Unless you are a small part of the population who loves exercise and can’t get enough of it (aka ‘freaks’), chances are you exercise because you think it’s the right thing to do and you feel guilty if you don’t. If you’re nodding your head furiously, read on. By maximising the amount of fat you can burn in each and every workout, you’ll get better results more quickly. Here are five top fat burning tips to increase the effectiveness of your training regime.
1. Time your food intake
When we eat foods containing carbohydrates and protein, our body immediately produces insulin levels in our blood. The problem here is that insulin reduces fat metabolism in muscles and stops fat from leaving fatty tissue. If you can avoid eating for two hours prior to exercise, you’ll increase the amount of fat that your body burns to fuel your workout.
2. Eat regularly
By far the biggest mistake that people trying to manage or lose weight make – is to not eat enough. The key however, is to have smaller meals, more often. The optimal is about five to six smaller portions, throughout the day, including a small protein snack (e.g. nuts) just before bed. By eating more regularly, you help to speed up your metabolism, which will continue to burn fat for you, even when you’re not exercising.
Additionally, smaller portions of food are more easily digested, which means you won’t have a massive energy lag after a huge meal. You’ll also be able to better digest and therefore, absorb the nutrients in your food, which will improve your capacity to exercise longer and harder.
3. ’Oils ain’t oils’
While this was a very successful advertising slogan for motor oil years ago, it is exactly the same for our body. We became so obsessed with low-fat or no-fat back in the 90s, that we started to cut out beneficial oils known as essential fatty acids. These acids can actually help you lose weight as they dissolve fat. Of course you still need to eat them sparingly, but make sure your diet includes fresh avocados, almonds, brazil nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts… you get the idea!
4. Fat burning supplements
The range of fat burning supplements now available is quite staggering. You can choose from ‘fat releasers’, ‘calorie burners’, ‘fat transporters’, ‘fat stoppers’ and ‘gene activators’. You can also choose from pre-exercise, during exercise and post-exercise supplements. For more information, click here.
5. HIT – high intensity training
Latest research findings suggest that short, but very intense bursts of exercise can burn maximum fat, stabilise blood sugars and dramatically improve overall cardiac fitness. This school of thought first emerged about 10 years ago in the form of ‘interval training’. While the premise is the same, the number and duration of the intervals does vary depending on who you speak to. Conduct your own research and ultimately, adopt a regime that feels right for you.
If you’re serious about shedding as much fat as possible during your workouts, there are a number of strategies to help you. By adjusting your diet, adding in supplements and modifying the type of exercise you do, you’ll be well on the road to a lean, sculpted physique.
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