or am I wrong? Is it possible that I could do this activity for 90 minutes, not feel a thing, and still call it a workout? Why? I don't get it.

Heart Rate Monitors and Calculating Calories

Aleen — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:45:57 -0800

I've been working hard on my eating habits in order to lose weight; now I need to start exercising. What's the best way to calculate how many calories I'm burning when I do cardio? I'm thinking about purchasing a heart rate monitor with GPS (or the ability to add GPS later), but I'm uncertain as to whether that's the best option. If it matters, I'm planning on starting by using elliptical and treadmill machines at the gym. This fall, after I get in a shape that is slightly less round and the weather gets cooler, I'm going to start training for a half marathon outside. It would seem that GPS would come in handy at this piont.

Heart rate monitor or something else? Please explain your answer and offer product recommendations!

Exercise, heart rate, & calories burned

Anonymous — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 14:31:44 -0800

Questions about exercise, heart rate, and estimating calories burned. Forgive the length, but I'm trying to be as detailed as possible.
Background:
I've lost over 100 lbs in the past couple of years by counting calories and exercising. I stopped doing both of those things for a few months after hitting a plateau and then going through a particularly stressful period, leading me to gain back a few pounds. I've been back on track for the last month and seem to be dropping a couple of pounds a week.
Current Routine:
I eat about 1,200 calories a day, which has been my calorie goal since I started losing weight. I eat small meals throughout the day and am not hungry -- I think I could limit myself to 1,000 calories a day fairly easily, but I'm not sure if that's wise. I do 45 minutes of cardio a day on the elliptical and lift weights 3 times a week. Every other day, I do intervals to go between 60% and 85% of my estimated max heart rate based on calculators that factor in age and resting heart rate. I try to keep my heart rate in the 80-85% range on non-interval days. I have a heart rate monitor that uses my age, gender, height, weight and resting heart rate to estimate the number of calories burned. I know it's just an estimate.
Question:
I find that I'm much more likely to work out if I do so in the mornings, as soon as I get up. There's a gym in my condo, so I probably am on the machine within 15 minutes of getting out of bed. I'm not hungry then, and usually don't eat breakfast until around 2 hours after my workout. I fill a bottle of water before I work out, but usually don't drink any until a few minutes into my workout. My heart rate in the morning goes up much faster working at a much lower intensity than it does when I work out in the evenings. When I do work out in the evenings, I have to increase the resistance and really push myself to keep my heart rate above 80% of my max. In the mornings, I wonder if it's getting too high -- it seems like I have to hold myself back to keep it around 85%. Either way, my average heart rate is almost the same, so am I burning the same number of calories? How long before my workout would I have to eat or drink to see it make any difference?