Exercise and fat burning
Physical activity is a very important part of our lives and should be a regular part of our week.
Being active provides us with feelings of competence and boosts our self esteem. This then leads to more motivation and increases the desire to continue on a weight loss strategy.
So many people associate weight loss with “need to go for a run”, but we need to educate people that it’s not all about that. Aerobic exercise (running, cycling, jumping, etc) is effective at reducing body fat in overweight people. However people must realize that resistance training and aerobic training appear to be the most effective.
Along with reducing the level of fats ingested in our bodies hence these then storing in our bodies, we need to ensure we are burning fat (‘fat burning’) and completing this the correct way.
“Fat burning” has different phases such as;
1. Burn preferred fuel first
before the body begins to use fat as an energy source, it must first use blood sugars and glycogen (a form of carbohydrate stored in liver and muscle tissue). Before the body can burn fat as an energy source, it needs to be converted; therefore the body always chooses to burn carbohydrate and glycogen stores before beginning to burn fat.
This is why we need to reduce sugar in our diets, because if they stay high they will impact on your ability to burn stores of fat.
Your workouts should be 60-70% of your maximum heart rate (220-your age = max heart rate)
*If you’re working out at a higher rate, your body cannot cope with burning fat, it’s just trying to survive and keep blood pumping through your body. It then doesn’t have time to “burn fat” because it’s main job is to keep the body alive. So keep workout at a lower heart rate.
2.Fat burning
Once the body has used up the majority of its available blood sugar and glycogen stores, it moves on to burning fat as a fuel source. This is when your body will burn fat by simply just moving around. Greater amounts of fat can be used for energy production. So keep your level of intensity low for around 20 – 30 minutes so as your body burns fat. (weight training, swimming, walking)
3. Continued fat burning
your body will continue to burn fat providing you do not fuel your body with carbohydrates within the next 15 minutes after your workouts have been completed.
You must have a nutritious meal after this time so as your body recovers and your blood sugar and glycogen stores can replenish. This meal should be based on protein and complex carbohydrates (vegetables and fruit). You will maintain good health this way and be ready for your next workout.
Please note – alcohol provides a large number of calories which will affect fat loss results.
