Part II

Part II of the I can't get enough of my app series...lol!  MyFitnessPal has you enter your exercise for the day (if you did any) AND the amount of time you spent doing it.  No.  You don't have to log 0 minutes of jumping rope!!  The app then tells you how many calories you burned doing that exercise.  It takes into account your age, gender, weight etc.  Why?  Because everyone is different.

My husband and I went on a 30 minute bicycle ride...he burned 350 calories.  I burned 265 calories.  FOR THE SAME BIKE RIDE!  Yes, I know he weighs more and has more muscle mass and he has to work a little bit harder to peddle that additional 50lbs around...but come on...almost 100 more calories worth?!!  UUUUGH!  Men, you don't know how lucky you are.  By the same token, I'm 5'6" and burn more than my friend who is 5'1" and weighs barely a buck 10.  I guess we all have our crosses to bear.

So not only do we all burn at a different rate, we don't burn as much as we think.  Or at least as much as I think we should!  Walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes burns 166 calories for me.  Jogging 12 minute miles for 30 minutes burns 265 calories.  It really isn't all that much.  Don't get me wrong.  We should still do it.  Cardiovascular health, muscle tone, stress relief, bone density are just a few of the reasons we should exercise.  Just don't use it as a license to eat what you want.  That will certainly backfire!

The key is to exercise AND eat right.  Don't we hear that all the time?  lol.  It sounds so easy.  But if it were easy we'd all be doing it...super fit and trim.  For all of us normal folks trying our best, each day is a new day to eat right and exercise.  And tomorrow, and the day after that too.