I had slices of watermelon, cantaloupe, and banana for breakfast this morning, along with two turkey sausage patties. And coffee, of course.
With an undergraduate degree in Math and Computer Science, I am always wondering what algorithms are used in the exercising machines to calculate how many calories I’m burning, specifically in the treadmills and elliptical machines that I’m using.
Today, I changed the weight I’ve been entering, as I’ve actually lost a few pounds in the two weeks I’ve been going. However, the machine only allows you (at least at the weight I’m at) to enter your weight in increments of five pounds.
So putting in a different weight today made me wonder what effect that would have on the calculation. It seems to me, that in the end, it’s bound to result in less calories being burned with all else being equal.
Then, I started to wonder about the formula again. The machine asks for four inputs: Exercise Program (I chose the “Hill” program.), Weight, Duration, and Level. It seems to me that height should be a required factor as well, in order to accurately correct the calorie-burning rate. Because, wouldn’t you think someone who weighs 200 pounds, but is 5’4″ exercising at a certain rate for a certain amount of time is going to burn off a whole hell of a lot more calories than someone who is 6’4″ tall, weighs the same thing, and exercises at the same rate for the same amount of time? Maybe not. But that’s how it seems to me.
Because of the uncertainty, I try to take these calorie-burning indicators with a grain of salt—using them more as a relative indicator of effort than anything else. And with all that said, I upped my level from 2 to 3, just to make up for the weight decrease, so in the end, all things weren’t equal at all. 🙂
Today’s results—my most intense one-hour workout to date, at least according to the “numbers”:
Type |
Duration |
Burned |
|---|---|---|
|
Elliptical |
60 |
1046 |
I’m as bad as the Evangelicals counting their religious success one saved soul at a time, measuring my fitness 1000 burned calories at a time. Bless my mess.
| I just wanted to try out this “widget.” Yeah, the scrolling one—where? To the left, to the left.
I absolutely love this song—BeyoncĂ©’s original, of course (not sure why the first 21 seconds is silent, but the music starts after that), and the Sugarland (country) version. |
Robert and I had dinner at Red Lobster—my choice, his treat—and before going I checked online to see if there were any coupons we could print.
I ended up joining the Red Lobster Fresh Catch Club, after which you’re offered a Free Appetizer or Dessert coupon, with which we got their:
| Lobster, Artichoke and Seafood Dip
A creamy three-cheese blend with artichokes, spinach, Maine and langostino lobster, and seafood. Served with chips and fresh pico de gallo. |
We both had the Broiled Seafood-Stuffed Flounder, and both took half of it home.
We saw the 7:30 screening of Juno at The Galaxy.
| Movie Synopsis: Sixteen year-old Juno MacGuff is the type of girl that beats to her own drummer, and doesn’t really care what others may think of her. She learns that she’s pregnant from a one-time sexual encounter with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker. Juno and Paulie like each other, but don’t consider themselves to be exclusive boyfriend/girlfriend let alone be ready to be a family complete with child.
Although she would rather not be pregnant, Juno is fairly pragmatic about her situation. Although there, Paulie really leaves all the decisions about the baby to Juno. Initially she decides that she will have an abortion, but that’s something that she ultimately cannot go through with. So she decides to have the baby and give it up for adoption. But first she has to tell her father, Mac, and stepmother, Bren, that she is pregnant. Although they would have preferred if Juno was on hard drugs or expelled from school, Mac and Bren, too, are pragmatic about Juno’s situation. The next step is to find prospective parents for the yet unborn child. In the Pennysaver ad section, Juno finds Mark and Vanessa Loring, a yuppie couple living in the suburbs. Juno likes the Lorings, and in some respects has found who looks to be a kindred spirit in Mark, with whom she shares a love of grunge music and horror films. Vanessa is a little more uptight and is the one in the relationship seemingly most eager to have a baby. On her own choosing, Juno enters into a closed rather than open adoption contract with the Lorings—meaning she will have no contact with the baby after she gives it up. During the second and third trimesters of Juno’s pregnancy which she treats with care but detachment, Juno’s relationships with her family, with Paulie, and with the Lorings develop, the latter whose on the surface perfect life masks some hidden problems. |
What a delightful little movie. I love quirky people. Most of the times. Mostly.
Back home, we worked on an Indy crossword puzzles before drifting off to sleep.