Table of Contents
Have you ever wondered how many calories you burn in a day? Or how many calories do you need to eat to maintain, lose, or gain weight? If you are interested in health and fitness, you may have heard of terms like active calories and total calories. But what do they mean, and why should you track them?
In this article, we will explain what active and total calories are, how they are calculated, and why they are important for your health and fitness goals. We will also discuss the benefits and challenges of tracking both active and total calories and share some tips on how to do it effectively.
What are active and total calories?
Active calories are the calories you burn from physical activity, such as walking, running, cycling, lifting weights, or playing sports. They are also called exercise calories or activity calories.
Total calories are the calories you burn in a day from all sources, including active calories, resting metabolic rate (RMR), thermic effect of food (TEF), and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). RMR is the energy your body uses to perform basic functions like breathing, pumping blood, or maintaining body temperature. TEF is the energy your body uses to digest, absorb, transport, and store food. NEAT is the energy your body uses for spontaneous movements like fidgeting, standing, or changing posture.
How are active and total calories calculated?
There are different methods to calculate active and total calories. Some of them are:
- Using formulas based on your age, weight, height, gender, activity level, and heart rate. For example, the Harris-Benedict equation estimates your RMR based on these factors. Then you can multiply your RMR by an activity factor to get your total calorie expenditure. To calculate your active calorie expenditure, you can subtract your RMR from your total calorie expenditure.
- Using devices like fitness trackers, smartwatches, heart rate monitors, or chest straps that measure your movement or heart rate during physical activity. These devices use algorithms to estimate your active calorie expenditure based on these data. Some devices also estimate your total calorie expenditure by adding your RMR (which may be based on a formula or measured by other sensors) to your active calorie expenditure.
- Using indirect calorimetry which measures the amount of oxygen you consume and carbon dioxide you produce during physical activity. This method is considered the most accurate way to measure your active calorie expenditure because it reflects how much energy your body uses to fuel muscle contraction. However, this method requires specialized equipment and trained personnel, so it is not widely available or practical for everyday use.
Why are active and total calories important for health and fitness?
Active and total calories are important for health and fitness because they reflect how much energy you consume and expend in a day. Energy balance is the relationship between energy intake (calories from food) and energy expenditure (calories from metabolism and physical activity).
Energy balance affects your body weight, body composition (ratio of fat mass to lean mass), health status (risk of chronic diseases), mood (hormones and neurotransmitters), performance (strength, endurance, and power), recovery (muscle repair and growth), and more.
By tracking both active and total calories, you can better understand how your energy balance affects your health and fitness goals and adjust your energy intake and expenditure accordingly.
For example, if you want to lose weight, you need to create a negative energy balance, which means you burn more calories than you eat. By tracking both active and total calories, you can estimate how much of a calorie deficit you need to create and how much physical activity you need to do to achieve it.
On the other hand, if you want to gain weight, you need to create a positive energy balance, which means you eat more calories than you burn. By tracking both active and total calories, you can estimate how much of a calorie surplus you need to create and how much physical activity you can do without compromising it.
Moreover, if you want to maintain your weight, you need to create a neutral energy balance, which means you eat and burn roughly the same amount of calories. By tracking both active and total calories, you can monitor how your energy balance fluctuates over time and make small adjustments to keep it stable.
Benefits of Tracking Both Active and Total Calories
Tracking both active and total calories has several benefits for your health and fitness. Some of them are:
It helps you balance your energy intake and expenditure
By knowing how many calories you burn in a day from all sources, you can plan how many calories you need to eat to match your energy needs. This way, you can avoid overeating or undereating, which can have negative consequences for your health and fitness.
It helps you monitor your progress and adjust your goals
By knowing how many calories you burn from physical activity, you can measure how much effort you put into your workouts and how much impact they have on your energy balance. This way, you can track how well you are doing toward your health and fitness goals and make changes if needed.
It helps you optimize your nutrition and performance
By knowing how many calories you burn from different types of physical activity, such as aerobic or anaerobic exercise, you can tailor your nutrition to support them. For example, if you do a lot of high-intensity exercise that relies on carbohydrates for fuel, you may need to increase your carbohydrate intake before or after your workouts. This way, you can enhance your performance and recovery.
Challenges of Tracking Both Active and Total Calories
Tracking both active and total calories also has some challenges that may affect its accuracy or usefulness. Some of them are:
It can be inaccurate or inconsistent
The methods used to calculate active and total calories are not perfect. They may have errors or variations depending on various factors such as individual differences (genetics, body composition, fitness level), environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, altitude), or device quality (battery life, calibration, software updates). Therefore, the numbers you get may not reflect the actual amount of calories you burn in a day or from physical activity.
It can be time-consuming or tedious
The methods used to calculate active and total calories may require some effort or resources that you may not have or want to spend. For example, you may need to wear a device, enter data, sync information, or use an app or website to track your calories. This may take some time or be inconvenient for you, especially if you have a busy schedule or prefer to keep things simple.
It can be obsessive or stressful
The methods used to calculate active and total calories may also affect your mindset or behavior in ways that may not be healthy or helpful for you. For example, you may become too focused on the numbers and lose sight of the bigger picture of your health and fitness. You may also feel pressured to meet certain targets or compare yourself to others, which can cause anxiety or frustration.
Tips for Tracking Both Active and Total Calories Effectively
Tracking both active and total calories can be a useful tool for your health and fitness, but it should not be a rule or a burden. Here are some tips on how to track both active and total calories effectively:
Choose a reliable method or device
If you decide to use a formula, device, app, or website to track your calories, make sure it is accurate, consistent, and suitable for your needs and preferences. You can do some research, read reviews, ask for recommendations, or test different options to find the best one for you.
Track consistently but not obsessively
If you decide to track your calories, try to do it regularly and honestly, but not excessively or compulsively. You can set a schedule, routine, or reminder that works for you, but also be flexible and adaptable if things change. You can also take breaks or skip days if you feel like it.
Use tracking as a tool, not a rule
If you decide to track your calories, remember that it is just a way to estimate your energy balance, not a definitive measure of your health and fitness. You can use tracking as a guide, feedback, or motivation, but not as a judgment or obligation. You can also use other indicators of your health and fitness, such as how you feel, how you look, how you perform, or what your doctor says.
Conclusion
Tracking both active and total calories can be a helpful way to understand and manage your energy balance, which affects your health and fitness goals. However, tracking both active and total calories also has some limitations and challenges that may affect its accuracy or usefulness.
Therefore, it is important to choose a reliable method or device, track consistently but not obsessively, and use tracking as a tool, not a rule.
If you are interested in tracking both active and total calories, you can start by following the tips we shared in this article. However, if you have any questions or concerns, you should consult your doctor or a qualified professional before making any changes to your diet or exercise routine. We hope you found this article informative and helpful. Thank you for reading!
