Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
My coworker Libby and our intern Maddy have the same Polar FT7 watch/heart rate monitor/calorie counter which they were persuading me to buy. The only difference between theirs and my Polar heart rate monitor is that theirs has a built in calorie counter. I thought to myself, certainly it's just using some formula based on heart rate and age since it can't sense the heat you emit, the steps you take, and how fast you move like a bodybugg does. So I used my googling powers and found this website. By typing in your gender, age, weight, avg heart rate during exercise, and the duration of your exercise, the site figures out how many calories you burned. We tested this against what their watches said when they exercised and there was a margin of error of about 50 which is a lot I know but it's helpful when you're doing a group ex class, running outside, spinning, etc.
In health,
Lauren
Showing posts with label calories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label calories. Show all posts
Friday, June 3, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
286/365 Cheese Addicts Anonymous
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
Cheese Whiz. Cheez-its. Cheese Puffs. Cheetos. Extra cheese pizza. Why is it that we can't resist and crave cheese? According to an article written in 2004, cheese has casein, a protein that "convert to casomorphines, which are chemically similar to morphine, when they break down during digestion. It's these casomorphines that are addictive," says Lanou. "All mammalian mothers' milk contains casomorphines so that the young will return to the breast for milk." Since we are the only mammal that regularly drinks the milk of other animals, Lanou posits that it's this process that's behind humanity's affection for cheese. (Vartan)"
So this begs the question, is cheese addiction really so bad? Though cheese is a good source of calcium, it is also a good source of saturated fat (non-fat or low fat milk would also provide calcium without the fat). My beloved Sargento Colby Jack Reduced Fat cheese sticks have 60 calories, 4.5g fat, 2.5g of which are saturated.While this makes up for only 10% of my daily recommendation, it makes me cautious of the rest of my fat intake and any other cheesy cravings I have.
It's easy to sprinkle on extra Parmesan on your cheese pizza but be aware that a mere 2 tsp has 1.5g of fat; I could bet that we put more than that on our pastas, pizza, etc. I'm not saying you can't eat cheese, just be mindful!
In health,
Lauren
Vartan, S. (2004, March/April). Just like cheese?. The Environmental Magazine, 15(2),
Cheese Whiz. Cheez-its. Cheese Puffs. Cheetos. Extra cheese pizza. Why is it that we can't resist and crave cheese? According to an article written in 2004, cheese has casein, a protein that "convert to casomorphines, which are chemically similar to morphine, when they break down during digestion. It's these casomorphines that are addictive," says Lanou. "All mammalian mothers' milk contains casomorphines so that the young will return to the breast for milk." Since we are the only mammal that regularly drinks the milk of other animals, Lanou posits that it's this process that's behind humanity's affection for cheese. (Vartan)"
So this begs the question, is cheese addiction really so bad? Though cheese is a good source of calcium, it is also a good source of saturated fat (non-fat or low fat milk would also provide calcium without the fat). My beloved Sargento Colby Jack Reduced Fat cheese sticks have 60 calories, 4.5g fat, 2.5g of which are saturated.While this makes up for only 10% of my daily recommendation, it makes me cautious of the rest of my fat intake and any other cheesy cravings I have.
It's easy to sprinkle on extra Parmesan on your cheese pizza but be aware that a mere 2 tsp has 1.5g of fat; I could bet that we put more than that on our pastas, pizza, etc. I'm not saying you can't eat cheese, just be mindful!
In health,
Lauren
Vartan, S. (2004, March/April). Just like cheese?. The Environmental Magazine, 15(2),
Monday, March 21, 2011
244/365 Spring is in Session - Tool for Running Outside
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
Though it is snowing here in New England, it is Spring! Time to get outside and enjoying the fresh air.
For you runners/joggers/walkers, here's a great way to map out your route: g-map! This neat tool was recommended to me by a wonderful guy named Jay here at my work. His day starts out with 30 min of calisthenics, a 4-mile run in the afternoon, and a 90 min visit to the gym twice a week. Did I mention that he's 61 years old and has been doing this since he was 20? Amazing! For G-Map, all you do is type in your starting point then double click on every intersection that you run by. It will tell you how far you've run and approximately how many calories you've burned.
