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/
eco-friendly cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..Water is an essential component of the human body and... Read More
Because the Internet allows so many millions of people to... Read More
You may have read the old stories about how much... Read More
The difference between weight loss, and steady or weight gain,... Read More
I was shocked. I started to cry...After the holidays, I... Read More
ATTITUDESIT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!Exercising has so many physical benefits that... Read More
If you are into herbs and natural cures, you've undoubtedly... Read More
Be Prepared. For the Boy Scouts it means you are... Read More
If you are overweight and searching for the diet program... Read More
Not losing weight but gaining it is why we are... Read More
If I Want to Lose Weight, What Can I Do... Read More
Acupuncture for weight loss is a modern application of this... Read More
--ONE--Learn how to reduce the fat, sugar and salt content... Read More
Q: I've heard you mention that you don't need tons... Read More
A 'diet' is always seen as a temporary measure. An... Read More
Want to shed that beer belly? Why not try the... Read More
Many people have asked me what foods they should eat... Read More
Today obesity, diabetes, and heart disease run through us at... Read More
The South Beach Diet works, for most people. Its low... Read More
The 8-Week Campaign to Survive the HolidaysEating preparations in the... Read More
1. The lower the calories eaten per day, the harder... Read More
Thankfully, winter does not last forever! In the spring there... Read More
This year, we all made some of the typical New... Read More
How would you like Julia Roberts to coach you on... Read More
Axiom Number One - Nourish your body.Probably the most important... Read More
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..Foods that are high in fiber and protein are the... Read More
Have you been on a new diet for a couple... Read More
Almost everyone has attempted to follow diets and weight loss... Read More
The only way you will ever follow through on an... Read More
A pound of fat represents approximately 3500 calories of stored... Read More
What is the relationship between intake of nutrition and metabolism... Read More
In a culture of blame-shifting we often look for someone... Read More
Today you have a good chance of getting diabetes or... Read More
There are lots of dieters, trying every sort of plan... Read More
If you have been trying to lose weight permanently, then... Read More
Losing weight is a tough and demanding task for most... Read More
That's a pretty "in your face" statement, but really it's... Read More
Dear BMTers,Low carb this and low carb that?that's all you... Read More
Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More
There are numerous ways to make a bad weight loss... Read More
April 14, 2005 federal judge Tena Campbell of the federal... Read More
In the battle to look good, there's a cosmetic treatment... Read More
There are many diets, all of which boil down to... Read More
With all of the conflicting studies and fuzzy interpretation of... Read More
When losing weight, most of us don't have the time... Read More
Diners have become more health-conscious the last few years, and... Read More
The difference between weight loss, and steady or weight gain,... Read More
A bad day or even a bad week is not... Read More
Compulsive eating is characterized mainly by periods of impulsive bingeing... Read More
Gastric-bypass surgery is only the first step many morbidly obese... Read More
Weight Loss |