Burning Fat
15 practical fitness tips…
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OUR 1st ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
First and foremost, make sure you understand the basics of exercise and nutrition.
EXPLANATION:
For detailed information, please visit both our Health & Fitness Essentials and Nutrition pages.
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OUR 2nd ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
Be patient. Burn fat at a safe, gradual rate.
EXPLANATION:
1 pound (0.45 kilograms) of body fat is equivalent to approximately 3,500 calories – therefore, if your goal is to lose 1 pound (0.45 kilograms) of body fat per week, you would need to consume an average of approximately 500 fewer calories than your body actually requires each day, 7 days per week. This is considered a realistic, safe and ‘muscle-sparing’ rate to lose body fat. If you drop calories too drastically, you risk your body breaking down hard-earned muscle for emergency energy supplies – which will only leave you with a slower metabolism in the future, which means it will be easier to regain fat! Check your weight periodically, and adjust your level of calories and/or exercise accordingly if necessary.
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OUR 3rd ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
Participate in intense cardiovascular exercise three or four times per week.
EXPLANATION:
Intense cardiovascular exercises such as running, swimming or cycling burn hundreds of calories – which, as discussed previously, is what achieves the desired equilibrium whereby the daily expenditure of calories is greater than the average intake.
Don’t be fooled by the ongoing myth that doing cardio at a lower intensity is more effective. This myth claims that you burn more calories from fat specifically (rather than from carbohydrate or protein sources). This is actually indeed correct, however, fat-loss occurs as a result of total calories burned, not which specific source those calories come from. Therefore, because high-intensity cardio (like running) will obviously burn a greater number of calories than cardio done at a lower intensity (like walking), you should always opt for high-intensity cardiovascular activities. To quote directly from the Canadian Fitness Professional’s (Can-Fit-Pro’s) Foundations of Professional Personal Training guide: “ignore the fat-burning charts on cardio training machines”!
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OUR 4th ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
Drink a cup of coffee (without sugar) one hour before your cardiovascular training session.
EXPLANATION:
Coffee contains caffeine, which, if drank about one hour before your cardiovascular training session, will give you more adrenaline and energy to train more intensely, and therefore burn more calories. Furthermore, many studies suggest that caffeine helps the body break down body fat slightly more efficiently (to be used by your body for fuel) if consumed prior to cardiovascular exercise.
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OUR 5th ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
Keep your cardiovascular workouts between 30 and 45 minutes.
EXPLANATION:
Once your heart rate is steadily elevated, research suggests that the body takes approximately 20 minutes to switch from burning food-based calories (primarily from carbohydrates) to burning your own body fat storage for fuel – therefore, if/when you are capable, your workout should ideally last between 30 and 45 minutes in order to take full advantage of your body’s natural fat-burning state. There is no need to regularly exercise much longer than this, as it is not safe or permanent if you lose weight too quickly.
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OUR 6th ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
Try interval-sprinting.
EXPLANATION:
Although extremely tiring, interval-sprinting may be the quickest and most efficient method of burning body fat. Due to the intensity, interval-sprinting is best done outside rather than on a treadmill. After thoroughly warming up with a light jog, proceed to undertake a number of intense ‘sprints’ as fast as you possibly can (aiming for about 90% of your maximum effort if you’re already in good shape), for approximately 30 seconds if you can. After each sprint, slow down to a regular jog again (55 to 65% of your maximum intensity). Once you have regained enough energy (perhaps around 90 seconds later for a well-conditioned athlete) proceed yet again to sprinting at around 90% of your maximum effort for 30 seconds (Note: the Canadian Fitness Professionals recommend a 3:1 rest-to-work ratio). Repeat this cycle for approximately just 20 minutes (contrarily to the last Tip #5 above!), followed by an easy jog or brisk walk to cool down for 5-10 minutes. If sprinting (on foot) is not desirable to you, note that sprinting may also be done on a bicycle (known as ’spinning’ if done on a stationary bicycle).
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OUR 7th ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
Do cardiovascular activities that you enjoy, where you enjoy them.
EXPLANATION:
Some like to run on the treadmill, while others prefer the great outdoors. Some like the exercise bike, while others are happier cycling on the roads. Whatever else might suit you – swimming, rowing, stair-climbing, skipping – go with that. You’ll be much more motivated to commit to a fitness routine that you actually enjoy and look forward to. Just note however, that some activities do indeed burn more calories than others, particularly interval-sprinting. To determine how many calories you’ll burn doing specific activities, Practical Fitness Tips recommends the following Calorie Burning Calculator.
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OUR 8th ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
Listen to your favourite music while exercising.
