The
"Fat-Burning Zone" Myth
By Greg
Landry (Sincere thanks to Greg for letting me reprint this
article here!)
You've probably heard it,
"you have to exercise at a lower intensity to burn more
fat.. to get in the "fat-burning zone." guess
what, it's a myth!
Here's how it got started.
Your body is always "burning" a mixture of
carbohydrates and fat for fuel. This mixture tends to
contain a little more fat during lower intensity exercise.
Somebody took this to mean that a lower intensity workout
was best for losing weight.. not so!
1. It all comes from the
same "pot". It doesn't matter if you're burning a
little more fat or a little more carbohydrate at any
particular time in your fuel mix. It all comes from the same
calorie pool. The bottom line is, how many calories are you
burning.
2. Moderate intensity
exercise actually burns more calories in a given time
period. For example, you may burn 200 calories during a 30
minute low intensity exercise session and 300 calories
during a 30 minute moderate intensity exercise session.
Bottom line.. burning more calories is better for weight
loss.
3. Moderate intensity
exercise increases your basal metabolic rate (BMR) more than
lower intensity exercise. This means that you'll burn more
calories 24 hours-a-day.
4. Here's the one I like!
Moderate intensity exercise gives you a better
"high"! You know, the "exercise high"
you get when your body releases endorphins and adrenaline.
This can really elevate your mood and is great for people
who are depressed.
So, how can you know how
intense your exercise is? Your heart rate is your body's
"speedometer" and an excellent gauge of exercise
intensity.
Here's how to calculate
your target heart rate range for moderate to high intensity
exercise:
The most accurate way to
determine what your heart rate range should be while your
exercising, is to use the Karvonen equation:
First, determine your
theoretical max heart rate (Max HR) by subtracting your age
from 220.
Next, determine your
resting heart rate (Rest HR) by measuring it first thing in
the morning in a seated, resting position.
Then, determine the lower
end and upper end of your target heart rate range:
(Max HR - Rest HR) X .50 + Rest HR = lower end
(Max HR - Rest HR) X .80 + Rest HR = upper end
For example, if you are 40
years old with a resting heart rate of 60:
Lower end of range
220 - 40 = 180 (Max HR)
(180 - 60) X .5 + 60 = lower end of range
120 X .5 + 60 = lower end of range
60 + 60 = 120
Upper end of range
220 - 40 = 180 (Max HR)
(180 - 60) X .8 + 60 = upper end of range
120 X .8 + 60 = upper end of range
96 + 60 = 156
So, in this example, your
"aerobic training zone" or "target heart rate
range" would be 120 to 156 beats per minute. That means
that for the majority of your exercise session, your goal
should be to maintain your heart rate within that range. If
you are just starting your exercise program, you should be
at the lower end of the range. As you become more
conditioned, you can move up in the range.
This will help you to get
the most benefit from the exercise you do.
Get movin'! :)
Note: Be sure to check with
your doctor before starting or making changes to your
exercise program.
Author and
exercise physiologist, Greg Landry, offers his free, "Fast,
Healthy Weight Loss" newsletter at his site:
http://www.Landry.com
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