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Lifestyle

Understanding calories The amount of energy in food or drink is measured in calories. Why calories are important You need energy from calories for your body to work properly. Your body uses this energy to function properly. To stay at around the same weight, the calories your body uses should be the same as the amount of calories you eat and drink. If you do not use the same amount of calories as you eat and drink, your body weight may change. For example: you're likely to put on weight if you eat and drink more calories than you use. This is because your body stores the extra energy as fat you're likely to lose weight if you eat and drink fewer calories than you use. This is because your body uses its stored fat for energy Daily calories Calorie information is often given in kcals, which is short for kilocalories. It may also be given in kJ, which is short for kilojoules. As a guide: an average man needs 2,500kcal a day an average woman needs 2,000kcal a day This could be different based on your: age weight height how much exercise you do

Tips for calorie awareness

Do check nutrition labels on food packaging for calorie information – this will be displayed under the "energy" heading aim to have a balanced diet – you can get healthy calories from eating a diet that includes fruit and vegetables, starchy foods, protein and unsaturated fats plan your meals – this can help you manage your calorie intake look for calorie information on restaurant and takeaway menus be aware that the more energy you spend doing an activity, the more calories you'll use – for example, fast walking uses more calories than walking at a moderate pace

Exercise Class

Exercise

Benefits of exercise Step right up! It's the miracle cure we've all been waiting for. It can reduce your risk of major illnesses, lower your risk of early death by up to 30%.It's free, easy to take, has an immediate effect and you . Its name? Exercise.

Adults should aim to:

  • do strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least 2 days a week

  • do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week

  • spread exercise evenly over 4 to 5 days a week, or every day

  • reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity

You can also achieve your weekly activity target with:

  • several short sessions of very vigorous intensity activity

  • a mix of moderate, vigorous and very vigorous intensity activity.

 

These guidelines are also suitable for:

disabled adults

pregnant women and new mothers

 

When you start exercising after pregnancy, make sure your physical activity choices reflect your activity levels before pregnancy. You should include strength training. After your 6- to 8-week postnatal check, you can start to do more intense activities if you feel you're able to. Vigorous activity is not recommended if you were inactive before pregnancy.

Examples of moderate intensity activities include:

walking

water aerobics

riding a bike

dancing

doubles tennis

pushing a lawn mower

hiking or rollerblading

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