Burn FAT not MUSCLE

Here are some things to think about and understand as you create goals for yourself as it relates to your Health and Fitness. You need to match your fueling strategies that match your goals. It takes a combination of Food and exercise to maximize the results. Exercise is an important component in making sure you are maintaining your muscle mass. Here are three things to be aware of when creating goals for yourself.....

1. The Body: The body uses ATP to fuel work. (Adenosine Triphoshpate). The body has enough ATP to fuel 5-10 sec of work before it starts to breakdown macro-nutrients to create more ATP. The easiest macro-nutrient to burn is SUGAR. After several minutes of work the body will begin to burn FAT for energy use.

Note: The body will ALWAYS burn sugar first.

2. Exercise Efforts: There are two different exercise efforts Low-Intensity and High-Intensity.

High-Intensity: Known as Anaerobic- without oxygen. Examples: Weight-lifting, Tabata, HIIT and Sprinting. High-Intensity has a lot of unique effects on the body.

1. Post-exercise oxygen consumption- the body burns Kcals re-synthesizing ATP

2. Body burns Kcals restoring oxygen.

3. Increase of core temp and heart rate, increased respiratory rate and thermogenic effects of FAT burning hormones as Epinephrine

Low-Intensity: Endurance workouts are aerobic. The effect on the body is to burn FAT as fuel once you get through the available sugar.

Note: You burn FAT during low intensity, aerobic workouts but the benefit from High-intensity exercise occurs predominately after the workout.

3. Need to Fuel right for the workout

High-Intensity Days

Remember your body burns sugar 1st. On high-intensity days the optimal situation is that you consume protein to rebuild muscle and carbohydrates to burn as fuel. Insulin is a power hormone that stimulates protein synthesis and it also releases blood sugar for energy use.

Note: Complex carbs should be consumed well before a workout and especially after. (I will post about complex carbs later) The body needs the insulin for protein synthesis after the workout is complete.

Low-Intensity Days

FAT burn for energy. For the best results on these days keep your fat intake to 20% of total Calories and the same for Carbohydrates. On longer aerobic days avoid foods that trigger insulin release......simple carbohydrates.......AVOID them!!

Note: Low-intensity days try to keep your heart rate between 105-125 BPM.

Remember ALWAYS focus on the long, slow discipline and healthy approach to fuel and exercise. Make it a lifestyle not a quick fix for the short-term.