A foot peddler is a portable device that mimics the peddling of a bike. Like cycling, it's a form of moderately intense physical activity that can be used to increase your energy expenditure. The more energy you expend, the more calories you burn, and so a foot peddler can help you lose weight. The amount of weight, however, varies from person to person.
Exercise
As with any form of exercise, the amount of calories you expend with a foot peddler is largely dependent on two factors. The first is the intensity level you use to peddle the device. The faster you peddle or the greater the resistance, the more calories you're burning, which can aid in shedding excess pounds. The second is your weight. Even with a foot peddler, your weight influences the amount of energy you expend to peddle the device. The heavier you are, the more effort it takes to peddle the foot peddler, which has a direct impact on the calories burned.
Intensity
According to the Harvard Medical School, peddling a stationary bike with moderate intensity can burn 260 calories in just 30 minutes for a 155-lb. person. The same results can be expected from using a foot peddler. Since a pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories, this can translate into a weight loss of 1 lb. in just under two weeks. Increasing your intensity level to vigorous can increase your caloric burn to 391 calories in the same amount of time. At this level, you can expect to lose 1 lb. of weight every nine days.
Weight
Along with your level of intensity, the pounds you weigh can have a significant effect on the amount of calories burned with a foot peddler. As already mentioned, a 155-lb. person can burn 260 calories in 30 minutes peddling at a moderate intensity. If you weigh 185 lbs., however, your caloric burn increases to 311 calories. This can lead to a weight loss of 1 lb. every 11 days. Increasing the intensity to vigorous causes a caloric burn of 466 calories, which can lead to a weight loss of 1 lb. in just over a week. This means that strapping on some ankle weights can help increase the number of calories you burn with a foot peddler at any given time.
Definition
The American College of Sports Medicine loosely defines moderate intensity as "working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, while still being able to carry on a conversation." Vigorous intensity is often described as any exercise that increases your heart rate to 70 percent of its maximum. Maximum heart rate is determined by subtracting your age from 220 beats per minute, or BPM.
