Get Up and Move Challenge Day 7

It is officially Day 7 of the Get Up and Move Challenge, one whole week in! How is everyone doing?

Adam and I spent the week doing some yoga, going on a few runs, and playing in a soccer game. We even did a 10 minute "Bootylicious Buns" video from Exercise On Demand yesterday (when we realized we had to leave for dinner soon and hadn't worked out yet), and I pretty much couldn't stop laughing the whole way through. Yet as ridiculous as it was, I have to admit my hips are a little sore today. Guess I shouldn't have laughed so much and thought it was completely ridiculous.

So besides learning that my hips are not as "in shape" as they should be, what else have we learned this week?

So far we've learned:
*different exercises to try for 10 minutes {Day 1}
*10 minutes is the shortest amount of time you can break your workout into and still obtain health-benefits (with total workout time being at least 30 minutes) {Day 2}
*how to calculate our Body Mass Index and waist circumference, and what those numbers tell us {Day 3}
*that those who are fit have a lower health risk than those who are unfit, regardless of weight {Day 4}
*what "fat burning" and "cardio" zones really are, and that working out in the "fat burning" zone doesn't necessarily mean you burn more fat {Day 5}
*that sport drinks and smoothies aren't necessary when undertaking moderate-intensity exercise for under an hour {Day 6}

So what about today?

Get Up and Move Challenge Day 7: How do I know how many calories I burn while exercising, and how do I track how many calories I am eating?

Finding out the exact numbers of calories burned during exercise or eaten during the day can be a rather daunting and tedious task. However, there are certain sites available (for free!) that make keeping track of your daily exercise and food intake much easier. Workout equipment such a treadmills, ellipticals, and bicycles will give you a number of "calories burned", but as they are only based off your weight (maybe), and not your gender, height, and other factors, these numbers can be way off. Online sites are able to use more precise measures based on these factors, giving you a better prediction. (Note that I did say prediction which is honestly as good as we can get outside of a lab setting.)


Some sites I have come across that allow you to track your food and activity levels include:
The Daily Plate
Spark People
Fit Day
Calorie King

Each of these allow you to keep online food and activity journals as well as provide community support through things such as forums, challenges for members, and healthy living articles.

Another site I use quite a bit to keep track of my exercising (no food journaling) is at Map My Run (which also has sister sites such as Map My Ride, Map My Walk, and Map My Fitness).

This is not to say that you have to use these. However, keeping track of how much energy you are expending versus how much energy you are consuming can go a long way to help you reach your health goals.

What are some of your favorite sites or methods you use to keep track of your daily energy balance?