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Why Calories Are Good

By Brad Scott

These days many people are terrified to even mention the word calorie. If fact, you could probably make a box office smash hit horror movie about it. The reason for this is lack of information to the masses. A calorie is not a horrible thing. It is not something to be afraid of in any way. The calorie is indeed your friend. "huh, how's that?" you say. Hold up Brad, I've seen the commercials. I know calories are bad, bad, bad.

Well, just the opposite is true. A calorie is a unit of measure for energy. Yes, calories give you energy. Without calories you would not be able to perform many of the basic functions of life. So, let's take a closer look.

In scientific terms, a calorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius. OK, now most of you are probably thinking that definition didn't do you one bit of good. Lets look at it a different way. Image your car without a battery or a gas tank. You grab the keys and head out the door. How far would you get? Not very, at least in that car. Why? Because the energy source is gone. The same is true about you and your body. If you deprive your body of its energy source, you will not get very far. The key is to use good gas. Do you fill your auto gas tank with water or sludge? Probably not. And you can trade in you car. But how often do you fill your body with fast food, snacks, and candy as opposed to lean protein, good carbs and good fats? And you cannot trade in your body.

Calories are contained in fat, carbohydrates, protein and alcohol. And while we want our car to always be full of fuel, we only want enough fuel in our bodies for the trip we are about to take. When you wake up in the morning, eat breakfast to get you to mid-morning. Then lunch, midday break, dinner, and maybe a snack. When we go to bed, we want just enough fuel to keep the motor on idle through the night.

It is a good idea to get have your daily caloric requirement calculated to better understand how your particular lifestyle efforts your fitness level. You will then be able to judge you meal intake throughout the day.

About the Author:

Brad Scott is Owner and President of Sport and Life Fitness in Melbourne Florida. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist in Sports Conditioning with the International Sports Sciences Association. With over 20 years of experience, Brad offers a wide variety of fitness solutions for most anyone. Visit him online at www.SportAndLifeFitness.com today and start your fitness journey.