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The number of calories you burn depends upon your weight, the activity your are doing
and the intensity level you are exercising at. Any activity that you perform can be done
at a variety of intensity levels. If you exercise at a higher intensity level, you will be
working harder, expending more energy and burning more calories than someone who is not
working quite so hard.
I've included four separate Activity/Calorie tables. The tables should be used as a
general guideline (the numbers are approximations). The number of calories you actually
burn could be slightly higher or lower depending upon your intensity level and your
weight.
The first table deals with step aerobics only. Calories are calculated for different
step heights based upon a stepping rate of 120 beats per minute for a 120 pound person. If
you weigh more than 120 or you are in a faster paced step class, the number of calories
you'll burn will be higher than those displayed in the table. If you weight less than 120
or you are in a slower paced step class, you'll burn fewer calories than indicated in the
table. The table is just an approximation of the number of calories you expend. If you
work at a more intense level (raise your arms above your shoulders, lift your knees all
the way to your chest etc...) you will burn more calories than displayed. (Data for this
table was taken from Reebok Instructor News, Volume 4, Number 3, 1991.)
| Step Height |
Calories/min. |
Calories/10 min. |
Calories/30 min. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 inches |
4.5 |
45 |
135 |
| 6 inches |
5.5 |
55 |
165 |
| 8 inches |
6.4 |
64 |
192 |
| 10 inches |
7.2 |
72 |
216 |
The second table gives the caloric expenditure after 10 minutes of activity for various
body weights. This data was obtained from Reebok Instructor News, Volume 4, Number
2, 1991.
The third table lists a wide variety of exercises and the caloric expenditures for a
123 lb women and a 170 lb man. Data for this table was taken from Reebok Instructor
News, Volume 5, Number 2, 1992.
The last table displayed below is taken from ACE FitnessMatters, Volume 1,
Number 4, 1995. Calories are given for 1 minute of activity. To determine approximately
how many calories you burn in 1/2 hour. Find the activity and your weight, then multiply
the number displayed by 30. If you want to lose weight, try to burn 300 calories per
exercise session.
Cardio Equipment and Calories Burned
Just a word of warning regarding cardio equipment and calories burned. Many cardio
machines don't ask for your weight and tell you that you're burning X number of calories.
The number displayed is for a person of average weight (usually average is 150 pounds).
For many people, the number of calories is overstated. So, if the machine doesn't have you
input your weight, don't believe the number of calories displayed.
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