Burning Calories

How many times have you thought “I really should not eat that?” or “How many calories are in that?” If you are anything like me you have had these thoughts often.  I love to eat!   I promise I am not going to criticize your eating habits.  What you eat is completely up to you.  But giving you a baseline, about how and where to begin making sensible eating habit and activity choices, makes sense to me. 

Everyone has a Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) which, in simplistic terms, is the number of calories you burn per day just by being you.  If you know that number then adjusting your caloric intake and activity level to match your weight goal is possible.  Think calories in versus calories out.  It’s simple.

Exercise is easily the most adjustable variable in total daily energy expenditure.  As your activity level increases you burn more calories.  An obvious way to lose body fat is to decrease the number of calories you consume.  But just as true, you can lose body fat by increasing the amount of physical activity you do.

To get a baseline of calories you should consume per day, begin by figuring out your resting metabolic rate.  There are a variety of RMR formulas online that estimate your caloric burn when at rest.  This one is fairly simple to calculate without having to get online.

Male (imperial): RMR = [(6.25 x WP) + (12.7 x HI) - (6.76 x age) + 66] x 1.1

Female (imperial): RMR = [(4.35 x WP) + (4.7 x HI) - 4.68 x age) + 655] x 1.1
WP = Weight in Pounds          HI = Height in Inches              age in years
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/resting-metabolic-rate-calculator.aspx

Plug in your specifics and the final number is the calorie estimate you need to consume to stay your current size with no activity component included.  If you include physical fitness in your routine, calculate the calories burned by the activity and add that number to your RMR.  If you want to lose weight reduce your caloric intake or increase your activity level.

 

Swimming, running hills, and skipping rope are all obvious high caloric burning activities.  But did you know walking, office work, and even standing burns calories as well.  It’s simple, know you RMR and combine activity with sensible eating and you can reach your health and wellness goals.

 

For more information contact Karen at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center 760-565-7467