A calorie is a unit of energy. We tend to associate calories with food, but they apply to anything containing energy. Specifically,) a calorie is the amount of energy, or heat, it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. One calorie is equal to 4184 joules, a common unit of energy used in the physical sciences.
Human beings need energy to survive - to breathe, move, pump blood - and they acquire this energy from food. The number of calories in food is a measure of how much potential energy that food possesses. A gram of carbohydrates has 4 calories, a gram of protein has 4 calories calories and a gram of fat has 9th Foods are a compilation of these three building blocks. So if you know how many carbohydrates, fats and proteins are in any given food, you know how many calories, or how much energy, that food contains. Our bodies "burn" the calories in food through metabolic processes, by which enzymes break the carbohydrates into glucose and other sugars, the fats into glycerol and fatty acids and the proteins into amino acids. These molecules are then transported through the bloodstream to the cells, where they are either absorbed for immediate use or are sent on to the final stage of metabolism, in which they are reacted with oxygen to release their stored energy.
Burn calories to lose weight
Calories burned during exercise for body weights of 130, 155 and 190 pounds
Activity (I hour)
130 lbs
155 lbs
190 lbs
Aerobics, general 354 422 518
Badminton, general 266 317 388
Bicycling, <10 mph 236 281 345
Billiards 148 176 216
Boxing, punching bag 354 422 518
Calisthenics, light / moderate 266 317 388
Carpentry, general 207 246 302
Carrying heavy loads 472 563 690
Child care: sitting / dressing / feeding 177 211 259
Cleaning house, general 207 246 302
Cooking 148 176 216
Dancing, general 266 317 388
Fishing, general 236 281 345
Gardening, general 295 352 431
Golf 236 281 345
|
