Calories - What Are They?

Calories are intangible or unseen entities that we encounter everyday. They are also most likely thought about daily or relatively frequently. Usually the thought process revolves around the idea of eliminating them through diet and exercise. Just what exactly are calories? Just about everyone has probably heard the term "unit of energy"! Calories are essentially that to resolve the question simply! Consider one filling their vehicle with gas as an example. When one consumes or eats foods, basically the body is also being filled with fuel in the form of potential energy in line with the calories derived from the food eaten.

You need to also realize that calories are not only removed by ones dieting or workout routine, they are also required and used for our essential body functions. The act of merely inhaling air requires energy or calories as does just rolling over in one's bed!

One calorie is the energy required to warm one gram of water by one degree Celsius or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. That is the fundamental and scientific description of what calories are. When you think about the calories being burned by the body you will note that there are three distinct ways energy is used.

1) Calories are essential for everyday bodily functions. The term that describes this process is referred to as the basal metabolic process or BMR in short. Other examples of energy consumption in this category, aside from breathing stated above, are the beating of heart and the action of the kidney system. Essentially seventy percent of all calories consumed are allocated towards just keeping your body in operation.

2) Calories are also needed for everyday activity. Examples of this are going to your front door to fetch the newspaper, getting out of your vehicle to go in the supermarket and running your local ten kilometer race. Twenty percent of all calories consumed are used up by these activities.

3) The amount of energy that is required by the digestive process to function is the third way in which calories are burned. Roughly ten percent of the calories consumed by the body are allocated to one's digestion of food. The thermal effect of food is the term used to describe this process.

So essentially the foods we eat produce energy as calories which enable one to go about their normal daily physical functions. If you do not utilize all of the energy absorbed in a given period, the calories derived will definitely accumulate. What this means is if you do not rid the body of this excess energy you will gain weight. In contrast, if more calories are burned than consumed you will experience fat loss.

There are various sites that provide indications on the amount of calories contained in given food items. You can also certainly research Google for other sites that shed light on the amount of calories burned by specific physical activities or exercise routines. Through a little reading and discovery, you can ultimately assess the daily calories needed in order to maintain a proper weight.