How to calculate calories burned from exercise? Simple steps

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Learning how to calculate calories burned after exercise is important. For this reason we will teach you how to do it to get the most out of it.

Calculating calories burned after exercise stands out as an important point, both for training and for healthy living in general. Even the hypocaloric diet is often recommended for those who want to lose weight, but little is said about how to achieve it.

Facing diets to lose or gain weight is important, perhaps one of the most relevant issues after training. However, for this it is necessary to learn to calculate the calories burned after exercise.

Calculate calories burned when exercising, important concepts

Before going into detail regarding the calculation of calories burned, it is necessary to clarify a couple of concepts. The first of these is calories, one of the most frequently mentioned terms related to weight gain or loss.

What are calories?

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Basically calories are units of energy, which are used to measure the amount that each food contains. For this reason, it is implemented in favor of daily food intake.

If a person needs to gain weight, caloric intake must be higher, otherwise if a person wants to lose weight.

In that order of ideas, calories are considered the starting point of the diet. Knowing the caloric content of each food is important; as well as learn to calculate the number of calories burned after exercise.

hypercaloric diet

The hypercaloric diet stands out as another important concept within the topic. In general terms, it refers to a diet with a high calorie content, an amount that is higher than a person's needs.

Usually this type of diet is implemented in order to gain weight. In addition, it is done in a controlled and healthy way.

hypocaloric diet

The hypocaloric diet is the last concept to know before learning how to calculate calories. This refers to the opposite, regarding the hypercaloric diet.

This diet focuses on energy consumption less than the basic needs of a person. Therefore, it is used with the aim of losing weight in a healthy way.

How to calculate calories burned?

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After understanding the most important concepts related to the subject, it is necessary to learn how to calculate the calories burned after exercise.

Remember that the objective is to obtain information close to the exact number and based on it, make the decisions that the organism requires. In addition, it is a way to control food intake and training volume in favor of desired results.

Mobile apps

The first option to calculate calories burned are mobile applications or devices – watches, bracelets, among others. This alternative stands out as the simplest of all and in turn as one of the most basic.

However, many of these applications offer unreliable or specific approximate data. In that order of ideas, we will not give you any type of recommendation linked to any of these options.

Use the MET formula

MET is the metabolic equivalent of activity; which refers to the oxygen consumption according to the physical activity that is carried out.

A single unit of MET is equivalent to 3.5 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram per minute. This formula is expressed as follows, 1 MET = 3.5 ml O2/Kg x min, which refers to the minimum oxygen consumption used at rest.

However, the ideal is to know the amount of calories burned after exercise and for this you must convert the MET into kilocalories -Kcal-.

The first step to achieve this is based on knowing that 1 MET is equal to 0.0175 Kcal. Based on this information, you must apply the following formula: Kcal/min = MET x 0.075 x weight in kilograms.

The second step to calculate calories through this method is to know the METs of the activity performed by that person, which are determined with the first formula.

However, it should be noted that there are tables with default information on METs according to the physical activity you carry out. In that order of ideas, look for information related to this type of classification so that you only have to apply the formula focused on kilocalories.

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Professional advice

The best option when it comes to calculating calories burned after exercise is professional advice. It does not mean that you cannot carry it out on your own, but with this type of support the figures can be much more approximate.

On the other hand, with the support of a doctor, nutritionist or trainer, you can not only determine the number of calories burned; It is also possible to develop a routine attached to your needs and a food plan related to your goals.

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