Resources

Why the Gym Isn't the Best Place for Burning Calories

Written by: Kyle Riley, BSc (hons) Ex Sci
Therapy Co-Founder

Introduction

Think the Gym Is the Best Place for Burning Calories? Think Again!

It’s easy to get fixated on the numbers when working out, and it’s no wonder why. The fitness industry has long been obsessed with calorie burning and weight loss through exercise. But what if I told you that this focus on calorie burn has been one of the most over-sold promises made by gyms and personal trainers?

Imagine a new medication is released that has a profound impact on mental health, drastically improving anxiety and depression with zero side effects. Instead of using it for its most significant benefit, doctors and pharmaceutical companies choose to market it for a minor condition where its impact is less noticeable.

Now, imagine that medication is exercise, and the minor condition is weight loss and calorie burn. For decades, gyms and personal trainers have promoted exercise primarily for its calorie-burning potential, often overlooking its far more substantial benefits.

Don’t get me wrong—exercise does play a role in supporting body composition and aiding calorie burn. But it’s not as miraculous as it’s often portrayed. Let’s dive into the real benefits of exercise and why focusing solely on calories might be missing the bigger picture.

And if you want to join a community who focuses on moving your body for the right reasons, come try a class at the Therapy Fitness studio in Mermaid Waters!

Understanding TDEE: The Bigger Picture

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) represents the total amount of calories you burn in a day, including everything from basic bodily functions to physical activity. It’s composed of several components:

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The calories your body needs to maintain basic physiological functions like breathing, circulation, and cell production.
Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The calories burned during the digestion and processing of food.
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): The calories burned through daily activities like walking, typing, and fidgeting.
Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT): The calories burned during planned physical activities, including your workouts.

What does this mean?

The majority of calories burned in a day come from maintaining normal bodily functions, incidental movements, and the energy used to digest food. While exercise contributes to EAT, it represents only a small fraction of your TDEE—around 5-10%.

Focusing only on the calories burned during exercise can provide an incomplete view of your overall energy expenditure. It may lead to unrealistic expectations about weight loss or fitness progress. For instance, thinking you can “burn off” the calories from a glass of wine by running for 20 minutes oversimplifies overall energy balance.

This approach can also foster an unhealthy relationship with exercise, where physical activity is seen merely as a means to offset dietary indulgences. Instead of using exercise to “burn off” specific foods, it’s crucial to consider your overall energy balance and embrace a more balanced, sustainable approach to health and fitness.

The Limitations of Wearables

It is also important to understand the benefits and drawbacks to tracking calories on your smart watch or wearable device.

Firstly, research has shown that wearable devices will often overestimate calorie burn in a workout from anything between 28-93% depending on the device (this is one of the many reasons we do not use screens or share calorie scores at Therapy). As a result, it is extremely important that those who consciously track their energy balance throughout the day, do not use the ‘calories burned’ metric as a part of their overall ‘calories out’ equation, as this may leave you overestimating how many calories you truly burned in a day.

Secondly, 300 calories burned in a workout (even if accurate) does not mean that you will burn an extra 300 calories on top of your total calories burned for that day.

As mentioned above, research shows that your BMR and NEAT actually REDUCE after exercise to compensate for the energy used. It can reduce your energy usage by up to 28% and up to 50% in Obese individuals. Meaning the 300 calories burned in a workout, may actually only equate to 150 calories additionally burned overall in the day.

Example:

You burn 2000 calories per day without exercise (BMR, TEF, NEAT)

You exercise (EAT) and burn 300 calories

It IS NOT 2300 calories burned, but more like 2150 (if working off the 50% for ease of maths!).

And this is not factoring in the fact that exercise increases hunger levels (which may also make a person eat more, further reducing the overall difference).

IMPORTANT

This is not me saying that exercise is pointless for weight loss and shouldn’t be used to support the process, after all, an additional 150 calories is still an additional to the overall energy burned. But it is important to understand exercises true role in calories burned so that we can change our expectations with regards to exercise and overall weight loss.

What to do Instead?

So why WOULD we exercise:

Exercise is a keystone habit. When we exercise we automatically feel like eating better and drinking more water, it also helps us to sleep better etc. The act of exercising provides other benefits and naturally increases our want to make better choices in other areas of our life!
Exercise for enjoyment. Exercising consistently will provide smaller, but meaningful contributions to overall energy balance in the long run. Find something you can stick to long term to reap the benefits, rather than using it as a short term punishment for what you did on the weekend.
Exercise to build strength. Increasing muscle mass can contribute to an increased metabolic rate long term and further support any body composition goals, plus increased muscle is an important marker of longevity, particularly as we age.
Exercise for mental health. Exercise has an immediate impact on your wellbeing, confidence, level of stress, anxiety and depression and even conditions such as dementia. Movement should be for more than just aesthetics.
Exercise for Cardiovascular health. Heart disease is one of the biggest killers and an increased VO2 max (or cardiovascular fitness) is another important marker for longevity.
Find opportunities to move. Whether it be taking the stairs, parking further away from the shopping centre, incidental activity throughout the day will have a greater impact on your overall energy balance over time than the few workouts you do, particularly if you live a sedentary lifestyle or work in a sedentary job.

Embracing Exercise as the Miracle Drug it was Meant to be

Exercise is often touted as a miracle drug, but its true power lies not in simply burning calories, but in its multifaceted benefits that extend far beyond the scale. Just as a groundbreaking medication would be wasted if used for minor symptoms rather than its full potential, focusing solely on calorie burn misses the incredible range of advantages that exercise can offer.

When used correctly, exercise is a potent tool for improving mental health, enhancing cardiovascular fitness, building strength, and increasing overall well-being. It supports your body’s natural functions and contributes to a healthier, more balanced life. Rather than viewing exercise as merely a means to offset indulgences, embrace it for its comprehensive benefits and as a cornerstone of a holistic approach to fitness.

By shifting your focus from calorie burn to the broader, positive impacts of exercise, you not only create a more sustainable and enjoyable fitness routine but also unlock the true potential of this remarkable “miracle drug.” Celebrate the multifaceted ways exercise can enhance your life and integrate it into your routine in a way that enriches both your body and mind.

References

Wearables and EE: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35060915/
Metabolic adaptations to exercise: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdfExtended/S0960-9822(21)01120-9

Further Support

If you would like support in working on your long term habits and becoming the best version of yourself, why not try a class at Therapy Fitness, Mermaid Waters, rebuild your relationship with exercise and move for the right reasons.