I’m sure you’ve all heard of many tips and tricks about burning fat. “Cheat Codes” or “How to burn fat in a week?” are many ways people try to sell something that actually does not work. So how do you actually burn fat and what are the myths? Continue reading and find out.
How To Burn Fat?
If you want to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. The calorie balance equation is simple:
- Calories consumed = calories burned + calories stored
To maintain your current weight, simply eat the same amount of food every day. If you want to lose weight (or gain), then eat less and exercise more so that more fat is burned off than gained by eating.
If you want to lose weight, the best way to do it is by eating fewer calories than what your body needs each day while also increasing activity level until they equal each other out at whatever goal rate of weight loss per week works best for your body type and lifestyle habits.
Use the above information to help you lose weight. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t notice a change in a week or two, because it takes time for your body to adjust to a new eating and exercise routine.
Myth 1: You Need To Do Cardio For Hours To Burn Fat
One of the first things you may have heard about burning fat is that you need to do cardio for hours to burn fat. This isn’t true. You can burn calories from doing any kind of exercise, so long as it’s intense enough and you do enough of it. Cardio is good for you, but not the only way to burn fat.
Cardio is good for burning calories, improving cardiovascular health and your heart rate (because it’s intense). But if the idea of spending hours on end running or riding a bike sounds unbearable—and it probably does!—then don’t worry: there are other ways to lose weight without spending all day on the treadmill (or elliptical machine).
- cardio is good for you, but not the only way to burn fat
- cardio is good for burning calories
- cardio is good for improving cardiovascular health
- cardio can be boring and hard to stick to
If you’re looking for a way to burn fat, the best thing you can do is strength train. Strength training is when you use your own body weight or external resistance (like dumbbells and barbells) to increase muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate will be—meaning that when you’re not working out at all.
Myth 2: You Will Burn Fat Faster If You Exercise On An Empty Stomach
A second myth suggests that if you exercise on an empty stomach, your body will burn more fat and less carbohydrate. This is not true. The body doesn’t care what fuel it uses; it just wants to use something. So whether you have a big breakfast or not, your body will burn whatever is available—fatty acids, carbohydrates, or protein—to fuel the workout. If anything, exercising with an empty stomach will make your workout more effective by forcing your body to rely more heavily on fat as its main energy source (1).
The reasons are quite simple: The first few hours after a meal are when carbohydrate stores are replenished and muscle glycogen (the stored form of glucose) is topped up for next time—so if you’re planning to do some serious training later in the day or evening then make sure to eat plenty of carbs beforehand so that these processes can happen effectively!
Myth 3: You Will Burn More Fat If You Drastically Cut Calories
This myth just won’t die. It’s a common idea for people to think that in order to burn fat, they should drastically reduce their caloric intake. However, this is not how your body works! Calories are not just a measure of energy but also of nutrients—and losing muscle mass can lead to poor health and slower metabolism over time. A healthy diet should include plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as proteins such as beans and tofu.
If you cut calories too much, your body will go into starvation mode and try to conserve energy. Your metabolism slows down so that it can survive on fewer calories; this means that any weight lost will come from muscle mass rather than fat tissue. There are more effective ways to lose weight than simply reducing your calorie intake.
Myth 4: It Is Possible To Spot Reduce Fat
You may have heard that doing crunches can lead to you losing belly fat. Or maybe if you do high reps of a specific resistance exercise more toned you will be in that area. That can not be further from the truth. At the end of the day, everything comes down to the amount of fat you hold on your body. Of course, if you hold more muscles on your body, you can look toned at the higher amount of body fat. But there is no actual way of spot-reducing fat the natural way. Your genetics and hormones play a major role in how your fat distribution looks like.
Myth 5: The More You Sweat A Better The Workout
You might think sweating is a sign of an effective workout—but that’s not always the case. Sweating is actually an important part of your body’s thermoregulation system and can be triggered by any type of physical activity, including running, sledding and sex. And while sweating does mean you are working hard and burning calories, it does not necessarily mean you’re losing weight—or even that your workout was good for you at all!
Don’t fall for this myth! Sweat is just one tool in the body’s arsenal to cool itself down; if it weren’t present, we’d overheat quickly when exercising or being active outdoors on hot days (like during summer). However, excessive sweating may be an indication that something isn’t right with your thermoregulation system: If this happens often when exercising or doing regular activities outside but doesn’t happen at other times of day, it could be indicative of an underlying medical condition such as diabetes mellitus or hyperthyroidism.
The best way to burn fat is a mix of a healthy diet and ensuring you are getting enough rest and recovery time after intense strength training
The best way to burn fat is a mix of a healthy diet and ensuring you are getting enough rest and recovery time after intense strength training. You also need to make sure you’re doing cardio on a regular basis, as this will help your body burn more calories even when at rest. If you want to lose weight, these four things—strength training, eating healthily, resting when needed and doing cardio—are the most important things that you can do for yourself!
Conclusion
So, now that we’ve covered all of the myths surrounding fat loss and shown you how to burn fat effectively, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get started on your own weight-loss journey!
Excellent post!