NORMAL - If you want to lose weight, burn more calories than you take in. It's that simple, but it's not that easy. Several area fitness professionals warned against obsessing on calories to improve your health.

However, checking calories taken in with food and calories burned with activity do bring to light how easy it is to put weight on and how different activities can take weight off, said Betty Henson, a lecturer in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation at Illinois State University, Normal.

Improvements in technology mean many people are moving less to perform their daily activities, thereby burning fewer calories, said Henson, who has worked in the fitness industry for 27 years. Meanwhile, people are eating more processed foods, fast foods and foods that are higher in fat, calories and salt compared with a generation ago, when people ate more fresh fruits and vegetables and more home-cooked meals, she said.

That means more calories going in and more weight going on.

"The whole idea is you've got to eat less and move more," said Eileen Kilborn, who has more than 25 years of experience in the fitness industry.

"If fat loss is your primary goal, it's a simple formula: the more work you perform, the more calories you will burn," said Kilborn, group fitness director and personal trainer at The Workout Company in Normal.

While eating reasonable portions of healthy food should be a part of anyone's lifestyle, it's difficult to lose weight and keep it off without exercise, the fitness professionals said.

"Don't worry about one candy bar," said Peggi Hattaway, group exercise director with Lady Wellness Women's Fitness & Spa, Bloomington. "Just watch what you eat all day and add in exercise.

"The single best predictor of long-term weight control is exercise," Hattaway said.

Kilborn agreed. "Exercise is the magic bullet to keep weight off," she said.

What's just as important as exercise is physical activity throughout the day, Kilborn said. Incorporating movement into your day at work and at home - by doing things like taking a walking break - is a good way to keep alert and to keep calories burning throughout the day.

"People don't lose weight just by coming to the gym," Kilborn said. "They need to change their whole lifestyle."

An accompanying chart estimates calories burned in an hour by people of various weights performing different activities.

But Kilborn warns that chart numbers aren't set in stone because the intensity of the exercise and each person's condition affects the number of calories burned.

Another chart lists calories in some foods and how much a typical person would have to exercise to work off those calories.

Henson said that type of comparison is motivating to students in her Personal Fitness class.

When they realize a Big Mac alone is 563 calories and that it would take six miles of jogging to burn off those calories, that motivates some students to make a healthier choice the next time they're in a fast-food restaurant, to carry healthy snacks in their backpacks and to try to fit activity into their daily lives.

A rule of thumb from Henson is that 200 extra calories each day can result in 20 pounds of weight gain each year.

But a person who cuts 200 calories from their diet each day, such as eliminating that late-night candy bar snack or substituting water for a can of regular soda, or who burns 200 calories more each day, such as by exercising for 20 minutes daily, may lose 20 pounds in a year, she said.

"Sometimes, it's the simple things that add up to make a difference," Henson said.

Calories burned

Calories burned during exercise are affected by body weight, intensity of workout, conditioning level and metabolism. What follows are estimates from NutriStrategy on calories burned per hour at certain activities for example body weights of 130, 155 and 190 pounds.

Activity………….130 pounds…155 pounds…190 pounds

Aerobics, general…….354……….422……….518

Basketball, non-game….354……….422……….518

Bicycling, mod. effort..472……….563……….690

Bicycling, stationary…413……….493……….604

Cleaning house……….207……….246……….302

Dancing, general……..266……….317……….388

Football, touch………472……….563……….690

Gardening, general……295……….352……….431

Golf, general………..236……….281……….345

Gymnastics, general…..236……….281……….345

Hiking………………354……….422……….518

Hockey, ice………….472……….563……….690

Jogging, general……..413……….493……….604

Martial arts…………590……….704……….863

Mowing lawn………….325……….387……….474

Racquetball, general….413……….493……….604

Rope jumping, general…590……….704……….863

Running, 7-minute mile..826……….985……..1,208

Shoveling snow……….354……….422……….518

Skating, roller………413……….493……….604

Skiing, cross country…472……….563……….690

Soccer, casual……….413……….493……….604

Softball or baseball….295……….352……….431

Swimming laps, mod……472……….563……….690

Tennis, general………431……….493……….604

Volleyball, comp……..236……….281……….345

Playing with kids…….236……….281……….345

Water aerobics……….236……….281……….345

Weight lifting……….177……….211……….259

SOURCE: www.nutristrategy.com