What Are Calories? How to Burn Calories?

Whenever anybody talks about weight lose, the important word that is often used is “calories” Weight loss and calories are inter-related. If you want to lose weight, you have to reduce your calorie intake and burn more calories, and if you increase calorie intake, you will gain weight. Now what are calories and how to burn calories?

What are calories?
A calorie is a measure of energy. A calorie indicates how much energy it takes to change 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. Whatever you do in a day is it sleeping, walking or exercising, your body needs calories. A minimum amount of calorie is required by human body and this amount is different for different persons. If your body intakes the calorie it requires, or if the excess calories you consumed is burnt, then you don’t gain weight. But if you consume excess calories and it is not burnt, the calories are then stored in your body as fat and you certainly tend to gain extra pounds. So weight is a balance between total calories consumed and total calories burnt.

How are calories burnt?
Calories are converted into energy and used by the body for basic functions like breathing, cell repairing and blood circulation, which are performed by your body even when your body is resting.
You body also uses the energy for digesting, storage of food and absorption of food.
The balance energy is used when you indulge in physical activities like walking, swimming, playing with your children etc.

How to burn calories?

Aerobic exercise
The best way to burn calories is by exercising. Aerobic or cardio exercise helps to burn calories and lose weight. Some of the aerobic exercises are walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, treadmill etc. Do you know that 30 minutes of jogging will reduce 300 calories? To lose 1 pound you have to burn 3500 calories.

Strength training exercise
This exercise increases your muscle mass. This muscle mass increases your metabolism to burn more calories even when you are resting. Some types of strength training exercises are weight lifting, using dumbbells, using exercising ball, water aerobics etc. The more you increase your muscle mass the more calories you burn.

Physical activities
Inculcate physical activities in your daily routine, like climbing the stairs instead of using the elevator, avoid driving and walk up to the nearby store, play football with your children instead of sitting in front of the TV, go for dance class etc. The more there is body movements, the more calories are burnt.

Avoid fatty foods
Eat food that burns fat like proteins and fiber. Carbohydrates contain a lot of fiber. Proteins burn more calories than any other food and prevent muscle loss. Avoid foods that are converted into fats like ice-creams, pastries etc. Include a lot of fruits and vegetables in your diet as they contain fewer calories. Drink water instead of alcohol as alcohol is rich in calories.

Frequency in meals
Instead of eating 3 meals, eat 5-6 meals as more the digestion, more the calories are burnt.

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