calories burned on elliptical

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2/28/13 3:48 A

Thank you all. Regardless of what I am burning, I do feel good doing it ( well afterwards ) =)

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2/27/13 8:11 A

Hi TIFFANY1968,

The elliptical is a good cross-training activity for running but not it is not a substitute for running, nor will it make running easier since the elliptical uses the muscles in the legs in a whole different manner. But it does build aerobic fitness which is an important step in becoming a runner.

I would be skeptical of number of calories expended (that's roughly equal to a 150 pound runner running over 10 miles). That said in Alex Hutchinson's book, Which Comes First Cardio or Weights? he reports that in a 12 week study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, "comparing an elliptical, treadmill or stair-climbing machine, any calorie-burning differences between these machines aren't significant."

But remember that the benefits to any exercise that we do, goes well beyond calories burned...from the minute you begin exercising your body is going through some amazing changes.

As far as your toes are concerned, this has to do with the foot being in a stationary position for a long time. Shifting your feet from time to time may help and if your elliptical offers a backward motion option you may want to try that from time to time.

I hope this helps!

Coach Nancy

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2/27/13 12:30 A

Sorry, a thousand calories an hour for a low impact machine is not very realistic. Here is my blog where I examine the elliptical and why Spark's calorie burn for it is so vastly over exaggerated:

www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_
individual.asp?blog_id=4290305

Toes falling asleep is due to the constant pressure. While walking or running you lift your foot every step, but on the elliptical it remains under pressure the entire time. Try lifting your feet, alternating lifting heels and toes, and just shaking them out now and then.

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2/27/13 12:03 A

no, my toes feel weird too which is why I usually limit it to 20 mins, then walk around for a while and go for another 20 mins.

As for the calories burned, I honestly don't know how accurate it is. If you can, I would invest in a heart rate monitor. If that is not possible, I would plug it into the spark tracker and see what it says. I would then go to another website like Calories Per Hour and see what I get there. Then I would average the three together.

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2/26/13 11:18 P

I am on the elliptical for one hour almost everyday. I burn it says around 1000 cals. I have added resistance now to my work out. Is it accurate or am I burning more. Eventually I would like to start running and thought the elliptical was a good start. Also my toes fall asleep half way through my work out. Is that weird?

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