Fat Burning Myth Debunked

The "Fat Burning Myth" has plagued people ever since weight loss has come to the forefront of people's minds. How do I get rid of all this pesky body fat? I want a short cut to have this stuff packing!

So what is the trick? Well let's discuss both sides of the coin. Low Intensity Exercise Burns More Body Fat. True! However, its not the most efficient method of shaping up. Fat requires a lot of oxygen for it to be utilized as a fuel source. A Max Heart Rate of around 125 or between 40 and 50% appears to create little if any oxygen deficit, allowing the body to use as a primary fuel source stored body fat.

Great, so you are burning fat directly. Why then aren't the masses so fit and healthy? The problem is with the intensity. Low intensity exercise may directly burn fat as a fuel source does little else to effect the rest of the body or create more work that will raise your metabolism. Why should I care? Shortly after the exercise ends, your oxygen is replenished, and very little recovery will take place over the next several hours if any. Why not? I was burning fat wasn't I? Yes you were, however you'd have to exercise for a much great period of time to mobilize enough body fat to see any noticeable results.

There is an example of the same person walking a mile and running a mile. Both people burn about the same amount of calories for arguments sake. What's the difference? The person running the mile can likely do so in about 15 minutes if they are out of shape while walking the mile could take as long as an hour. The person running the mile has burned that same amount of calories in a lot shorter time. They're not however using stored body fat as an energy source as they were creating an oxygen deficit. Is that a bad thing? At higher intensities because the body does have enough oxygen to perform the movement it turns to the muscles in an "anaerobic", without oxygen, state to produce movement. Depending on the intensity, the body will have to repair muscle that was used during the run, elevating the individuals' metabolism for up to 72 hours.

To bring the message home to my readers, you end up burning more body fat indirectly. The muscle tissue that was effected needs to be repaired and built up and increases its energy requirement. Simply stated, it will need more calories to do the same amount of work as it did previously. Muscle is much more metabolically active whereas body fat is very inactive. A great way to think about this is by thinking of muscles like the stock market...Lots of Activity! Fat is like a low interest savings account...it will take a long time to see any real results.