EXPLANATION:
Not that we needed science to state the obvious, however, it has been proven that listening to music while exercising motivates people to train both longer and harder, meaning more calories burned! Turn up the volume!
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OUR 9th ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
After exercising, eat a well-balanced, nutritious meal within one hour to promote recovery.
EXPLANATION:
Many sources suggest that after any kind of exercise, there is an important one-hour ‘window of opportunity’ where the body should be fed a well-balanced, nutritious meal. This helps to promote recovery, build stronger muscles, reduce fatigue and boost your metabolism.
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OUR 10th ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
In addition to cardiovascular exercise, do weight training two or three times per week.
EXPLANATION:
The focus of a fat loss regime should not just be on the cardiovascular activity. Two or three times per week, you should hit the gym, lifting a combination of both lighter and heavier weights to prevent your body from adapting. This will ensure your muscle mass remains the same while you are in a continuous state of low calories.
Regardless of when you train and what order you do it in, you should aim to target each muscle group at least once per week. If you train twice per week, one common example is a sort of ‘push & pull’ routine. On your ‘push’ day, you exercise body parts that involve pushing – typically the chest, shoulders, triceps, and quadriceps. On your ‘pull day’, you exercise body parts that involve pulling – typically the back, biceps, and hamstrings. Minimise the amount of rest between sets, allowing just enough time to either regain sufficient strength to do another set of repetitions for the same body part, or to switch machines to exercise another body part (while ensuring your heart rate stays high throughout the workout).
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OUR 11th ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
Burn more fat by building muscle!
EXPLANATION:
Muscle mass requires more calories to sustain it than body fat does, therefore if you build muscle onto your body, you naturally burn more calories just by it ‘being there’. Try viewing these online demonstrations on various weight-lifting exercises.
OUR 12th ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
You cannot select a particular ‘problem area’ you wish to lose fat from. You have to do cardio!
EXPLANATION:
There is no such thing as ‘spot reducing’ – such as, for example, vigorously attempting to do as many crunches/sit-ups as you can with the hope of burning fat solely from your abdominal area. Since crunches/sit-ups are a form of ‘resistance-training’, they build muscle. You should do that too, however, if you want to burn fat, you need to watch your eating habbits, and participate in regular cardiovascular exercises such as running, swimming or cycling – as mentioned in Tip #3.
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OUR 13th ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
Select a workout partner carefully.
EXPLANATION:
Exercising with a partner has its pros and cons. If you decide to workout with somebody, select that person wisely. A good partner will have similar goals to you, be committed and on time, and have a similar level of fitness – so that they neither pressure you to do more than you’re currently capable of, nor hinder you from progressing. A little bit of close healthy competition however can go a long way. However, it’s good to workout alone sometimes too.
Hiring a Personal Fitness Trainer can be a great decision too, especially when starting out – yet also for ’shaking up’ your routine once in a while, and for providing timely feedback and assessments. Studies suggest that those who have a Personal Fitness Trainer achieve results 80% faster than those who don’t. A good Personal Fitness Trainer will provide expert advice on exercise programmes (and general nutrition), as well as ongoing motivation, accountability, and flexibility to suit your changing needs. If you live near Vancouver, BC and are interested in Craig’s low-fee Personal Fitness Training services ($50 per one-hour session), send an email to info@PracticalFitnessTips.com.
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OUR 14th ‘BURNING FAT‘ TIP:
Don’t overlook the ‘little things’ to further assist your fat burning efforts.
EXPLANATION:
If you’ve read our ‘must-see’ Nutrition page, you already know you must cut your calories slightly if you want to lose fat. This doesn’t mean you have to starve! When you do your grocery shopping, read the food labels and compare the number of calories contained in different brands of the same product. This is particularly true for items like olive oil, salad dressing, butter, margarine, mayonnaise, syrup, and any other sort of ‘topping’ – where different brands can sometimes contain more than four times as many calories!! Additionally, choose low-fat versions of dairy products whenever possible, and select leaner cuts of meat.
There are also a number of lifestyle changes you can make to burn more calories each day in addition to your exercise time – like taking the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator, parking your car slightly further from your workplace, shopping centre, or home – or even walking/cycling to your destinations more often, particularly for the shorter journeys.
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Resources on Burning Fat:
1) The Truth About Abs. The #1 rated abs program on the internet!
2) Fat Loss 4 Idiots. Nutritional techniques which allow you to lose weight faster than normal.
3) Weight Watcher’s Magazine. Magazine which helps millions to lose weight in healthy and holistic ways.
4) Health Magazine. Current information about medicine, wellness, diet, nutrition, fitness, recipes, and weight-loss.
5) Calorie Burning Calculator. Determine how many calories you’ll burn during certain athletic activities or even household chores.
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