4 Things You Must Know About Your Metabolism

Your metabolism is the sum of all the things your body does daily that use energy—from digestion to exercise. If walking is your go-to workout, you'll like this news: You're probably burning more calories than you think. Recent research from Southern Methodist University found that equations that are commonly used to estimate how many calories you burn when you walk (often used by fitness trackers) give low estimates in about 97 percent of cases. "For a 130-pound woman walking at just under three miles per hour, the old equations predict 68 calories per mile," says lead study author Lindsay Ludlow, PhD, an exercise physiologist and researcher in the Southern Methodist University Locomotor Performance Lab, in Dallas. "The more accurate equation we came up with predicts she'll burn 81 calories per mile. And if she's power walking, we estimate she'll burn about 20 percent more than the old equations would say."
The Takeaway: This is more motivation to lace up your sneakers and log some miles.