FAT BURNING

LETS GET TECHNICAL... SORT OF... When a person begins and maintains a new exercise regimen and limits calorie intake, the body does two things to “burn fat.” First, it uses the energy stored in the fat cells to fuel new activity. Second, it stops putting away so much for storage.

at The OUTDOOR ATHLETE we believe that a knowledgeable athlete is more likely to succeed in their journey than someone simply shooting in the dark with their goal... 'Fat burning' is the buzz word... maybe its even become a little taboo over the last decade to mention it, favouring 'STRONG as the new sexy' as we agree, believe me... WE AGREE! But with most of our members aspiring to reduce body fat, increase lean mass and feel great, lets not beat around the bush, lets tell it as it is... that's what a good coach does, apparently!

HOW DOES THE BODY BURN FAT?

At The OUTDOOR ATHLETE we offer a balanced training program throughout the week to maximise your potential to be the best all round athlete you can be... lean, mean and more confident in your ability! So how do I actually burn fat... discarding the Sudo science where I only eat lettuce, or only run marathons, how does the body actually burn fat???

Lets keep it simple.... kind of! The brain signals fat cells to release the energy packages, or fatty acid molecules, to the bloodstream. The muscles, lungs and heart pick up these fatty acids, break them apart, and use the energy stored in the bonds to execute their activities. The scraps that remain are discarded as part of respiration, in the outgoing carbon dioxide, or in urine (so basically you breathe it out or pee it out). This leaves the fat cell empty and renders it useless. The cells actually have a short lifespan so when they die the body absorbs the empty cast and doesn’t replace them. Over time, the body directly extracts the energy (i.e., calories) from food to the organs that need them instead of storing it first.

As a result, the body readjusts by decreasing the number and size of fat cells, which subsequently improves baseline metabolism, decreases inflammation, treats disease, and prolongs lives. If we maintain this situation over time, the body reabsorbs the extra empty fat cells and discards them as waste, leaving us leaner and healthier on multiple levels.

Adult women generally need between 1,600 and 2,400 calories per day, and adult men generally need between 2,000 and 3,000 calories. Taller, heavier, or more active people will be at the higher end of each range. Too many calories equal fat... DONT OVER COMPLICATE IT and quite frankly, any trainer trying to convince you of anything else is probably overcomplicating things, although we do respect that clinical issues, age etc will have an impact on output. When you eat too many calories each day, the excess calories (or energy) have to go somewhere. Your body stores these calories by turning them into body fat. Do fewer calories equal less fat? It’s not that simple. Once your body has stored away fat, it won’t burn away that fat if you only cut back on calories. You have to give your body a reason to use the stored energy.

The other common misconception is that you only need to weight train... not true in our opinion. A combination of exercise styles including resistance training for strength, which will help you stay injury free, boost metabolism (although perhaps not as much as the fitness industry would have you believe) aerobic, aerobic threshold and anaerobic threshold are all desirable when building a great all round athlete and of course... reducing body fat.

Strength training is an INVESTMENT in your body. It will keep you injury free and ensure that you can move more consistently, for longer periods at faster speeds... perfect for improving your calories output, also, we all love that feeling of improvement and athletic shape. Cardio isnt a popular word any more, perhaps out of fashion, but its still just as critical in your program as resistance training if body fat reduction is your goal. Lets go back to the beginning of the article... calories IN vs calories OUT, using strength training to boost BMR (basel metabolic rate) and strength and speed.

In conclusion... KEEP IT SIMPLE! if reducing body fat mass is your goal, reduce calories by a couple of hundred per day (NOT DRASTIC) increase exercise gently and BOOM, you have started your journey!