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Watching Those Calories

Calories play a crucial role in any diet, for to lose weight we must burn more calories than we take in when we eat, to lose just one pound in weight you must burn off 3,500 calories more than you take in. Therefore it is simply a matter of cutting down on the calories consumed and exercising a little more each day.

How the body burns calories

Simple basic functions such as sleeping, breathing, digesting food and even just sitting all use energy but these activities alone are not enough to lose weight of course, but any physical activity added to our normal daily routine helps to burn off calories.

As a rough guide the heavier a person is the more calories they burn off, while a person weighing much less would burn fewer calories per hour.

Different activities will burn different amounts of calories during an hour, for example a person weighing about 150 pounds could burn off the following amount of calories based on an hour’s activity:

• Riding a bicycle at roughly 6 mph burns 240 calories, the faster you pedal the more calories you would burn.

• Jogging at a fast pace you would burn 920 calories

• Skipping would help you burn 750 calories.

• Running on the spot would burn 650 calories.

• Swimming 25 yards per minute burns 275 calories.

• Playing a game of tennis helps you burn 400 calories.

• Walking at a steady pace burns 240 calories.

Of course many of us wouldn’t be able to continue some of the activities above for a full hour but even ten or fifteen minutes of any of the above activities will make a start to a healthier and slimmer you.

The activities can also be spread over the course of a day doing perhaps 15 minutes 4 times a day of say walking on the spot will add up to the same as doing a full hour you’re still burning up calories.

Setting goals that will work

When embarking on any exercise plan it is always wise to consult your Doctor beforehand especially if you suffer from any serious medical condition such as diabetes.

It is sensible also to start off slowly and don’t try to overdo things at first, set yourself reasonable goals that will be achievable, many people set unrealistic goals and have high expectations then are disappointed when they find they can’t keep up with the exercise plan or diet.

If you have had very little exercise then don’t expect to jog or run 10 miles a day everyday, instead set yourself the goal of walking steadily for 15 minutes or so then slowly increase it by 5 or 10 minutes everyday.

The same with counting your calories don’t be too harsh and put yourself on an almost starvation diet, eat sensibly and healthily but include your favourite foods, and if you have a sweet tooth then include some in your weekly diet, just don’t overdo it with sweets, biscuits and other foods with a high sugar level.