With COVID-19 lockdown relaxed in most places, people are getting out of their homes. Some are aiming for leisure, while others seek fitness. Either way, it's good for health, both physical and mental. Particularly, if we are still maintaining the COVID19 Guidelines of protection & prevention.
Coming back to the subject. The stillness, reduced physical activity, changed dietary habits, and work from home culture has made us gain that unwanted weight, and most of it is that fat. In the wake of the relaxed norms and to get back the original self, we are all trying to change our lifestyle.
One of the most common goals at this point is how do we burn that extra fat?
The answer is not as simple, but not that complicated too. Our bodies never stop using the energy, even when we are sleeping or resting. But this amount is tiny and not enough to lose weight, particularly fat. Let's apply some of the basic principles of our bodies' thermodynamics, for an easy understanding of how our body uses different fuels to extract energy for cellular functions.
Leaving the nitty-gritty behind and sticking to the basics. First, we need to know that fat burns slowly while carbs burn fast. That means fat can handle the slow and steady gradual need for energy. But, the acute need for high-energy switches gears to use carbohydrates as the front line energy source. So, what is your goal? To burn that fat slowly or burn the carbohydrates quickly? There is always a fine balance to maintain.
If you would like to burn that fat, your exercise has to be mild to moderate, steadily prolonged without making you breathless. For example, steady on the treadmill or bicycle or jogging or any other fitness activity just enough to keep you in the fat-burning zone.
But how do we know we are in that fat-burning zone? For that, most trainers use a very easy calculation, using parameters like your heart rate and monitor the ease of breathing. Resting Heart rate + Maximum Heart Rate - Resting Heart Rate / 2. Let's say for the sake of calculation your resting heart rate is 70 / min and the maximum heart rate you can reach on a treadmill or a sprint is 130 / min then you will have to find your sweet spot of fat burning with a simple calculation using the formula above. here it would be 70 + 130-70 / 2 = 100 / minute. That's 50% of the threshold (Max Heart Rate - Resting heart rate) above your normal heart rate. An ideal range is 50 to 60%.
This is just a theory and an arbitrary calculation in the case of healthy adults and not a universal recommendation, because everyone is different, physically and genetically. The goal is to be able to maintain the breath but not able to hold a conversation or speaking since the airway will be busy breathing.. Once your heart rate reaches above this range, body fat can't burn fast enough to provide the energy needed and our metabolism will shift to using carbohydrates primarily or also known as sugar.
The best example of this energy dynamics would be automotive. If you drive with a steady speed, you will get better mileage, but if you push hard on that gas pedal you will get the speed but eventually compromise with the overall mileage. In a nutshell, don't try hard to lose the fat. Just be consistent, slow, and steady in whatever exercise routine you have, and you will see the long-lasting outcome.
Wishing you a Healthy Life.
Disclaimer: The personal views and opinions in this article are purely for informational purposes only and are not meant for any diagnosis, treatment, or medical condition management. Professional guidance is required for any maneuver related to an individual’s health and wellness needs.
