Workouts To Burn Fats

from weight loss

We all have a tendency to store fat. Fat storing is a survival mechanism to protect us against the possibility of a famine. Trouble arises with the coupling of two evils - the immediate, instant gratification of our taste buds every single day plus the close-to-nil energy-burning physical activity! The end result is an energy surplus, which is efficiently stored as body fat.

Fat burn is essentially a process whereby excess or unwanted fat is "eliminated" or burnt away. It is vital to understand that fat tissues are actually made of fat cells. Fat represents one of the two main sources of fuel that support cell function in our body. The other main fuel used by the body is glucose. Fat is stored as adipose tissue around the body, while glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and the muscle cells. Both fat and glucose are present in the blood stream as products of digestion.

How is fat burnt away?

Fat burn is essentially a process whereby excess or unwanted fat is "eliminated" or burnt away. It is vital to understand that fat tissues are actually made of fat cells. Fat represents one of the two main sources of fuel that support cell function in our body. The other main fuel used by the body is glucose. Fat is stored as adipose tissue around the body, while glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and the muscle cells. Both fat and glucose are present in the blood stream as products of digestion.

It is only when the activity of energy-hungry muscle cells increases beyond certain "at rest" levels for more than about a minute that the aerobic processes kick it. Explained in simple terms, the body uses aerobic processes that combine oxygen (supplied by breathing in more air rapidly) with either glucose or fat to generate energy to sustain the increased activity.

What would constitute aerobic exercise,you may ask. Well, these are the exercises or activities that have the potential to burn fat as a fuel. Examples include brisk walking, swimming, cycling, jogging and roller-blading. You will notice that these activities use all the large muscles of the body, namely the arms, legs and back - for extended period of time.

"Fat burning" means using the stored fat as a fuel to support the body function, thus reducing total body fat, which is the result desired by many people. Essentially, this involves burning more calories each day; be it from stored fat or stored glucose, than are replaced by calories consumed as food. To a large extent, that is how weight loss can be achieved. Coupled with appropriate exercises that burn fat and build muscle, this form of weight loss is more sustainable as compared to mere dieting.

Low to moderate intensity aerobic exercise

Low to moderate intensity aerobic exercises tend to burn fat. For those who are new to regular exercise, or who are returning to exercise after a break, they can work towards performing low to moderate intensity aerobic exercise for at least 20 to 30 minutes, for 4 to 5 days each week. This is a practical and safe manner to burn body fat. In addition, it is better to exercise for a longer period rather than only managing a short time at a higher intensity. This approach offers other significant benefits such as reducing the risk of heart diseases and Type 2 diabetes.

Performed at moderate duration and combined with careful planning in diet that induces a slight energy deficit rather than an energy surplus, low to moderate intensity exercise is an effective tool in weight reduction and weight management for many people.

High intensity aerobic exercise

The high intensity aerobic exercise is more suitable for those who are more active, or have an established level of physical fitness. However, this approach is not usually practical for people who are beginning, or returning to regular aerobic exercise. It is interesting to note that even though high intensity exercise tends to burn stored glucose rather than stored fat, performed for an extended period of time, say 30 minutes - the total calories burned (irregardless of fat or glucose) will be higher than the calories burnt in 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise.

In other words, the harder you exercise in your given amount of time, the more calories you will burn, and that includes after you have finished, and when you are recovering.Thus, if you have moved beyond a beginner exerciser's level of fitness, aiming to perform regular aerobic exercise at high intensity could be a more useful guideline than simply continuing to exercise at moderate intensity.

Tips for controlling body fat

• Increase your metabolic rate.Diet changes aside, an exercise induced lifestyle will certainly increase your metabolic rate, and inherently burn more calories than a sedentary lifestyle. In contrast, it is also widely believed that markedly reducing the amount of calories that you consume will signal a state of upcoming starvation to your body. When this happens, you body simply adjusts by slowing down your metabolism and trying to conserve fat.
• Tone your muscle to burn more calories. Muscle cells consume many times more calories than do fat cells, at rest. A kg of muscle will burn 50 to 100 calories a day compared to 5 to 7 calories a day for a kg of fat. In fact, one of the best ways to increase your percentage of muscle tissue, and hence, your metabolic rate, is to do a strength training routine 2 or 3 times each week, in addition to your regular aerobic exercise.
• Burn more energy than you consume in calories, bud don't focus exclusively on calorie restriction. To reduce total body fat, focus on increasing your physical activity, rather than drastically decrease the energy you consume as food. As fatty foods are energy dense, selecting low-fat options is a wise method to limit unnecessary calories in food. Try not to cut out fat altogether. Moderate fat intake is still fine, but do limit intake of saturated fats. These are the fats that are present in foods of animal origins such as meat or butter. As a guide, a weight reduction of half to one kg per month is recommended. Losing more than that could be an indication that you are losing muscle instead of body fat. If you are overweight or obese, and are considering a restricted calorie diet, speak to a dietician for professional advice.