Calorie burn calculator

Your fitness tracker, treadmill, or stationary bike can estimate the calories you burn. Just don’t put too much stock in those numbers.

“Trying to determine how many calories somebody is burning is not easy,” says John Porcari, professor of exercise and sport science at the University of Wisconsin−La Crosse.

Porcari writes the calorie-burn equations for some companies that make exercise machines.

Two key factors that affect calorie burn

“First, the more work you do, the more calories you burn,” notes Porcari.

Are treadmill calories accurate

(Work is the amount of effort you exert and for how long.)

“Second, a bigger person burns more calories because they have more body to move. If a machine doesn’t consider body weight, you have to question how accurate it is.”

And machines also can’t control for other factors.

For example:

Fitness level. “Beginners often have more extraneous movements than seasoned exercisers, so they burn more calories doing the same activity,” says Porcari.

Handrails. If you hold on to the rails on a treadmill or stair climber, you burn fewer calories.

Walking or jogging? You b