It’s Simple let’s not mud the waters.

“KiloCalorie”  – Measurement used in exercise. (Kcal)
“Calorie”          – Measurement used in Food. (Cal)

The calories (Cal) referred to in diet (calories eaten) and in exercise (calories burned) are kilocalories (kcal).

Calories and Weight Loss

A half a Kg of body fat stores 3500 calories (kcal). To lose half a Kg of fat in a week, you must eat approximately 500 fewer calories (kcal) per day than you expend in metabolism and exercise.

The number of calories that you burn in a day includes basal metabolic rate calories burned just to keep the body functioning, plus additional calories burned in physical activity. Your body will burn calories to maintain body temperature, breathe, circulate blood, digest food, eliminate wastes, build and repair cells and tissues, and maintain brain and nervous system activity.

The range of daily calorie burning is any thing from 1600 – 2400 calories (kcal) for a sedentary woman or an older person to 2800 – 3100 calories (kcal) for active men, very active women, and teenage boys and girls. Knowing your calorie burn rate is the key, it can only be achieved by having your metabolic system professionally tested, avoiding the words should be or could be instead using your calorie burn daily is exactly is…

• Using a fitness monitor and app to track calories eaten and calories burned can assist people who want to achieve a calorie deficit to lose weight. Tracking activity with a fitness monitor helps eliminate overestimates on the side of calories burned, while honest tracking of what is eaten can highlight where food calories are coming from.

Calories Burned in Physical Activity

Physical activity burns calories beyond the basal metabolic rate. Your muscles use both readily available and stored energy sources in your body.

The exercise calories burned during cardiovascular activities such as walking, running, swimming, and cycling wight lifting, cardio and HITT classes depend on the intensity of the exercise and the amount of time you spend exercising. Moderate-intensity exercises such as brisk walking burn fewer calories per minute than more vigorous-intensity exercises such as running and a 45min cardio class.

For example, Walking burns approximately 55 calories per Km for a 72kg person. So on a 5km brisk flat walk that person will burn approx 275cal. where as for the same committed time frame of 45min that same individual applying a more vigorous-intensity exercise like a cardio class or run the burn rate will be 3times higher. Giving greater calorie burn gains in the same time frame.

Depending on the duration and intensity of exercise, your body burns available blood sugar, glycogen stored in the muscles and liver first, and then fat if required, and lastly burns muscle protein in an extreme last resource source of fuel. (thats why i look so skinny skinny after a long 2 month expedition on the side of an 8000 meter mountain).

SO HERES YOUR TWO SCENARIOS…you choose.

My Goal ; I want to increase the burn of fat from my body using exercise, by means of brisk walk, run, cycle, swim or any form of cardio session.

Option 1. 
Using the general rule is to aim to exercise at 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate for at least 45 minutes. In that fat-burning zone, 85% of the calories you burn are from fat.
This process is now based completely on prediction and guesswork, and my chance of success is hit or miss.
WHY ? Using the general rule of 220 bpm heart rate minus your age = your maximum heart rate is complete guess work and so so inaccurate. So if all my zones are based as a percentage from thats maths calculation then the chances of me exercising in the correct fat burning zone in-which i’m looking for to maximise results is so low…period.

Option 2.
Using Science based facts i aim to exercise at 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate for at least 45 minutes. In that fat-burning zone, 85% of the calories you burn are from fat.
This process is now based completely Science based facts and evidence, and my chance of success if used correctly is very high.
WHY ? Ive done a short science based test with human performance Ireland, i know exactly my personal fat burning efficiency and heart rate zones.
So if all my zones are based on my critical science based data, the chances of me exercising in the correct fat burning zone in-which i’m looking for to maximise results is precise and accurate…period.

Final Thoughts

Look the fact you are exercising is great physically and mentally, is brilliant and that is a big takeaway.

However if its results you are looking for, then by applying science evidence based testing facts removing hit or miss predictions your chances of success are 100% greater.
Generalising percentages of Heart rates with the use of Fitness monitors and pedometers are only ESTIMATIONS (Guesswork) for the calories burned based on your weight, number of steps taken, speed, pace, and intensity. These are not great if you’re looking for hard earned results because the process is based on general populations rule of thumb. The key is to know your own individual daily calorie requirement and maximum fat burning efficiency intensity and establish what your physical limitation are metabolically.
At Human performance Ireland we give you that science based information we help remove all the guesswork to allow you, your coach or Local Gym or life style diet consultant help hit you goals successfully month after month.

The choice us yours, the better informed you are the greater level of success you will have.

Jason