For example, going for a run in Georgia in mid-August when it's 95 degrees and 90 percent humidity will drive up your heart rate in no time. This makes it applicable to a wide audience, but also limits its accuracy, especially when training at higher intensities.Ī host of factors such as stress, excitement, temperature, and hydration status can affect heart rate and energy expenditure during activity.
5 Most monitors employ a generalized heart-rate equation to estimate energy expenditure. Heart-rate monitors are a favorite among athletes, especially endurance athletes, as a means to monitor their intensity levels and track their recovery during workouts.Īdditionally, it's been shown that when performing at higher intensities-think interval training-the accuracy of the heart-rate measurement decreases. In a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers found that the Polar heart rate monitor was able to accurately estimate energy expenditure during running, rowing, and cycling for males, yet overestimated energy expenditure as much as 12 percent for females. Despite their popularity, relatively little research has been done to assess their ability to accurately estimate energy expenditure. Heart-rate monitors are a favorite among athletes, especially endurance athletes, as a means to monitor their intensity levels and track their recovery during workouts. Follow Your Heart When It Comes To Fitness Not to mention these monitors can run upwards of $300, depending on the model. This is especially true for anyone with extreme body-composition goals, such as trying to be stage-ready.
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So while the Fitbit may be useful as a rough guide during specific activities, particularly walking or running, I wouldn't trust its ability to accurately track energy expenditure over a full day. This obviously makes weight management and planning dietary intake for specific goals difficult. While 25 calories may not seem like that large of a difference, extend this out to an hour, and you're looking at 250-calorie underestimation for cycling or stair stepping. Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center found that the Fitbit, worn either on the hip or wrist, tracked energy expenditure within 3-4 calories, compared to laboratory-based standards. The greatest underestimations? Cycling and stair stepping. The smallest differences were seen in raking and treadmill running. The researchers found the Fitbit to either underestimate or overestimated energy expenditure by 1-25 calories. A study published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health compared the Fitbit to a lab-based method for estimation of energy expenditure for various activities during six-minute periods for each. The mode of exercise can play a huge role in accuracy of these monitors. 1Ī closer look at the different models shows that the Fitbit, one of the more popular monitors on the market, seems to be pretty accurate when it comes to measuring energy expenditure. Heart-rate monitors, on the other hand, use equations based on age, height, gender, physical-activity level, and resting heart rate to estimate the number of calories you burn.Īccording to University of Nebraska researchers who examined various fitness monitors (Jawbone, Fitbit, Nike Fuel Band, and Actigraph), accelerometer-based monitors can overestimate or underestimate energy expenditure by 10-15 percent, depending on the monitor.
Accelerometer-based monitors, such as the Fitbit, use predictive equations using your body's acceleration in different directions to estimate energy expenditure.
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