5 Ways to Burn Maximum Calories While Playing Pokémon GO

“Losing weight comes down to expending more calories than you take in,” says personal trainer Albert Matheny, C.S.C.S, R.D. co-owner of SoHo Strength Lab and Promix Nutrition.  “If you’re moving around more, you’re using your muscles and burning calories, adding to the calories out total.”

Read on for ways to catch all the calorie-burning power while you Pokémon GO.

Keep Walking
If you’ve added Pokémon GO to your daily routine, you’re probably already walking more and, therefore, burning more calories. The average person will expend about 100 calories per mile walked. If you burn an additional 500 calories (or walk roughly five miles) every day, you can expect to lose about a pound per week,” says Matheny.

Pokémon! Komm schnapp sie dir! Auch bei Uns im Studio wimmelt es von Ihnen… Come and catch them all! Auch beim kostenlosem Probetraining kannst du sie finden! Vereinbare jetzt einen Termin online, telefonisch oder persönlich!  #getup #cleverfitburghausen #cleverfit #burghausen #pokemon #go #pokemongo #catchthemall

A photo posted by Cleverfit Burghausen (@cleverfit_burghausen) on Jul 14, 2016 at 6:37am PDT

Up Your Speed
If you want to score more Pokémon and calories burned for your time, Matheny says you’ve got to move faster. “Since you cover more ground in less time when you walk briskly, jog, or run, you’ll burn more calories in the same amount of time,” he says.

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Take The High Road
Once you get your speed up, look for an incline. Working your way up a hill burns more cals because you’re also traveling vertically while moving forward, says Matheny. And to work your way uphill, you have to produce more force, which fires up more muscle fibers, he says. That also leads to more torched cals.

Caught a Pidgie #pokemon #gottacatchthemall

A photo posted by Amber Bradbury (@bambiofthefens) on Jul 14, 2016 at 3:45am PDT

Incorporate Weights
Now it’s time to work in resistance. “ Holding extra weight while you walk engages your upper body and core muscles more than you would walking without them,” says Matheny. Again, more muscles activated means more calories burned.

RELATED: Can Reaching 10,000 Steps a Day Help You Lose Weight?

Besides all that calorie burning business, strength training builds lean muscle. And that muscle tissue requires more energy to sustain. All of this leads to you burning more energy at rest, he says. Matheny doesn’t recommend walking with the weights in hand (you need those for the game itself!), so try using ankle weights or a weighted vest.

Definitely a health code violation #pokemongo #raticate #pokemon

A photo posted by Roni (@roniirv) on Jul 14, 2016 at 6:38am PDT

Player Beware
While clocking miles to catch ’em all can get you closer to your weight-loss goals, nutrition plays an even bigger role in weight loss. “You can exercise as much as you want, but if you eat more calories than you burn, you won’t lose weight,” says Matheny.

So pair your new Pokemon GO habit with a healthier eating plan, and you’ll actually be on your way to a fitter bod.