Thread: Why exercise is so important!!!!

How to Make Your Body Burn More Calories

You can make weight loss quicker and easier by increasing your metabolic rate and burning more calories – here’s how:


Metabolic Rate is the rate at which the body burns up calories. A body that consumes 2500 calories a day, and burns 2500 calories a day will stay at the same weight. A body consuming 2500 calories daily but burning only 2000 will gain weight at the rate of about 1lb a week.

This explains why that ‘lucky’ person across the table from you doesn’t get fat from all that junk food.

You can do quite a lot to speed up your metabolism – the secret of burning calories lies in knowing what determines your metabolic rate and what you can do to influence it.
You burn calories to provide energy for three main functions:

1) Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

This is the amount of calories you burn just by being alive – even when you are lying down, doing nothing. BMR accounts for approximately 60% of the calories burned for an average person.
2) Burning Calories for Activity

This is the energy used during movement – from lifting your arm to operate the remote control to cleaning the windows. This accounts for approximately 30% of the calories burned by an average person.
3) Dietary Thermogenesis

The ‘thermogenic effect’ described as meal-induced heat production – the calories burned in the process of eating, digesting, absorbing and using food.
You can influence all these factors, and speed up your rate of burning calories using some, or all, of the following tactics:

1) Build Muscle

Increase the amount of muscle in your body. For every extra pound of muscle you put on, your body uses around 50 extra calories a day. In a recent study, researchers found that regular weight training boosts basal metabolic rate by about 15%. This is because muscle is ‘metabolically active’ and burns more calories than other body tissue even when you’re not moving.

Training with weights just 3 times a week for around 20 minutes is enough to build muscle. Not only will you be burning more calories, you’ll look better – whatever your weight.
2) Move More

Although the average person burns around 30% of calories through daily activity, many sedentary people only use around 15%. Simply being aware of this fact – and taking every opportunity to move can make quite a dramatic difference to the amount of calories you burn.

The trick is to keep the ‘keep moving’ message in mind. Write the word ‘move’ on post-it notes and put them in places you’ll notice them when you’re sitting still. Then, take every opportunity to move – here’s some ideas for burning calories:

• Tap your feet
• Swing your legs
• Drum your fingers
• Stand up and stretch
• Move your head from side to side
• Change position
• Wriggle and fidget
• Pace up and down
• Don’t use the internal phone – go in person
• Use the upstairs loo
• Park in the furthest corner of the car park
• Stand up when you’re on the phone
• Clench and release your muscles

You’ll find lots of opportunities for burning more calories if you remember that you’re looking for them! Keep thinking ‘keep moving’.
3) Eat Spicy Food

There is evidence to show that spices, especially chilli, can raise the metabolic rate by up to 50% for up to 3 hours after you’ve eaten a spicy meal.

Drinks containing caffeine also stimulate the metabolism, as does green tea.
4) Aerobic Exercise

As well as the actual amount of calories burned during exercise – studies have shown that sustained, high-intensity exercise makes you burn more calories for several hours afterwards.

Try 30 minute sessions of heart rate raising exercise, such as vigorous walking, step aerobics, jogging or swimming, 3-4 times a week.
5) Eat Little and Often


There is some evidence to suggest that eating small, regular meals will keep your metabolism going faster than larger, less frequent meals. There are two reasons why meal frequency may affect your metabolism. Firstly, levels of thyroid hormones begin to drop within hours of eating a meal, and metabolism slows. Secondly, it may be that the thermogenic effect of eating several small meals is slightly higher than eating the same amount of calories all at once.

Provided your small meals don’t degenerate into quick-fix, high fat, high sugar snacks, eating little and often can also help to control hunger and make you less likely binge.

Hi again GG

Think you may have posted this in the wrong place. As you know, most of this information isn't relevant for Cambridge dieters.

It would be better in the exercise forum so I'll move it. Easy mistake to make

Whoops, same thoughts KD - have just moved it to Exercise!!

Teehee. I was wondering why it wouldn't let me move it

Good advice.
I wonder if 3 and a half hours walking (a lot of it uphill) with a tandem pram everyday walking to and from nursery everyday would be classed as Aerobic Exercise?

Yes, if you walk briskly.

Yea i'm practically running lol because usually i'm running late for the nursery start-time
I thought it would get easier with practice but it still nearly kills me pushing that think up hill.
It's only 20 mins to the nursery but since its only 2 1/2 hours I just carry on walking to Tesco do my shop or just walk around the shopping complex, then pick her up on the way back.

That sounds like great exercise

Particularly the uphill bits.

Yea it is. Legs really ache when I get back. Problem is though with the weather being what it is lately I really wish i could drive.

Originally Posted by ScattyKatty

Yea it is. Legs really ache when I get back. Problem is though with the weather being what it is lately I really wish i could drive.

Walking is much better for you....well done. Keep it up!

I got myself a trampoline, skipping rope, lo-lo ball and a hula hoop. Real great fun. I find exercising to my fav music helps too. Singing and dancing burns cals too :-)

In these days exercise is most important for every person.Because every person have sitting work.If you don't move this body then you surely lose it.Your muscles become weak and your joints will be easily injured.Regular exercise is important for physically fitness and good health.