All the right moves for fat burning

BY NICK KIMBER, SPORTS SCIENTIST, SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES, DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2004

So you're working and playing hard, but what are you getting for your efforts? Are you doing the right activities at the right intensity to access stored body fat and burn it off? Sports scientist and champion mountain biker Nick Kimber has some advice on how to make the fat-burning breakthrough.

Most of us are aware that regular physical exercise is of utmost importance for successful weight management. Following an exercise program is critical for long-term reductions in fat mass and maintenance of muscle tissue. Keeping active has also been linked to a reduced incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and some cancers.¹

In response to a regular exercise program, we improve the ability of our exercising muscles to use fat as an energy source. If you also train in the "fat burning zone", that is, at a low to moderate exercise intensity, you might have heard this will maximise your fat burning potential and be the secret to your fat loss success – absolutely not!

Here is the key to achieving your weight loss goals from regular exercise:

The percentage of calories that you burn from fat during a workout doesn't matter! For maximising fat loss, the TOTAL amount of calories that you burn while exercising is the most important factor.

To achieve maximum calorie burn, your two most important considerations are the kinds of activities to perform and the level of intensity.

Whole body aerobic exercises are the best fat burners because they involve large muscle groups and thus maximise energy expenditure. Examples include walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, rollerblading and rowing.

These activities are ideal and should be performed continuously for around 30 minutes at an intensity that you would rate as being between "somewhat hard and hard" (13-15) on the RPE Scale. This measure is the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion, a respected method of determining physical intensity. If you have a heart rate monitor, aim to work somewhere between 70 and 85 percent of your maximum heart rate.

For those who are not accustomed to exercise, start with 15 minutes at a somewhat hard intensity and then gradually increase up to 30 minutes of vigorous exercise. Follow this simple exercise recipe and you'll be looking and feeling great!

Be sure to include both carbohydrates and protein in the mix for your recovery period. Consuming foods high in carbohydrate after moderate-to-high intensity exercise does not appear to reduce your fat burning capacity.² This means that when you replenish your muscles after working out with a carbohydrate-protein food such as Protein Revival or Protein FX, your muscles will still be burning more fat than if you worked out at a low intensity.

Exercising at a higher intensity not only increases your calorie expenditure for a given duration but, coupled with optimum recovery nutrition afterwards, you will also receive the added benefit of burning more fat after you've finished working out!³ The increased fat burning after exercise is associated with a higher metabolic rate and will result in greater calorie expenditure throughout the day – all of which will lead to a negative energy balance (when energy output exceeds input) and an overall reduction in your fat stores.

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