| Re: How Accurate Are Those Monitors, Anyway?
"Prisoner at War" <prisoner_at_war@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1170349029.605054.235430@m58g2000cwm.googlegr oups.com...
>
> For immediate release from Ye Olde Rambling Question Dep't.:
>
> I'm on some elliptical at the gym, have been doing it 40 minutes three
> times a week, each session the machine read-out claims I've lost
> ~850-900 calories (range due to variable intensity)...how accurate is
> that? I find it hard that with 40 minutes of sweat I've burned that
> many calories. It doesn't feel too hard, relatively speaking (though
> I do Level 15 out of 20 available, with 20 as the hardest).
>
> There's also the heart rate monitor that has me at the upper celing of
> my target heart range (which is supposed to be ~142-157 for a 35 y.o.)
> for almost all 40 minutes, which I find incredible, too...I definitely
> look like I'm fit -- Greco-Roman statue and all -- but it all feels
> much easier than I'd expected (though there is surely a psychological
> component involved, and I've learned fairly well to tune out
> unpleasantries like fatigue, etc.), so I'm wondering whether such
> devices are trustworthy...how are such numbers calculated, anyway? On
> this elliptical, the target heart rate seems to come from sensors in
> the handles....
>
The heart rate is likely to be ECG based, and thus quite accurate.
The calorie counter is guessing based on anything you tell the machine when
you get on (age, weight etc).
Skippy
E&OE
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