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9 Million Australians Overweight!
9 million Australians overweight! This is equivalent to the entire population of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth we are told (maybe that lets Rockhampton off the hook). Of course we know the reason for the nations bulging waistline: Too much energy intake... too little energy expenditure.
Of those 9 million overweight Australians there are probably very few who set out to be overweight. It just seemed to happen. The question now is what can we do about it?
The answer is relatively straight forward - consume a little less and be a little more active. Little is the key word. Weight loss is best achieved by small changes in behaviour over long periods of time. Unfortunately there are a few of us who can stand to drastically change our habits overnight. Massive change in a short period of time - be it a new diet, a new exercise program, or both - are often not sustainable. And sustainability is what it is all about.
A 500 calorie-a-day change in your energy balance is one way to approach the midriff problem. You can achieve this by eating 500 less calories a day, or by expending 500 calories a day more by way of activity, or you can achieve the 500 calorie difference by a blend of the two - likely the preferred method.
But what is a calorie in real terms? It is estimated that you burn one calorie for every 13 steps you take (a very big generalisation, but a starting point). You can burn an extra 500 calories a day by adding a little over 6000 steps to your daily activity. For most of us who lead a desk-bound existence, this means the goal of 10,000 steps a day is a good one. The addition of a regular 30-minute walk, and taking the opportunity to move more during the day will result in long term benefits.
Article by Professor Kerry Mummery
Central Queensland University
