Many people leave the Middle East at this time of year as the temperatures soar to 50 degrees and above. As it is the summer time, you still want to look in shape and feel confident with your body right?
In this article, I will give you tips and advice on how you can enjoy your holiday whilst maintaining your physical beach body appearance. The main topic I want to discuss here is calories. Each macronutrient consists of calories. Below is a quick break down:
• Carbohydrates 1g = 4kcal
• Proteins 1g = 4kcal
• Fats 1g = 9kcal
With that said, you are able to calculate your total daily intake of food and convert it into calories. The speed in which our body breaks down the calories, to be stored or used as energy depends on our individual metabolism and daily nutritional intake.
When going away or travelling, many of us will relax and be more laid back with our food. When really our food is the main reason we put on weight or lose weight. We might settle for a sandwich or a burger from the service station just because we are hungry. With your goal in mind, you need to understand your macro nutrients and have an idea how many calories you are consuming on a daily basis.
The term BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate. This means how many calories your body will burn at rest. Therefore you can calculate how many calories you eat, followed by your BMR to see if you are in a positive or negative state.
If you are positive, you will maintain or gain weight (depending how much) and if you are negative, you will lose weight.
By knowing this, I hope it will add value and educate you when you travel to be more mindful of the calories you eat on a daily basis. Some of the options for food aren’t great when travelling so think about the calories first before you consume.
The average sandwich has around 300 kcals. To burn that off alone equates to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise.
Remember there are 3,500 cals in 1lb of fat. So that’s approximately 300 minutes of exercise to burn 1lb of fat. Now ask yourself, do you still want that sandwich? Think of the healthier options such as fruit or low-calorie foods as a replacement. Enjoy your travels and stay fit and healthy for when you return.
Nicky Holland
Personal Trainer, Instagram, nicky__fitness
