PTI Tucson Blog

You know that weight management is all about calories in and calories out, so you set the treadmill for a 300 calorie workout so you can have that 300 calorie treat – Be careful! You are probably taking in more calories than you are burning. Cardio equipment is notorious for overestimating your calorie burn. In a study, the American Council on Exercise found that some machines can be off by as much as 25%. Machines that require you to punch in your weight, height, age and gender tend to give a better estimate, but it is still an estimate.

If you are calorie counting and balancing your equation, invest in a heart rate monitor, the kind that straps around your chest. My personal recommendation for a brand would be Polar as they are the industry standard and the telemetry on most machines is set to pick up the Polar transmitter. I would also make sure that you get a monitor with a fitness test so that it is set to your body instead of just the generic tables. The Polar FT40 and FT60 are the two I recommend the most.

Great Pre-workout Snack!

So you make time for the gym but in an effort to save calories you skip the pre-workout snack…

This is actually hurts your overall calorie burn! Fewer calories in can mean fewer calories burned – not what you are looking for!

A pre-workout snack is fueling your body. Although you exercise to burn calories, to workout effectively and maximize your calories burn you need some fuel in the tank! Shoot for 100 to 200 calories. That will be enough to give you the extra energy to exercise without filling your stomach and taking energy for digestion. Best time to eat is about 30 minutes prior to exercising. This is especially important if you are working out first thing in the morning. The best pre-workout snacks include a mix or carbs and protein. A banana and a handful of nuts or a slice of whole grain bread with peanut butter.

Congratulations to Doug, a new client at PTI Tucson! Burned 690 Calories durning his first 30 minute PTI workout. Way to go!!