FAT BURNING – Did you know?
Today, we are going to learn a bit about the fat burning process. When our bodies are at rest, we burn both fat and carbohydrate. This makes sense as we are functioning with oxygen where both fat and carbohydrate are burned in the presence of oxygen.
At rest, under normal circumstances, most people burn about 50:50 fat to carbohydrate. The fitter you are, the greater your chances of burning fat.
There are multiple advantages to being fit including the below:
– You burn more fat at rest and during workloads
– You have an earlier onset of fat oxidation (burn more fat sooner)
– A higher threshold so you can exercise longer at a higher level and still burn fat
This is due to greater muscle mass (the muscle you have, the more the body can burn fat J)
How hard should I exercise?
High intensity exercise can be very stressful on the joints and muscles thus can interfere with a person’s fat loss program of exercising most days of the week due to longer recovery time required.
A low to moderate pace will ensure that you burn fat effectively however this does depend on the person’s fitness level. The fitter you are, the more intense the workout should be. For the fitter individual, high-intensity short intervals have a very positive impact on fat loss, as the body burns fat during the workout as well as AFTER the workout. You must ensure that you also have strength training in your regime as the greater your musculoskeletal strength, the greater you body is able to cope with the stress of interval training.
How long should I exercise to burn fat?
The longer the duration, the more calories being burned which is fantastic for fat loss.
30-60 minutes of exercise 3-5 days per week.
Do I burn fat lifting weights?
Weight training can improve muscle mass, which has a positive effect on metabolism. As we increase muscle mass, we increase our resting metabolic rate. If we lose muscle mass, our metabolic rate will go down slightly and this would be counterproductive for someone wanting to lose fat.
Tips to increase metabolism
– Ensure that you are eating consistently every 2-4 hours
– Ensure that you are having high fibre foods including a variety of low GI carbohydrates. Some suggestions are brown rice, oats, sweet potato, green vegetables and bananas.
– You may also include some dairy products such milk and yoghurt.
– Lean proteins are also essential such as fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and legumes.
– Drink 2-4 litres of water a day (the amount depends on your level of activity and body composition).
– Coconut oil is a great oil to cook with as research shows that it assists in the fat burning process.
