One Pound Is Equal to 3500 Calories of Energy

I just assumed that people knew. That was until I asked a friend and then my brother about how many calories were in a pound. Neither one of them knew. Well, I learned what happens when you assume!

As a result, I thought I would educate others who might not know. After all, it is time for New Year's resolutions!

If a person wants to lose weight (or gain, for those fortunate ones that need to), there has to be a caloric deficit/expenditure that is the equivalent of 3500 calories of energy. In other words, to lose a pound of weight, you need to be engaged in some type of activity that will expend (burn) this many calories of energy OR you could deny yourself this many calories in your diet OR you could combine both physical activity AND food restriction to accomplish the loss of one pound of weight.

Many people contend that I am oversimplifying this. Not making the achievement of weight loss easy as possible usually results in no improvement. I have been raised on the KISS principle - Keep It Simple, Stupid!

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the "gold" standard organization in the health and fitness industry, would suggest a 1-2 pound weight loss per week. This is the equivalent of 3500-7000 calories expended through physical activity/exercise or denied through diet or a combination of diet and activity per week. To simplify, divide the 3500 or 7000 calories by 7 days per week. This becomes a 500 or 1000 calorie per day "proposition".

Because ACSM also recommends successful weight loss through a combination of diet and activity/exercise (based on the research), this is what I would suggest too. (Check out the National Weight Control Registry.) You could deny yourself 250 calories per day and pick up additional activity/exercise for the other 250 calories per day. This would make a deficient/expenditure of calories per week that would be the equivalent of 1 pound of weight loss per week.

One of the simplest activities to include in a daily routine, is walking. You don't have to have special clothes just comfortable shoes and you can walk inside/outside. How many calories would a person expend by walking?

Let's assume that a person weighs 170-pounds and has decided to walk their dog for 1 hour per day (30 minutes in the morning and then again in the evening). This person would expend 230 calories as a result of this activity (more body weight person would expend more when walking the dog). Combine one hour of walking (activity) with one scoop of vanilla ice cream (1/2 cup) instead of two scoops. One scoop is 137 calories compared to the almost 250 calories in two. A 12-ounce serving of Coke has 136 calories. Deny yourself one of your sodas/per day and you are on the way to reaching your goal of losing 1 pound per week.

I strongly encourage you to record your activity/exercise AND food intake. This way you can't "cheat" and wonder why you aren't meeting your goal of weight loss.

There are numerous iPhone/Android apps to help you record your physical activity/exercise and food intake. Most of them are simple yet effective in getting a "real-time picture" of your habits. I have found favor with the app, Lose It, but there are many others that might be of value to you with an app search or asking others.

Just remember, you didn't gain the weight in a week or a month or even 6 months (most likely). Consistency of effort is one key to losing it (daily efforts). Focus on losing 1-2 pounds per week. Give it time AND consistent effort!

Good luck!

Kim Fischer, Ph.D., ACSM cPT, NSCA CSCS, and owner of Empowered By Learning LLC, created a Personal Trainer Certification Exam Preparation Course and accompanying Study Outline, Action Plan for Passing a Recognized Personal Trainer Certification Exam, and other study materials to support people in reaching their goal of becoming a certified personal trainer by a "gold standard" organization in the industry. Kim guarantees that course participants will pass their exam or their next course is free. Learn more about how to simplify and organize the process and the content for one of the recognized Personal Trainer Certification Exams such as ACSM, AFAA, or ACE by getting a free excerpt of Kim's step-by-step Action Plan when you subscribe at http://www.empoweredbylearningllc.com/

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Energy Zapped

SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder is a common problem for many this time of year. Here is some biological science behind why your energy is lower in November-February.

Circadian Rhythms or daily rhythms are the body's adrenal response to dawn, mid day and dusk. Your body produces stress hormones along with other neuro exciting hormones upon waking. The hormones Cortisol and DHEA must have a proper relationship in order to have a healthy immune system, metabolism and feeling of good energy. Let's say that restoring the body in the sleep cycle is critical to the production and regulation of these hormones. Other factors that affect the balance of these two major players are diet, environmental stress, emotional stress and any other exposure to stress including exercise or lack of.

If the body struggles to produce energy or expend energy then some stress or imbalance is adversely affecting the balance of these hormones.

So, in order to have proper energy at this time of year, you must sleep and wake according to the light cycles of the season.

The eyes and brain respond to natural light. It's imperative that you wake up and get exposed to natural light despite the cold or clouds. If the brain doesn't get this light exposure then the production of Cortisol and DHEA are impaired. Similarly, if you only get unnatural light exposure then the brain doesn't have a true sense for the time of the day. Remember, the secretion of these hormones is light dependent.

