CALORIES are defined not as food or nutrient but as a measure of energy.
We take in calories every time we eat and we expend the same every moment we live; by every motion, even to take a breath or wink an eye, the beating of the heart or even the process of digestion while we are asleep. The fact is, the more active we are, the more calories we expend.
Excess calories mean excess weight, hence there are two ways to control weight, and one is by taking fewer calories each day and the other by expending more calories each day through physical activity.
Comparatively, however, few calories are expended during exercise, as compared to the reduction in calories possible through dieting.
However, reducing weight is best done by controlling food intake and by exercising, which has a number of important advantages.
Weight gain or loss is a common concern for individuals wanting to gain or lose weight, which follows the laws of thermodynamics, where a positive energy balance (calorie intake is greater than calorie expenditure) results in weight gain; the opposite results in a negative energy balance and weight loss.
If a pound of fat is equal to about 3,500 calories, and regular exercise will expend 400 to 500 calories per workout, and where negative balance is cumulative, exercising at this rate is equivalent to a pound of lost fat for every seven to nine workouts. On the other hand, eating a rich dessert once a day can easily change the calorie loss from exercise, resulting in an equivalent positive caloric balance and no weight change.
However, it should be remembered exercise affects more than the body weight which improves the cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular system that are not gained by dieting alone. There is also a practical effect of “changing” fat into muscle, because we lose fat as we increase the amount of muscle tissue during exercise.
Moreover, exercise as proven in research and study converts fatty tissue to beneficial muscle tissue, while exercise burns up fatty tissue it has also been proven to reduce blood cholesterol levels, because of the reduction of lipids in blood serum.
