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/
house refresh service Lincolnshire ..One of the most important things you can do for... Read More
Weight loss information is often confusing and misleading. The more... Read More
Body Mass Index (bmi) A Misleading measure of ObesityMany professionals... Read More
Do you remember nodding your head with understanding during your... Read More
Eighteen or twenty years ago, I was into high protein,... Read More
As if you needed another reason to hit the snooze... Read More
The 8-Week Campaign to Survive the HolidaysEating preparations in the... Read More
My name is Greg Ryan and I am a high... Read More
What is a calorie? The definition of a calorie is... Read More
"Life would be perfect if only I was thin." That... Read More
You won't believe what happened to me today!I was getting... Read More
We are inundated by exhortations to lose weight - from... Read More
Oh, no . . . You suddenly realize that you... Read More
1. Increase your fiber intake. The body needs a lot... Read More
There is only one way to lose weightThere really is... Read More
Remember there's more to you than meets the eye. You've... Read More
The people of earlier times depended on the rich resource... Read More
When on a diet, snack attacks can hit hard and... Read More
In recent years, carbohydrates have been labeled as the nutrition... Read More
America is in a health care crisis. More than 60... Read More
Nitrates and nitrites are preservatives that are added to certain... Read More
Discover secrets to overcome food addictions by releasing negative thoughts... Read More
Are you one of the 90 million Americans who are... Read More
One of the worst things you can hear in life... Read More
A metabolism drug like ephedrine, has shown many people how... Read More
licensed cleaning services Lake Forest ..I personal lost 60 pounds in 2003. Here are some... Read More
Diners have become more health-conscious the last few years, and... Read More
You have decided that you want to lose weight and... Read More
Millions of people spend billions of dollars, hoping to achieve... Read More
Have you ever thought, "I just can not seem to... Read More
This is a layman marketer's observations on diets and weight... Read More
If you have ever been snow skiing you know that... Read More
With all of the conflicting studies and fuzzy interpretation of... Read More
The South Beach Diet works, for most people. Its low... Read More
In my fitness consulting business, I get the opportunity to... Read More
How many calories do you need? Well, that depends on... Read More
Recently, I won a family cruise on the Regis and... Read More
It's definitely no fun to lose weight -- put it... Read More
The confusion about eating healthy and dieting will now be... Read More
What does it take to lose weight?When it comes to... Read More
It's the American Dream: "If I could just lose a... Read More
Some Say I'm Strange. I Prefer to Think of Myself... Read More
You're always hungry right? The last thing you have time... Read More
Every weight loss surgery patient I've met said they at... Read More
A healthy pregnancy almost always involves weight gain. But now... Read More
A 'diet' is always seen as a temporary measure. An... Read More
All of the things we tell sick people so that... Read More
Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) is often viewed as a quick... Read More
Low self-esteem produces a game of control. It causes a... Read More
Learning the jargon is part of the weight loss journey.... Read More
Weight Loss |