The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867.^[1] In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule. However, in many countries it remains in common use as a unit of food energy.

Definitions of a calorie fall into two classes:

• The small calorie or gram calorie (symbol: cal)^[2] approximates the energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 °C. This is about 4.2 joules.
• The large calorie, kilogram calorie, dietary calorie, nutritionist's calorie or food calorie (symbol: Cal)^[2] approximates the energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 °C. This is exactly 1,000 small calories or about 4.2 kilojoules.

The gram calorie is not used in nutritional contexts. Instead, the large calorie is used. In this context calorie and kilocalorie are equivalent.

In an attempt to avoid confusion, the large calorie is sometimes written as Calorie (with a capital C). This convention, however, is not always followed, and not explained to the average person clearly (and is sometimes ambiguous, such as at the beginning of a sentence). Whether the large or small calorie is intended often must be inferred from context. When used in scientific contexts, the term calorie refers to the small calorie; it is often encountered in contexts such as bond and conformational energies in molecular modeling.^[3]

Variations[link]

The energy needed to increase the temperature of a given mass of water by 1 °C at atmospheric pressure depends on the starting temperature and is difficult to measure precisely. Accordingly, there have been several definitions of the calorie. The two perhaps most popular definitions used in older literature are the 15 °C calorie and the thermochemical calorie.

The conversion factors used to convert calories to joules are numerically equivalent to expressions of the specific heat capacity of water in joules per gram or kilogram.

Notes and references[link]

See also[link]

• Empty calorie
• Basal metabolic rate
• Frigorie
• Food energy
• Nutrition facts label
• Conversion of units of energy

Austin as a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

Denise Austin (born February 13, 1957) is an American fitness instructor, author, columnist, and former member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.^[1]

Early life[link]

Austin was born Denise Katnich in San Pedro, California. She started gymnastics at the age of 12, which led to an athletic scholarship at the University of Arizona.

Personal life[link]

In 1983, Denise married sports attorney Jeff Austin, brother of US Open champion Tracy Austin. Denise and Jeff have two daughters, Kelly (b. 1990) and Katie (b. 1993). The Austin family resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

Fitness career[link]

Austin initially attended the University of Arizona on a gymnastics scholarship, reaching the rank of No. 9 in the NCAA on balance beam. She later transferred to California State University, Long Beach, graduating with a bachelor's degree in physical education, and a minor in exercise physiology.^[1][2][3]

Austin at The Heart Truth Fashion Show, 2008

Since then, she has been teaching classes, producing fitness shows, creating exercise video tapes, and writing books and columns on exercise and staying fit. Examples include Shrink Your Female Fat Zones, Pilates for Every Body, and Eat Carbs, Lose Weight. In 2002, she was named as a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and began her second term in 2006.^[1][4]

Austin is known for her emphasis on staying fit naturally, emphasizing that she herself exercises only about 30 minutes a day and does not skip meals. She also prefers the use of sugar and butter over artificial sweeteners and margarine, though she does emphasize portion control, proper nutrient balance, and exercise. Austin encourages people to stay fit at all ages, and conducts research with experts in nutrition, to emphasize realistic, real-life solutions to weight control and fitness.^[5] Austin supports a balanced program of exercise and proper diet, and encourages people to stay away from fad diets or "crazy claims" for quick fixes.^[6] Her exercise programs often integrate a variety of methods including yoga, pilates, cross training, and aerobic exercise.

Austin had a long-running exercise television program Getting Fit with Denise Austin on ESPN2, reruns of which can currently be seen on ESPN Classic and Altitude Sports and Entertainment. The show moved to weekday mornings on Lifetime Television where it was renamed Fit and Lite and Denise Austin's Daily Workout. Austin produced these shows each fall spending four months on location in resorts in the Caribbean and Arizona. Lifetime canceled the shows in April 2008. Austin said she was developing a new TV show later that year.^[7] It was in the planning stages for 2010.^[8][9] According to The Washington Post, Austin was headed back to Lifetime in January 2011.^[10] She is on the morning program The Balancing Act.^[11][12] Austin before had said on her website that she was getting a new show ready for debut in the fall of 2008,^[13] though the show did not debut. When she was interviewed by Erin Whitehead in 2009, it was reported her new show would be back on in the fall of that year.^[14]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Denise Austin at the Internet Movie Database
• Denise Austin: Diet and Fitness Coach at AOL Coaches