To help you determine how many calories you use during various activities, scientists recommend a common measure called a MET, the amount of energy you use when you sleep. It comes out to about one kilo-calorie per kilogram of body weight, or one half a calorie per pound. For example, a 130-pound person burns 60 calories per hour during sleep. A 155-pounder uses 70 calories per hour.
When you ride a bicycle at 12 miles per hour, you are exercising at about ten METS or 10 times the amount of energy that you use during sleep. That's the same as running a 10-minute mile, playing racquetball competitively, jumping rope at a moderate pace or playing in a soccer game. To show you how much you increase your metabolism during exercise, consider that 10 METS are equal to five times as much energy as you use when you wash dishes, shop, cook, iron or walk at a leisurely pace.
Wow - this is very scientific and therefore, I'm confused. Are you saying that any activity has the same metabolic benefit in terms of burning calories? Wouldn't running a ten minute mile put out more energy that cycling a 12 minute mile?
I wear a Polar F11 Heart rate montior that tell me how many calories I burn. I have noticed that if I set a cardio machine to at least 10 lbs lighter than what I actually weight, the amount of calories burned durning the workout almost match the calories that my heart rate monitor states I burned. I was also told that all cardio machines are based on a 150 lb person.
The Gowear will give you a great estimate of the calories burned during the day and it uses different measurements to get a more accurate number. http://weight-loss-diet-fitness-tips.com/calculate-calories-burned-weight-loss-software.html
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When you ride a bicycle at 12 miles per hour, you are exercising at about ten METS or 10 times the amount of energy that you use during sleep. That's the same as running a 10-minute mile, playing racquetball competitively, jumping rope at a moderate pace or playing in a soccer game. To show you how much you increase your metabolism during exercise, consider that 10 METS are equal to five times as much energy as you use when you wash dishes, shop, cook, iron or walk at a leisurely pace.