| The human body is a wonderfully crafted mechanism | | | | bodies need. |
| that has developed, evolved, and refined over | | | | As far as diet is concerned, you will need to minimize |
| thousands of years into the condition we all share | | | | carbohydrate rich foods, whilst you maximize foods |
| today. But it does still retain many of its original traits | | | | high in protein. Protein gives you the strength that |
| that were sort of inbuilt safety mechanisms, and | | | | you need, whilst carbohydrates gives you energy. |
| storing fat is an example of one such throwback. | | | | The problem with carbohydrates is that when |
| Here in this article we are going to look at ways that | | | | unused, it is these that turn into stored fat. |
| we can train our bodies to burn stored fat, but | | | | Some carbohydrate is also essential, but you should |
| before we do, let's just explore the concept of body | | | | choose complex rather than simple carbohydrates, |
| fat a little further. | | | | because this will help to keep your potential daily fat |
| Our bodies contain two basic types of fat; essential | | | | production lower, thereby helping your body to burn |
| fats, and stored fat. Essential fats pretty well speak | | | | stored fat instead. |
| for themselves; their significance is in what they are | | | | The other important things about training your body |
| called, "essential" fats, and in simple terms we must | | | | to burn stored fat are regular exercise, and your |
| have this sort of fat to enable our bodies to work at | | | | body's metabolic rate. Your metabolic rate is the level |
| optimum levels. | | | | at which your body burns fat when it is at rest. The |
| Stored fat however is quite a different proposition, | | | | higher you can get your metabolic rate, the faster |
| and as intimated above, it is a throwback to the | | | | you will burn off fat. The way to get your metabolic |
| times when food wasn't as plentiful as it is today, (at | | | | rate higher, is through regular physical exercise. |
| least in the modern West), when it acted as our | | | | However, physical exercise doesn't have to be |
| "safety cushion" to provide nourishment until out next | | | | exhausting. If you are simply looking to lose weight, |
| meal came along. But with food in abundance and | | | | then regular gentle aerobic exercise will suffice quite |
| little danger of starving, teaching our bodies to burn | | | | nicely. Aerobic or cardio exercise is exercise that |
| stored fat is a great way of losing weight, and | | | | stimulates the heart and lungs and makes them work |
| keeping fit and healthy. | | | | a little harder. There are charts that you can |
| I guess that by now we all know where fat comes | | | | download from the web that show you the desired |
| from. It is simply the result of ingesting more calories | | | | heart rates, (dependent on age, gender and weight), |
| than we spend in maintaining good body function, and | | | | that signify you have reaches the aerobic or cardio |
| carrying out our chores on a daily basis. | | | | heart rate area, at which your body will burn stored |
| By changing the balance between how much we | | | | fat. |
| ingest and much we use, we can burn stored fat, | | | | The truly awesome thing about aerobic exercise is |
| and get our weight back under control. But bearing in | | | | that it increases your body's metabolic rate even |
| mind that all fats are not bad, (remember those | | | | whilst you are asleep, so your body will be trained to |
| essential fats?), it is also important that we eat a | | | | actually burn stored fat whilst you are catching up |
| healthy well balanced diet to make sure that we get | | | | with a few zzzzz's. How cool is that? |
| all the essential fatty acids and nutrients that our | | | | |