Don't be fooled by this when you are exercising

What is a calorie? Simply put, a calorie is a unit of heat. 1 calorie is 1 kilocalorie, which is equal to the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius. Calories are used here to indicate the amount of energy consumed.

I'm crazy about numbers: Everyone in the gym is crazy about numbers

CASE1: "I have to work hard today, at least add 20 minutes, hoping to burn off the extra calories I ate." Thinking back to the small piece of cheese cake that she couldn't resist the temptation and ate today, Xiaomei held the handrails tightly with both hands (the incline setting of the treadmill has been adjusted to the highest level) and sweated hard.

Case 2: "There are only 50 calories left, and today's goal is 400 calories." Xiao Yuan ran on the treadmill and shouted to his friends, "You take a shower first, I'll be right there!"

Of course, this is just a common episode in the gym, but if you are also related to the above episode, then you should read the following content carefully, because I will tell you that the value we strive to pursue every day is not absolutely accurate, it is just an estimate!

Energy consumption is an indispensable part of a "family of three"

Did you know that our body's energy consumption is a small family consisting of three parties:

1. Basal metabolism: It is the main organ that plays a leading role and accounts for about 60% to 75% of daily energy consumption. Simply put, it is the energy required to maintain normal physiological functions such as breathing and heartbeat. It is the energy consumed by a person lying in bed all day and not doing anything.

2. Physical activity: Lovers, the greatest variability. It is the second largest component of energy expenditure and also the most variable. The total energy expended performing physical activity depends on the intensity, duration, and frequency of exercise, as well as on environmental conditions.

3. Thermal effect of food: Children contribute the least. It is the energy required for digestion and absorption of food after eating, which is about 7%-10% of the total energy consumption.

It can be seen from this that our training in the gym is only a part of energy consumption, and it will also be restricted by the physiological factors of the exerciser and the exercise environment. The single energy calculation on the fitness equipment is inaccurate.

Using EQ to understand numbers

Although the displayed calorie value is not accurate, we can still use the calorie consumption to motivate ourselves to keep exercising, but we must not become its slaves and rely too much on these numbers to prove your efforts.

In addition, during aerobic exercise, try not to hold the handrails tightly with both hands or lean on them, or even put your whole body weight on them. If you do this, the calories burned displayed on your fitness equipment will be very, very inaccurate, with studies showing the error can be as much as 50%. If you have to do this to keep your balance, it means that the intensity of your exercise is too high. The correct approach is to reduce the intensity.