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Fitness & Calories

Fitness and calories are directly related: You have to burn up as many calories as you take in to maintain your weight. But if you’re planning to lose weight, you’ll have to use up even more calories than you get from your diet. Regular exercise isn’t just beneficial for your waistline. Your mood may improve, energy levels can increase and your risk of developing chronic diseases goes down.

  1. Calories for Weight Loss

    • To lose weight, you have to use up more calories than you take in, eliminate some calories from your diet or a little of both. You’ll have to create a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound, MayoClinic.com reports. So if your goal is to drop 2 pounds per week, for example, you’ll have to eliminate 1,000 calories a day -- 7,000 calories each week. You’ll spend hours at the gym each day if you tried to burn that much, but you can burn about half of that amount through exercise and then trim the rest out of your diet. Burn 500 calories a day and cut 500 calories from your diet to lose about 2 pounds a week, or some similar combination.

    Calories Burned

    • Set aside time each day for exercise -- write it into your schedule so you stick with it. If you can make it to the gym for a high-impact aerobics class a few times a week, you’ll shave off 420 calories an hour at 125 pounds, 520 calories if you weigh 155 pounds, or more than 620 calories per hour if you are around 185 pounds. If you go for a run, ride a bike or swim laps at a fast pace, you’ll use up roughly 480 to 600 calories every hour, at a weight of 125 pounds. But if you weigh 155 pounds, an hour of these activities at a vigorous pace melts off 600 to 745 calories or as much as 710 to 890 calories per hour at 185 pounds.

    Frequency

    • You should perform at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercises, such as walking. If you’re into vigorous aerobic activity, you’ll need to go for at least 75 minutes each week. Of course everyone’s metabolism is different, so you may need upwards of 300 minutes a week or more to maintain your current weight or to drop some pounds, according to MayoClinic.com. Each exercise session should last for a minimum of 10 minutes. In addition to aerobic activity, you need strength training to build muscles and keep your bones healthy. Include weights in your routine at least twice a week.

    Other Considerations

    • If you’re working out nonstop and not seeing the results you want, take a look at your diet. While virtually all foods will give you calories, your ratios of macronutrients may be out of balance. Forty five to 65 percent of your calories should come from carbohydrates -- think produce, nuts and whole grains, not processed foods. This is 225 to 325 grams of carbs for a 2,000-calorie diet, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 states. Additionally, 10 to 35 percent of calories should come from protein and 20 to 35 percent needs to come from fat. Based on an average 2,000 calories per day, you can have 50 to 175 grams of protein and 44 to 77 grams of fat. Opt for lean meats, avocados, low-fat dairy and fish and seafood to get healthy doses of protein and fat.

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