Fat Busting Myths

Whether you're an exercise novice, or an old pro who may be hitting a fat-loss plateau, chances are you've fallen victim to a few fat burning myths and misconceptions. The idea of working out is to maximize your results for the time you invest. So if you're working out for 4 hours per week, increasing to 6 or 7 hours may not be the answer (hint: it most likely isn't). Take a look at some of the most common fat burning myths, and see if you can get more bang for your exercise buck.

Myth 1: The 'Fat Burning Zone.' It's a common misconception that you burn more fat at lower intensity. It's not true, but the myth is based in actual science. Here's the real deal: At any given time your body gets its energy from either fat, carbohydrate, or some combination. It's true that at a lower intensity your body gets most of its energy from fat. Even right now as you sit still and read this, your body is burning more fat than anything else. But when you hit the higher intensity 'cardio zone,' your body gets a lower PERCENTAGE of its energy from fat, but a greater TOTAL AMOUNT of fat is burned than at lower intensity. (You probably knew all along that strolling along in the 'fat burn zone' wasn't doing much).

Try this: If you run/jog for 30 minutes, alternate 2 minutes of jogging with 1 minute of sprinting (or running as fast as you can handle). You'll burn a lot more calories and fat than you would otherwise. If you can go much longer than 30 minutes, you're not working hard enough.

Myth 2: More exercise is better. Quality rules over quantity, and you should NOT workout 7 days a week. As I mentioned above, you must increase and modulate your intensity in order to be effective. If you've hit a plateau or just aren't getting results, mix it up! Doing more of the same exercise will yield more of the same results.

Try 4-5 days per week of cardio and weightlifting.  Do some higher-intensity aerobic work along with basic strength and weightlifting exercises using free weights or machines, whatever makes you feel comfortable (interval training). And ALWAYS consult your physician before beginning an exercise program.

Myth 3: I'm trying to lose weight so I shouldn't lift weights. The opposite is true. If you're trying to lose fat, you MUST lift weights. For women, weight training will not make you big or bulky. For men and women, you will get leaner and stronger, and the added muscle tissue will help raise your metabolism and burn fat more easily. Study after study has proven that cardio and weightlifting get better results than cardio alone. Emphasize proper form, don't lift more weight than you can handle, and progress slowly. Rome wasn't built in a day; nor will your dream body.

Myth 4: I should eat less. This is a tricky one. If cutting calories is a good thing, drastically reducing your food isn't, especially when you exercise. It's a simple equation of calories in vs. calories out: you must burn more than you intake to lose weight. But no healthy adult should eat less than 1200 calories per day, and if you're exercising vigorously, you probably need a lot more. If you can, work with your trainer or nutritionist to put together a healthy eating plan that fits accordingly to your new exercise routine. Remember, be in tune with your body and it will guide you to exactly what you need.

Thanks Anthony! For more training tips and information go to Anthony's website at www.nycfit.com

Enjoy!