Wanting to manage weight and count calories are two of the most common reasons people start using wearable devices and health sensors. Excess weight is a major independent risk factor for heart disease. The good news is that losing excess body weight can make a big difference to your sleep quality, reduce muscle and joint pain, and lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Metabolism describes the chemical process that converts the energy you get from food and drink into the molecular fuel your cells need to do their work. How much of the energy contained in different proteins, fats and carbohydrates you convert depends on the physiological needs of your life.
Active Calories vs Resting Calories
You burn calories all the time. Everything you do requires energy – even when you sleep or sit on the sofa watching TV, you are still burning calories. Naturally, your body's energy needs increase significantly during physical activity. Metabolic activity rises with the intensity of your effort. With Firstbeat Analytics, your Garmin device can help you better understand how many calories you burn throughout the day.
An average person may burn fewer than 100 calories watching TV for an hour. If that person used the same hour for a fast run, they could burn nearly 1,000 calories. Experts distinguish between calories spent keeping you alive throughout the day and calories burned during physical activity. This distinction is reflected in the information you see on your Garmin watch or in the Garmin Connect™ app.
When you see the term “active calories”, it means the calories you burned during physical activity. The other term, “resting calories”, refers to the calories you used while inactive. These are the calories spent keeping your body functions running, such as breathing, circulation, maintaining body temperature, nervous system activity and sleep. Resting calories burned are also referred to as your basal metabolic rate.
Tracking Calorie Expenditure
Understanding the calories you consume each day through food and drink can help ensure you eat in a way that supports the needs of your active lifestyle.
