We have all heard of those new diets, Atkins, low carb, high protein etc. Some of us have tried them with good results. There's no doubt about that they work.
They all have one thing in common though - they give us the impression that we no longer have to think about, or bother about, calories.
Nothing could be more far from the truth, unfortunatly. Calories still do count! What these new diets basically do is that they make you feel more satisfied on fewer calories. There are no mystical ingredients or unknown secrets that can change the law of energy balance. In other words, nothing will ever change the fact that if your metabolic system doesn't consume more energy than you take in, you will gain weight. If your metabolic system consumes more energy than you take in, you will lose weight. Period. The universe is made that way.
What are calories then? Are they some small evil molecules hiding in the food, just waiting to invade your body and make your life a fatty hell? No, of coarse they're not.
A calorie is just a word that defines a certain amount of energy, nothing else.
One calorie is the energy it takes to heat one gram of water one degree celcius. Mostly on food packages, the amount of calories are presented as kcal, which means kilo calories i.e. 1000 calories. So, one kcal is the energy it takes to heat one kilo, or one liter, of water one degree celcius. When a fitness chart or table says you burn for example 250 calories per half hour when jogging, it means 250 kilocalories.
Since calories are energy units, they apply to all kinds of energy, not only food. For example lighting a 60W lightbulb obviously takes some energy. The energy it takes to light it for 1,5 hour equals the calories you'll get when eating 1 piece of cheesecake! If you could fill your car up with BigMacs, you could travel almost 0.5 mile on one BigMac!
Does this knowledge make us any happier? Perhaps not but it can give us an idea on how different excercises will burn calories. Calories are consumed by performing work, in physical meaning. The amount of calories consumed equals power multiplied with distance, power x distance.
What does it mean? It means that the higher the power applied to an exercise and the longer the distance this power is in effect, the more calories are burned.
You can easily see that this explains why low intensity training like walking can be very effective, provided the distance is of significant length. You can also see that if you apply more power i.e. higher intensity, you will burn more calories compared to walking slowly the same distance.
Many people avoid to start excercising because last time they made an attempt they started at a high intensity level. The result is horrorful memories of short-of- breath, nearly- fainting, close- to- death feelings. The assumption that high intensity is the only way to burn calories is probably the reason most of us never develop a habit of regular exercise.
Next time you decide to improve your fitness level, remember the formula power x distance. Start by walking in a pleasant pace in let say half an hour three times a week. Increase the time (distance) by a quarter of an hour for the next three weeks.
After four weeks you will feel better, look better and healthier and you will also discover that you have automatically increased your walking speed. Without even notice. What does that mean? It means that you have automatically increased the power factor in the formula wich in turn means more calories burned!
The next step in your training program is your own choise. You can either increase distance or pump up your walking speed. If you have the time, why not both?
More fitness tips articles at: http://www.3crow.com/truefitnesstips/
affordable house cleaning Wilmette ..Who'd have thought healthy eating could be so controversial? Lunching... Read More
Fat has had a lot of bad press and for... Read More
If you are overweight and searching for the diet program... Read More
If winter hibernation tends to pack on the pounds, take... Read More
Did you know that less than 2% of dieters lose... Read More
The gastric bypass procedure isn't for everyone, but those who've... Read More
Calorie burn can be really enhanced if you follow a... Read More
In our quest to get that "perfect" body, we actually... Read More
Eating the right foods and exercising regularly have been the... Read More
Fat is fuel. That is basically what it is. A... Read More
Have You Given Up on Weight Loss? by Greg Landry,... Read More
These days, Jennifer Secrist has little interest in idle activities.... Read More
This is a very important topic that needs to be... Read More
The humble soybean boasts some extraordinary benefits. This nutritional powerhouse... Read More
It's a sad comment on human nature that prejudice and... Read More
Nice girls don't speak up. Nice girls take care of... Read More
Water is useful when we are trying for losing weight.... Read More
Nowadays, so much of the public is obese (fat) that... Read More
In the early nineties I had the opportunity to work... Read More
Do you compete in sports for weight loss or fat... Read More
Well, to begin with, there isn't really any one Mediterranean... Read More
Well, look at you go! You keep moving closer and... Read More
Diets, diets, diets... every where you go, anything you read... Read More
Going away for your holidays will also bring with it... Read More
Weight loss from exercise can be achieved by walking, running,... Read More
quick home cleaning Northbrook ..The loss of fat comes from fat cells all over... Read More
An Interview with Success Story, Caitlin JohnsonIf you don't know... Read More
This past Christmas Season, as most of us stuffed our... Read More
I want to talk about the "all or nothing" outlook... Read More
Sometimes, just the thought of starting on a diet and... Read More
Axiom Number Two: Hunger ControlTrying to lose weight without understanding... Read More
If you're always on a diet you probably spend half... Read More
My responsibility as a high profile fitness expert lies not... Read More
When you have started a diet in the past, how... Read More
Yesterday evening my computer hard drive crashed. Resulting in the... Read More
Millions of people spend billions of dollars, hoping to achieve... Read More
What is a calorie? The definition of a calorie is... Read More
I am considering Gastric bypass surgery because I am overweight,... Read More
I learned about gaining weight when I heard the question... Read More
Lousy Reasons to Lose Weight"I want to be a size... Read More
When considering that pathological eating disorders and their related diseases... Read More
Repeat a lie often enough and people take it as... Read More
Do you know that while you work out the muscles... Read More
The act of taking the first step is what separates... Read More
Adherence to diet for one year, not the specific diet... Read More
Food Cravings: How to Practice PatienceDuring holidays and parties you... Read More
If you're thinking of going on a diet to lose... Read More
Do you know the name of that one disease which... Read More
Yoga is wonderful for nurturing a state of mental and... Read More
Of all the possible exercises there are to help you... Read More
Weight Loss |