Many food labels will state the number of calories but REMEMBER that the manufacturer’s idea of “one portion” may not be the same as yours that you serve yourself. The energy that we put into our bodies to sustain a stable weight, must be the same as the energy that we use by normal bodily functions and physical activity, we store the excess as body fat.
We are a nation obsessed with the term calorie. It is a commonly used term that is dangled under our noses yet do we know what one is?
I want to try and take the mystery out of the art of calorie counting. A calorie is a unit of heat energy that can be defined in two ways:
The small calorie (cal): The energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 degrees (approximately 4.2 joules)
The large calorie (Cal) : The food calorie is defined by scaling up to measure the amount of energy needed for a kilogram. It is equal to 1000 small calories or 1 kilocalorie (kcal)
Many food labels will state the number of calories but REMEMBER that the manufacturer’s idea of “one portion” may not be the same as yours that you serve yourself. The energy that we put into our bodies to sustain a stable weight, must be the same as the energy that we use by normal bodily functions and physical activity, we store the excess as body fat.
The average intake that a man needs is around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day, whereas for a woman, it is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight.
Calories that are worked off are ascertained on various physical activity depending on a range of factors. Gaining weight is all about what you’re consuming, you need to use more energy than what you devour.
13 Surprising Ways to drop Calories
(This list is based on a 150-pound (10 stone) person. A heavier person will burn more calories depending on the level of enthusiasm.)
Supermarket sweep
Wheeling a cart around the supermarket aisles for 1 hour will burn 243 calories. Bag up your own provisions, take them out to the car yourself or even better you could walk home if you live nearby.
Another one fights the Dust!
Do your tables, shelves, and ornaments look a bit dusty. Burn 80 calories by wiping around the surfaces in your home for 30 minutes.
Ironing out the folds
Just be careful that you don’t burn a hole in your favourite shirt instead burn 76.5 calories with 30 minutes of ironing.
Hanging out your laundry
You can now look forward to laundry day, 30 minutes of folding clothes, towels and bedding will burn 72 calories.
Pucker up
It may be a bit unorthodox, but 30 minutes of kissing is a cheeky way of losing weight. You’ll burn 36 calories and have some fun in the process. Result!
Paint the town red
I know it’s no fun but by picking up some rubbish, reduce your waist by spending an afternoon cleaning up after the pre-drinks the night before. In 4 hours, you could burn 1,800 calories.
Mopping the night away
30 minutes of mopping the floor will burn 153 calories, that can be anything from a paddle for your boat, a practise microphone for your next round of karaoke to a potential contestant for the next Strictly or an Ed Sheeran video.
Bring the freshness back…
You know the rug needs it, but you may not know that 20 minutes of vacuuming will burn 56 calories.
Dig for victory
2 hours of gardening could burn a minimum of 648 calories, and you could grow some nice healthy veg at the same time. 1 hour of pushing the lawn mower burns 324 calories. Not the ride-on mower however fun it may be, it doesn’t count. If you spend 30 minutes raking up the clippings and you’ll burn another 171 calories.
Poker face
Music is the food of life and after 3 hours of playing cards: this could burn 351 calories. Every day I’m shuffling!
Rustle up some lunch!
In the 30 minutes you spend preparing dinner, you could burn 74 calories. By choosing healthy meals that contain fruits and vegetables. Spice up your life!
Count calories while you sleep
Even when you’re sleeping you’re burning calories. 8 hours of counting sheep will chase away 360 calories.
Bubbles galore
After the reading this list, soaking in a nice hot bath that not only will melt away the stresses of the day, it will help you lose 140 calories per hour. But taking that bottle of vino with you, is solely for a cheat day. Sorry for bursting your bubble.
Theres plenty more to losing weight than simply counting calories, however managing your nutrition is a big piece of the puzzle. If you’re looking to slim down, tone up, or simply want to get healthier, Hamers360Fitness is here to ensure we support you every step of the way. Check out our Bootcamp Sessions and Circuit Training Classes for information on how you can reach your goals with others, or alternatively, get in touch with us to speak to us about 1-2-1 Personal Training Sessions.