Fitness facts

Okay so I am going back to my personal training roots a bit here. I wake up pretty early every morning, well almost. I am privy to the endless barrage of fitness commercials and the claims that they seem to be purporting. Its amazing what advertising can convince people to do or to buy. Part of the reason that I got my bachelors degree in Exercise Science was to debunk the myths that exist and to get people exercising. I agree there is power in advertising in that it is visually appealing and can get you motivated, however, there are misconceptions that exist out there. One of them being that one particular exercise form is better than another.

I watched 3 different commercials this morning and they all use the same catch phrases. One of the big ones is "Burns up to 1000 calories an hour," Really? I am a cyclist and ride hard core, moderate and relatively easy rides on an almost daily basis. I can tell you that I burn 1000 calories an hour whether my heart rate is 190 or 160. You may burn a little more or less based on your muscle density and amount of fat on your body. The more fat you have on your body, of course the less calories you will burn in a day. Fat is not as metabolically active as muscle is. Fat is pretty much boring and doesn't do much. "In contrast, the resting metabolic rate of skeletal muscle clocks in at just 6 calories per pound, with fat burning just 2 calories per pound, " (www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/news/cals.htm)

So as you can see having more muscle mass makes you more of a calorie burning machine. Getting back to the claim that you can burn up to 1000 calories an hour. It really depends on the activity, however things like running and cycling and intense hiking will get you close to that 1000 calorie burn. Here is a chart from the Mayo clinic showing an approximation of calories burned based on different exercises. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/SM00109

***Note: This chart shows the estimated number of calories burned while doing various exercises for one hour. Specific calorie expenditures vary widely depending on the exercise, intensity level and your individual situation.

My point behind this is don't believe everything you see or read. Even this...:-) Question everything. We need more skeptics and less followers in the world. Have a great day. I am off for an 80 mile ride up to san Clemente. Need to burn some calories. I will post my results on here later.

Until next time.