Workouts For Fat Burning

If you are trudging towards middle age with a belly flopping embarrassingly in front of you, you may have decided that you need to lose that flab. Killing yourself on the treadmill at the gym everyday may help you lose weight, but if you wish to see the belly disappear and have your abs make a long overdue appearance, you may have to re-design your workouts for fat burning. Whether you are at rest or pumping iron in the gym, your body is producing energy from two primary sources – carbohydrates and fat. The proportions of carbohydrate and fat the body uses to produce energy depends on a number of factors but intensity of your workout and the length of time you perform it for are two important influences which you need to consider to optimise a workout for fat burning. There is a misleading term used in sports science called the fat burning zone. This term is sometimes applied to low intensity workouts such as walking, in which the proportion of energy produced from fat is maximised. Therefore in theory, low intensity (60-80% of your maximum heart rate) activities should be the best workouts for fat burning. However, although you may be burning a higher proportion of fat than carbohydrate, the total number of calories you burn will not be as high as that used in higher intensity activities such as running. For example, you may need to walk for over an hour to burn the same amount of fat calories running for half an hour would achieve. It is the total number of calories burnt which is important, rather the proportion of fat used. Bearing this in mind a good workout for burning fat should include a mix of moderate to high intensity routines such as running and swimming for between 30-60 mins, three to four times a week. Regularity and consistency are key if you wish to lose weight and body fat. Interval training, which involves alternating periods of high and moderate level activity, has long been a staple of athletes and professional sports men and women and has been shown to be very effective at shedding body fat. Your workout for fat burning will be ineffective if you don’t watch your diet too. Eating certain foods that help burn fat such as berries and nuts can actually help your body burn relatively more calories than foods which are high in processed carbohydrates. These foods help burn fat as they require a comparatively large amount of energy for the body to process them. In addition to this, drinking lots of water helps the liver metabolise stored fat into energy more efficiently. It is important to realise that it is the total number of calories you burn which will influence the amount of fat you lose. Getting hung up in the ‘fat burning zone’ may leave you disappointed when you don’t see that belly fat disappear. It is low intensity activity such as walking which use calories in the ‘fat burning zone’ and if it is this kind of activity which makes up your exercise routine, you will have to consider extending the time you carry it out for in order to meet your fat loss goals.