Be on the move

Have you ever wondered why some people put on weight while others stay slim and svelte? Experts blame it on calories.Nutritionists believ...

Have you ever wondered why some people put on weight while others stay slim and svelte? Experts blame it on calories.

Nutritionists believe that every calorie counts, especially if you like gorging on butter, ghee and other fats. Only 3 per cent of dietary fat, they say, is burnt during digestion, transport and storage. The rest is converted into body fat. Studies demonstrate that people can put on weight even on a relatively low-calorie diet if half of it comprises fat. For every 100 calories of carbohydrate we consume in excess of our daily requirement, only 75 are turned into body fat, but 87 of every excess fat calories are turned into body fat. Needless to say, it8217;s important to avoid fatty stuff.

But cutting down on ghee or chocolates is not enough, it is also important to exercise. It is a well-known fact that a person becomes overweight when there is an imbalance between energy intake and its utilisation. Regular physical exercise leads to replacement of fat tissue. Studies reveal that even small movements or fidgeting can burn up to 790 calories a day.

Those lazy souls who don8217;t exercise can burn calories by moving around a bit. So, get up for a glass of water every time you feel thirsty and don8217;t use the remote. You will feel the difference within a month.

The way you spend your day also determines your weight. Housewives who are always on the move, from the kitchen to dining room, may be walking more than a mile, at home, every day without knowing it. There are many other daily chores such as kneading the dough or gardening burn hundreds of calories.

Studies also recommend brisk walking. Here too, it8217;s not so much the distance covered that matters, but the technique you use. By swinging your arm in the opposite direction to your leg movements, for instance, you burn calories five to 10 per cent faster.

Studies have shown that people who are bored eat more. So, keep yourself occupied. Stop worrying and try to understand the complex relationship among diet, behaviour and weight. Only by revamping your life style and not considering physical activity a burden, can you get thinner, smarter and happier. Crash diets and strenuous fitness regimen does help, but only in a limited manner. No sooner do you get off a diet than you are back to fat again. A life tailored to healthy living is immune to such sudden weight gain or loss, which is also called the yo-yo phenomenon. Now, isn8217;t that what you need?