Machines melting calories away?

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Armando A. Schwier-Morales
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Almost all Airmen have used work out machines before, but do they actually overestimate the calories burned?

Treadmills, stationary bicycles and many others provide readouts to the user indicating their calories burned, time, distance and many other features.

Laura Markuly, 22nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron Health and Wellness Center exercise physiologist, used a "Body Bugg" (a wrist watch-like device that directly measures how many calories are actually burned during exercise) to see how many calories she was really burning while using tradtional exercise equipment, group workout classes and other physical activities.

"Using the Body Bugg, I noticed that the calorie readout from the exercise equipment was anywhere from 20 to 40 percent off because the machines only use general calculations," said Ms. Markuly.

Calories are a unit of measurement that tell people how much energy a food item will provide to their body. Every Airman has a different calorie salary that controls weight gain.  This "salary" can be found out by keeping a food log, said HAWC officials.

"We think we burn more calories than we really do," said Maribeth Havran, 22nd AMDS HAWC nutrition consultant. "We also underestimate how much we eat by about 500 calories a day."

Traditional workout equipment provides calorie readouts that can be adjusted for weight and age, but they can still miscalculate calories due to the age, programming and incorrect usage of the machine. This may not seem like a problem, but with stricter physical fitness testing in the Air Force, Airmen are getting more fitness conscious, said Mrs. Markuly.

Ms. Markuly didn't stop at the machines; she tested the base fitness center's aerobic classes. She found that the spinning class, estimated to burn 600 to 700 calories, burns only 400 calories.

Turbo Kick was correct in the 600 calories used. She also tested her mile run proving the theory that each mile burns 100 calories.

The HAWC recommends that Airmen maintain a balance between the input, the foods eaten, and the output of exercise, digestion and metabolism. Knowing that workout machines may overestimate calorie burn can help Airmen improve and reach their goals.

The readouts may not always be on target, but the HAWC is available to help Airmen reach their targets and provide information. For more information on calories, exercise or nutrition, call 759-6024.