By Jonathan Aluzas

We get asked all the time; “How many calories do you think I’m burning when I do a semi-private training session/take a kickboxing class/ride my bike to work/run for 15 minutes?” etc., etc..

The answer is: I don’t know.

Good thing we have MyFitnessPal (www.myfitnesspal.com) to help us out! ?Now, estimating calorie expenditure is an inexact science. ?Nevertheless, you can find calorie estimators all over the internet if you just Google it. ?I prefer MyFitnessPal, however, because it’s a really convenient smart-phone app that a bunch of us at Arena Fitness have been using for the last month. ?And it’s FREE!

With MyFitnessPal you can enter in your weight loss/gain/maintenance goals and it will determine how many calories you need to take in daily to achieve your objective. ?Then, you can enter your food intake and exercise output daily and it will help you stay on track with your goals. ?I know, there are a bunch of apps that do this, but what we’ve found to be unique with MyFitnessPal is that there is a social media component that enables you to view and interact with everyone in your circle of friends. ?This adds a social dynamic in which you can post messages of encouragement in a forum, send private messages back and forth, create discussions, and even spy on other people’s eating habits!

Why is this cool? ?Because it creates accountability. ?It creates an opportunity for us to keep you on track with your goals when you’re not in the gym with us. ?It creates a medium in which we can continue to provide support for you more consistently. ?Why is this good? ?Because you will be more likely to exercise a greater degree of discipline with your eating and exercise all week.

Bottom line: It’s working. ?People who are using it properly and consistently are using weight. ?So, go to MyFitnessPal.com and sign up and then friend us.

Now, as to the calorie question: How many calories am I burning? ?Here are the answers, according to MyFitnessPal.com.

Circuit Training, 45 minutes (similar to semi-private training) = 435 calories

Kickboxing, 45 minutes = 549 calories

Spartan Training Camp, 45 minutes = 500-600 calories (we combined the calorie estimates for running, Spinning, calisthenics and jumping rope)

Hiking (carrying 10lbs), 45 minutes = 386 calories

Swimming laps, 45 minutes = 544 calories

Walking (3.5mph), 45 minutes = 206 calories

These are just a few of many examples. ?Sometimes you have to get a little creative in coming up with a reasonable total, but by doing so you can figure out how many calories you’re burning in Zumba, rock climbing, skiing, bootcamp, personal training, whatever.

The message is this: Try MyFitnessPal, it works.

Arena Fitness is a personal training and group exercise facility in Encino, California.