The number of calories you burn with activity depends on several specific factors, such as your heart rate, age, weight and gender, and this allows you to calculate your calorie expenditure with a single formula regardless of specific activity. The primary consideration for this procedure is that you maintain your heart rate within the range of 90 to 150 beats per minute, or bpm. This heart rate range provides the greatest accuracy for your calorie expenditure calculation.
Step 1
Weigh yourself in pounds by using a bathroom scale.
Step 2
Put your heart rate monitor on and begin performing the activity of your choice. Wait until your heart rate increases to 90 bpm before you begin recording your heart rate.
Step 3
Check your heart rate periodically, and adjust the intensity of your exercise as needed to keep your heart rate above 90 bpm and below 150 bpm. Stop your heart rate recorder after you finish exercising. This will provide your average heart rate during the exercise and the duration of the exercise.
Step 4
Calculate the calories you burned during the exercise if you're male by using the following equation: [(Average Heart Rate x 0.6309) + (Age x 0.2017) -- (Weight x 0.09036) -- 55.0969] x Time / 4.184. Time in this equation is the duration of your exercise in minutes.
Let your average heart rate during a 37 minute exercise session be 142 bpm. Your age is 43 years and you weigh 157 lb. for this example. You burned [(142 x 0.6309) + (43 x 0.2017) -- (157 x 0.09036) -- 55.0969] x 37 / 4.184 = 256 calories during this activity.
Step 5
Compute the calories you burned during the exercise if you're female by using the following equation: [(Average Heart Rate x 0.4472) + (Age x 0.074) -- (Weight x 0.05741) -- 20.4022] x Time / 4.184. Time in this equation is the duration of your exercise in minutes.
Let your average heart rate during a 31 minute exercise session be 124 bpm. Your age is 32 years and you weigh 125 lb. for this example. You burned [(124 x 0.4472) + (32 x 0.074) -- (125 x 0.05741) -- 20.4022] x 31 / 4.184 = 224 calories during this activity.
Things You'll Need
- Bathroom scale
- Heart monitor
- Calculator
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