Saturday, December 8, 2012

Burn Fat or Calories - What Is the Difference?

There are several benefits that women can derive from regular workout routines and exercise routines. Of course, the very popular goal of weight loss is one of the them. In addition, there are many health benefits to working out and exercising. Prevention of heart disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes are a few. There is also the joy and pleasure - what I like to call the "Happy Factor" - that come as by-product of being healthy. With the aging process it can seem more and more difficult for women 40 and above to keep weight off. To maintain or lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle it is paramount that women exercise on a regular basis. But, for many, it may seem that what you did to stay fit and strong only a few years ago, just doesn't have the same effect anymore.

The Weight of a Calorie Does one calorie weigh more than another. Well, technically no. But, you can look at it this way:
When you do basic every day activity you burn energy (calories). These types of activities are using basic sugars/carbohydrates as their source of energy. If, however, you don't happen to use all of those sugar calories up with your daily activity your body stores them as fat.

To burn this stored fat you must introduce oxygen to your body, i.e. - aerobic activity. The reason this "weighs" so much more is that it takes approximately 20 minutes of aerobic activity to get to a fat burning state and then you need to maintain that same level of intensity to actually get that fat burned. One way to avoid this is to do short, intense workouts, daily. These mini workouts can help you burn the calories before they are stored as fat.

But - Wait I need to lose weight!

OK, so lets just say that you feel a little bit beyond the "preventive" mode of not allowing these calories to be stored as fat. What if you feel you already have some unwanted pounds and you want to lose weight?

I'm sure I won't be the first to say this, you already know, if you want to lose weight you'll need to follow workout routine. What you may not know, is that it needs to include exercise that is aerobic as well as weight baring. This will supply that much desired oxygen to the system.

Workout Properly for Burning Calories vs. Fat When choosing your workout routine you'll want to make sure it is balanced and includes strength training, flexibility, and cardiovascular exercise. You can try implementing aerobic activities like running, walking (fast - pace), hiking, and - of course my favorite: dancing, to increase your supply of oxygen.

Strength training increases your muscle strength and even burns additional calories while at rest by developing lean muscle mass.
Cardiovascular training will support you heart health and endurance.
Flexibility training will assist you in functional daily movement, joint health, and range of motion.
Core Strengthening will provide support to you lumbar (lower back), help you develop strong, sleek abs, and assist in balance as well. 

The numbers of exercises you can add to your health training plan are infinite. Ideally, you'll want to design a specific workout routine based on your goal, and abilities. You can choose a 3 day routine, a 5 day routine, or (another favorite of mine) short intense workouts, aka Mini Workouts, almost daily. The possibilities are endless and they all lead to a healthier, happier you!

Be sure to reach out to me if you need assistance in developing your workout routine or short workout - mini workout plan!

Dance • Fitness • Motivation

Patty Rose

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patty_Rose
" I Always Do My Best to Give you the Best "

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