Workout Times for Best Fat Loss Results
By Kim Lyons
How long you should you work out and at what intensity level to achieve the best fat loss results? This is a question many people have when it comes to working out and losing weight. I know that you want to maximize your time and effort to achieve the best results, so I thought I’d share my answer with you.
For the past decade, dieters and fitness enthusiasts have been mislead into thinking that lower intensity exercise is the best way to burn fat. This is likely because exercise at lower intensities primarily uses fat as the “fuel” source while higher intensity exercise uses carbohydrates as fuel.
However, the most important factor in losing fat with exercise is the total number of calories burned and not whether the calories burned are from fat or carbohydrates.
I can’t tell you the number of people I’ve trained who have refused to work hard because they were afraid it would take them out of their “fat burning zone.”
Research and our Fast Track to Fat Loss program success stories have proven, time and time again, that exercising at a low intensity to stay in the “fat burning zone” is incorrect. At lower intensities, you burn more calories from fat but you burn fewer total calories. Remember, in order to lose fat, you must create a caloric deficit. That is, you need to expend (burn) more calories than you consume. There are no exceptions to this rule.
So, whether your cardio sessions are 15, 20, 30 or 45 minutes long, the higher the intensity, the more total calories you will burn. And the more total calories that you burn, the more fat you burn.
In addition, higher intensity exercise not only burns more calories, it also elevates your metabolism more (and longer) after the workout is over. That’s right, with higher intensity exercise, you can actually condition your metabolism to work more efficiently throughout the day! Of course, be sure to exercise at a safe range for your fitness level.
I hope I’ve cleared up the confusion on exercise intensities and burning fat and I hope to see you at my weekly Live Chat.
