Virtually everyone knows or must have heard of the word calorie. This word has become very popular among several individuals and cultures, all thanks to obesity. Most people wouldn't have known what this word means if not that obesity is becoming a problem in our society.
Scientifically, a calorie is the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius. But when you come to nutrition, it means the amount of energy people get from food and drinks they consume. Also the amount of energy they expend during physical activities.
Foods we eat contain lots of stored energies which are called calories, these energies are needed if the body must function always. For example, our brain is able to function because of these energies, our heart is able to beat because these energies, our liver and kidney all rely on these energies.
All foods contains calories. But some foods contain much more calories than others especially foods rich in fats. Whenever we eat food, our body use these calories (energies) in the required amount in order to carry out it normal activities. While the remaining ones that were unable to be used up by the body, are stored in different tissues and organs. As we continue to eat food, more and more of these foods with their calories are being stored in the body. And the more they are stored, the larger and bigger our body tend to look and that's where obesity sets in.
Why does "Junk foods" increases obesity?
Junk foods are foods that are very rich in fats and sugars. These are the two major things that tend to contain lots of calories most especially fats. The more junk foods you consume, the more sugar and fat you take in. The more sugar and fats you take in, the more calories you accumulate. The more calories you accumulate, the more your body store those calories. And the more your body store calories, the more obese you become. I'm pretty much sure you understand vividly from this explanation?
Beware of junks, they are not that healthy!
How does physical exercise burn fat?
You need to exercise so that you can burn lots of fats, because excess fats stored in your body makes you obese. Don't forget we made mention earlier that 'calories are energies contained in food' and that fats contain lots of those energies. Remember that exercise is a physical activity that requires the use of energy. When you exercise, your body use a lot of those calories (energies) present in the fats in order to provide the energy needed for that physical activity.
It
means that as you continue to exercise, the more your body is
consuming those energies in the stored fats. And the more these energies
are used up, the more fats you loose. That is what it means
to burn fat or burn some calories.
The reason you sweat a lot during physical exercise is because calories are also called heat energies. These energies makes your body to release a reasonable amount of heat during body activities.
Are there other ways of burning calories aside physical exercise?
There are other ways of burning calories aside exercising. See them below:
. Changing your diet
Fats and sugars are rich in calories. As you reduce the amount of fatty and sugary foods you eat the less calorie you accumulate. You can reduce your calorie intake by eating foods that are low in them. example includes; proteins, vitamins and vegetables. These foods are very low in calories compare to carbohydrates (carbs) and fats.
. Water therapy
You may have come across this before that water can help you loose weight, of course this is true don't doubt it a bit. The reason is because as you drink more water, the less food you tend to eat. Most people use this method as a way of eating less.
. Watch some horror movies
Yeah! you heard that right! watching horror movies can make you burn some calories. Don't be too surprised at this, although it sounds crazy but you actually burn some fats when watching a movie that challenges your guts.
Do you know how much energy you consume when terrified? adrenaline is a hormone that help you react to anxiety by increasing your heart beat, sweating, and breathing rate. The release of this hormone makes you consume enough energy needed for a physiological response to panic attacks or anxiety.
Study have shown that Viewers who put themselves through 90 minutes of adrenaline-pumping terror can use up as much as 113 calories, close to the amount burned during a 30 minutes walk.