A couple refreshers for outdoor activity...
1. Wear sunblock! I know it's not always sunny (in Philadelphia haha) but those rays of UVA and UVB will still sneak by the clouds and damage your skin.
2. Stay hydrated! The spring breeze is refreshing but it can make you forget that you have been sweating. Drink water before and after you run and of course throughout the day.
3. Stretch! Prevent tightness and stay limber by stretching after you exercise.
In health,
Lauren
Though it is snowing here in New England, it is Spring! Time to get outside and enjoying the fresh air.
For you runners/joggers/walkers, here's a great way to map out your route: g-map! This neat tool was recommended to me by a wonderful guy named Jay here at my work. His day starts out with 30 min of calisthenics, a 4-mile run in the afternoon, and a 90 min visit to the gym twice a week. Did I mention that he's 61 years old and has been doing this since he was 20? Amazing! For G-Map, all you do is type in your starting point then double click on every intersection that you run by. It will tell you how far you've run and approximately how many calories you've burned.
A couple refreshers for outdoor activity...
1. Wear sunblock! I know it's not always sunny (in Philadelphia haha) but those rays of UVA and UVB will still sneak by the clouds and damage your skin.
2. Stay hydrated! The spring breeze is refreshing but it can make you forget that you have been sweating. Drink water before and after you run and of course throughout the day.
3. Stretch! Prevent tightness and stay limber by stretching after you exercise.
In health,
Lauren
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
211/365 Negative Calories?
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
As I munched on my celery stalks today, I thought about the term "negative calories" which is often associated with them. What are negative calories and do they even exist?
The calories we use throughout the day can be broken down into three categories: basal metabolic rate (heart rate, breathing, and staying warm), digesting food, and physical activity. BMR accounts for 60-70% of the calories you use; the latter two make up the remaining percentage depending on what you do.
The so called "negative calories" are found in foods that have such little caloric value that digesting them leaves you with a minimal amount of consumed calories. A negative calorie is not something that will make you burn more calories just by eating it. So, if you have some cucumbers, you're not suddenly going to burn calories and putting you at some sort of deficit. Exercise however could be thought of as a negative calorie, something that uses your energy.
I don't think that negative calories exist and that it should be stricken from our memory so as to avoid any confusion or misdirection.
In case you are curious about your BMR, here's a formula I found:
Males: 66 + (13.7 x Weight*) + (5 x Height**) – (6.8 x Age)
Females: 655 + (9.6 x Weight*) + (1.7 x Height**) – (4.7 x Age)
*Weight in kg = weight in lbs/2.2
**Height in cm = height in inches x 2.54
Age in years
In health,
Lauren
As I munched on my celery stalks today, I thought about the term "negative calories" which is often associated with them. What are negative calories and do they even exist?
The calories we use throughout the day can be broken down into three categories: basal metabolic rate (heart rate, breathing, and staying warm), digesting food, and physical activity. BMR accounts for 60-70% of the calories you use; the latter two make up the remaining percentage depending on what you do.
The so called "negative calories" are found in foods that have such little caloric value that digesting them leaves you with a minimal amount of consumed calories. A negative calorie is not something that will make you burn more calories just by eating it. So, if you have some cucumbers, you're not suddenly going to burn calories and putting you at some sort of deficit. Exercise however could be thought of as a negative calorie, something that uses your energy.
I don't think that negative calories exist and that it should be stricken from our memory so as to avoid any confusion or misdirection.
In case you are curious about your BMR, here's a formula I found:
Males: 66 + (13.7 x Weight*) + (5 x Height**) – (6.8 x Age)
Females: 655 + (9.6 x Weight*) + (1.7 x Height**) – (4.7 x Age)
*Weight in kg = weight in lbs/2.2
**Height in cm = height in inches x 2.54
Age in years
In health,
Lauren
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