Additionally, neurotransmission is an additional factor that occurs when diet and sleep are respected. I often test for neurotransmitter deficiency.

Dusk and sleep time are also light dependent. It's natural to begin to feel lower energy around 4:30pm in the northern hemisphere/NYC or even earlier the more north you go. Your body's cortisol production should subside gradually to allow a parasympathetic dominance to occur. The body is moving toward a rest and digest state and does very well with a larger meal and less light in the evening. This enables a rise in Melatonin that causes you to feel sleepy. It's not good to fight it or induce an unnatural loop by forcing the body to stay awake by getting more light, caffeine or stressful exercise

If you respect this then you should begin to restore energy balance naturally unless you have Adrenal Dysfunction.

Here are my top list of Energy Zappers

1. Poor digestion and poor diet. The quality of food and the timing of the meals

2. Too much unnatural light exposure. Indoors all day and no Mid Day sunlight.

3. Waking and sleeping with unnatural light at the wrong times. ie. November bedtime 12am-6am.

4. Less than 8hrs sleep or the wrong 8hr pattern. 12am-8am is not healthy and less sleep is worse.

5. Caffeine consumption. The timing and amount affect the extra production of cortisol. If too much is secreted then the body begins to experience an energy level of a later time of day. It pushes your clock forward thereby upsetting the natural rhythm. However, when consumed in small amounts and not on an empty stomach then the cortisol affect is less severe. Everybody's sensitivity to caffeine can vary so this doesn't apply as severely to some. If you have trouble sleeping and drink caffeine then it's worth experimenting.

6. Poor timing of exercise. Training in the dark is not normal. We are nocturnal to a small degree. It's normal to exercise at night in July 6-8pm but not in January.

7. Trying to multitask and be overly productive in the Autumn and Winter. Computer and TV watching.

8. Medication usage as well as sleeping pills. Most meds affect the body's rhythms.

9. Alcohol consumption in amounts that affect sleep.

10. Anything causing you to wakeup at night or relieve your bladder. You need deep restful sleep.

Finally. we are human. A rationalization for lack of sleep will result in health problems like weight gain, inability to lose weight, high inflammation that can be dangerous to your organs, muscle and joints, poor neural regeneration leading to poor coordination and poor hormonal restoration leading to hormone imbalance that affect mood, body weight, libido, general wellbeing, immunity, appetite and energy.

So if you want to kill cravings and balance your body then balance your body naturally with sleep.

Why wait? Start your health and/or fitness program now. You deserve to feel and look your very best. Contact me at http://www.terrykerrigan.com/

Confidence, Health and a true sense of well being await you.

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In-Depth Tutorial on Cardio Energy Systems

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AppId is over the quota

We are all at different periods of our cardiovascular careers. Cardio training has been around for decades thanks to its power to help men and women to reduce weight. However, it isn't often the best technique.

The good news is, in case you're a cardiovascular newcomer, then you definitely won't have to make the same errors. This article will focus on several techniques you can make use of to develop your own personal cardio routine.

Every cardio training beginner must understand the energy systems prior to starting. While aerobic cardio has been one the most favored kinds of cardio, it isn't the most effective. The most used aerobic workouts include stationary exercise bike exercises and distance running.

Aerobic workouts usually take quite a long time to complete, and are low-intensity.

The greatist problem of aerobic exercises is the fact they don't develop lean muscle. These kind of work-outs also require a lot of time to finish.

The other major energy system is anaerobic. Anaerobic workouts only take 20-30 mins to complete, and are the most effective way to reduce fat, without compromising muscle mass. Anaerobic exercises will invariably defeat aerobic because of the muscle building capability. Any benefits you witness as a result of anaerobic strategies are sure to be long-lasting.

On the other hand, aerobic gains are usually temporary and there can be a good probability you may regain the weight you lost. Aerobic work outs do not develop muscle to replace the fat which was shed. Muscle burns body fat, and is vital to not only decreasing it, but keeping it off.

With your new found understanding of the energy systems, you will have to decides exactly what exercises to use. Nearly all cardio novices starts out with interval training and standard sprints. Interval training develops both the aerobic and also anaerobic system, and is highly-effective for dropping body fat. The traditional sprint is perfect for accelerated final results. Sprints will certainly create strong fast twitch muscle fibers and also amplify athleticism. Don't be afraid of high-intensity work-outs as they are crucial for real fat loss success.

Not only do high-intensity workouts destroy body fat, but they also require much less time to complete. You will complete a full anaerobic regime with 15 to thirty minutes, and then melt away two times the amount of calories as you might with a 60-minute aerobic regime. The option is clear, and you must quit wasting your time and effort with inefficient aerobic techniques.

Are you looking for some cardio exercises that actually work? Read 3 High-intensity Cardio Workouts for some great ideas.

View the original article here

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