Can You "Earn" or "Burn" Calories?
Let's demystify a very common holiday health & fitness myth, shall we?
This post will be part of a series to support meaningful wellness as we come into the holiday season. The More|Better substack is a weekly dose of fitness, wellness, and wellbeing content here to help you make sense of all the nonsense. Written by personal trainer, wellness coach, and positive psychology practitioner Darlene Marshall.
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You’ve probably seen the posts on your social media feeds:
it takes 100 pushups to burn off a fun size Skittles
it takes 90 minutes of walking to burn off a bacon, egg, & cheese sandwich
it takes 30 minutes of sprinting to burn off a medium mocha
and on… and on… and on…
But the real question: is it true?
(TBH: If you’re reading this you probably already know it’s not.)
Maybe more importantly:
You can’t “earn” or “burn” your calories.
Ok, to be fair: if within 60 minutes of eating something you go hit the gym hard the energy you’ve immediately created would be used in that moment for exertion.
But let’s get real: no one is doing that.
How many people are eating their Thanksgiving dinner and then immediately going for a 10k run? The answer: very few
But that’s also not the messaging most fitness influencers are putting out. Mostly I’m seeing content about:
Aggressive cardio the morning of an indulgent night (“earning”)
Aggressive cardio the next day after an indulgent night (“burning”)
“Tips” on how to be restrictive (we’ll get to that later in this series)
Why doesn’t this work?
And what’s actually going on?
Why can’t you “earn” or “burn” your calories?
To understand why this doesn’t really work that way, think of your metabolism like a gas tank.
Quick reminder: metabolism is the sum total of all the of the energy your body makes and uses in a day. You might remember the mitochondria is the “powerhouse of the cell”.
Nerd out about it here.
My car needs gas to drive around and when I’ve used some gas, I can put more in. Easy-peasy, right?
But what happens when I over-top the gas tank? When it clicks off but I have the compulsion to round the number up so I keep clicking the trigger until it’s even?
(No, I don’t do this anymore. But I used to be young and dumb like everyone else.)
It spills out of the tank!
The only way to fill more and not have it spill out of the tank would be:
to have driven around more
to have a bigger tank
Energy and metabolism in your body work similarly, but it’s a way more complicated “tank”. Hormonal health, metabolic health, stress, and genetics all play a role in how soon you “spill over” ~ and to be clear: you have whatever body fat you have an I am in no way judging that! (I’m really just trying to explain why that kind of content isn’t helpful)
Now, you might be thinking
“but Darlene, if I drive the car around I’m earning more gas!”
Sure. If we’re talking about a few extra hundred calories - like a nice long walk, hike, a quick run, or a fun workout/game before dinner. But in my experience, that’s not what I’m coming across.
The majority of consultations I do I encounter people eating 2/3 or even half of their caloric need while routinely over-exercising. When they “earn” their weekend indulgence it’s by shorting 500 or 600 calories during the week for 4 days, then overeating for 2 or 3 days on the weekend. This “boom and bust” cycle causes the engine to sputter (metabolic damage) during the week and then overflow (caloric excess) a few days a week.
In the 13 years I’ve been doing this, I’ve watched the holiday take that cycle to the extreme.
If this doesn’t work, what does?
It’s a truism that the boring bit of advice is often the right one:
Eat consistent meals throughout the day to keep energy levels even.
Prioritize protein and include a vegetable at every meal. (You need protein to build metabolism)
Get strong to build lean mass (read: muscle, bone, strong connective tissues) which are metabolically active & promote hormonal health.
Move throughout the day (instead of only a workout at the bookends)
Need support making sense of your own wellness? I’m available for long term coaching and consultations are always free.
Here’s the link to my calendar so you can book a call.
Great article with practical info. Spot on advice.