If you’re an avid walker — and perhaps even invested in an activity tracker to monitor your number of steps and calories burned — there’s some exciting news for you. You may actually be burning even more calories than you think! Fitness researchers have recently developed an improved equation to determine the energy expenditure during walking more accurately.
Previously, the leading standard equations for estimating calories burned during walking mainly focused on firm, level ground conditions. However, a new study at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas found these equations to be relatively inaccurate and significantly biased. In fact, the researchers discovered that the old equations were underestimating the number of calories burned in 97 percent of the study sample cases. The newly devised standard equation is markedly more accurate, with estimations being four times more precise for both children and adult walkers and two to three times better for adult calculations.
Lindsay Ludlow, a researcher in SMU’s Locomotor Laboratory of biomechanics expert Peter Weyand, explained that their new equation applies irrespective of the height, weight, and walking speed of an individual while ensuring greater accuracy. Weyand further elaborated on the benefits of the new equation: “The economy of level walking is a lot like shipping packages — there is an economy of scale. Big people get better gas mileage when fuel economy is expressed on a per-pound basis.”
The SMU research team’s equation predicts calories burned while walking on a firm, level surface. The team’s ongoing studies are focusing on expanding the algorithm to determine calories burned during uphill and downhill walking, as well as while carrying loads.
The original standardized equations, named “ACSM” and “Pandolf,” were developed about 40 years ago for the American College of Sports Medicine and for military use. These old equations greatly underestimated calories burned during walking as they didn’t adequately account for the influence of an individual’s body size. Bigger people burn fewer calories on a per-pound basis of their body weight for walking at a predetermined speed or covering a fixed distance. Meanwhile, SMU’s new equation better incorporates variations in body size. The researchers have drawn from a larger database for equation formulation and specifically considered the impact of a person’s height on their gait mechanics.
Currently, most activity trackers use the old standardized equations to estimate calories burned, while some devices employ entirely different methods for making such calculations. As a result, they might not give you the most accurate representation of your daily energy expenditure. It is hoped that these health trackers will soon be updated with the new, more precise equations.
Until then, you can enjoy the fact that you’re likely doing much better on your daily walks than your activity tracker is giving you credit for! So keep taking those refreshing strolls and know that you’re reaping even more health benefits while burning extra calories in the process.
