Are You Getting Fatter In College?
Posted: Thursday, September 25, 2008
by Zach Hunt
Physzique
Is that College helping you get fatter? While you are hard at work improving your future, what about the rest of you... your body?
College: Thinking Sessions only burn 3 more calories an hour than resting sessions.
Recently, a group of researchers took 14 college students and separated them into three groups to study how thinking affects caloric intake. One group was relaxing, one reading or summarizing text and the third was completing a series of memory, attention, and vigilance tests on the computer in a They determined beforehand that the thinking sessions consumed only three calories more than resting. After the 45 minute session, each group was invited to eat as much as they wanted. More than likely you are studying longer at your college!
Although the study only included 14 students, the results were bleak. The students that had been working on the computer consumed almost 30% more calories (253 calories) than the resting students, and the students that summarized text consumed 203 more calories. Blood samples taken before, during, and after revealed that intellectual work causes much bigger fluctuations in glucose levels than rest periods, perhaps owing to the stress of thinking. The researchers think that the body reacts to these fluctuations by demanding food to restore glucose, a sugar that is the brain's fuel. Glucose is converted by the body from carbohydrates and is supplied to the brain via the bloodstream. The brain cannot make glucose and so needs a constant supply. Brain cells need twice as much energy as other cells in the body.
College: How can I counteract the calories gained when I study?
Exercise! Work with a personal trainer - it's the best way to ensure that you keep that body you started college with. A personal trainer can should you how best to keep in shape and teach you how to eat properly (moderation). You need exercise to balance the added calories, over eating without the appropriate amount of exercise is not smart. Various studies in animals have shown that consuming fewer calories overall leads to sharper brains and longer life, and most researchers agree that the findings apply, in general, to humans. So visit the best personal trainer, today!
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Zach Hunt is a College in Spokane expert, personal trainer and owner of Physzique, a fitness coaching service in Spokane, WA. Go here: Personal Trainer Spokane WA for more fitness tips.
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