When you are looking for ways to lose weight, you may have heard about the term “fat burning zone”. This is a concept that has been around for some time. It was first coined by Dr. Jack Kruse in his book, “The Fat Burning Zone”, which was published in 1982.
The theory behind this concept is that your body’s metabolic rate (how fast it burns calories) is not fixed. It is based on your current level of activity and how much energy you are expending. If you are sedentary, your metabolic rate will be slower than if you are active.
If you are more active, your metabolic rate will increase. This means that you can burn more calories in less time. The result is that you can get rid of more fat in less time. This is what makes the “fat burning zone” so popular.
There are several ways to increase your metabolic rate. You can do this through cardio, strength training or interval training. All three types of exercise are effective, but they have their own benefits and drawbacks.
Cardio Exercise
Cardio exercise is usually done on an elliptical trainer, treadmill or stationary bike. It can also include walking, jogging, running or swimming. The goal is to keep your heart rate up during the exercise. Your heart rate should be between 60% and 85% of your maximum heart rate.
Strength Training
You can also increase your metabolic rate with strength training. There are many different types of exercises, including pushups, pull-ups, squats, bench press, dips, dead lifts and others. These exercises work your entire body. They help build muscle, which is where most of your metabolism comes from.
Interval Training
Interval training is a combination of cardio and strength training. It is a great way to increase your metabolic rate. Instead of doing long, continuous cardio sessions, you alternate them with short bursts of high intensity exercise.
This type of exercise can be done with any type of cardio machine, such as an elliptical trainer, treadmill, stair climber or stationary bike. Interval training works your entire body, and is a great way to burn more fat.
How To Find The Fat Burning Zone
To find your fat burning zone, you need to know how much energy you expend. This can be measured in calories. Most people use the equation below to calculate this.
Calories burned = Resting Metabolic Rate x Activity Level
Your resting metabolic rate is the number of calories you burn when you are at rest. Your activity level is determined by how active you are.
For example, if you are sedentary, your resting metabolic rate is going to be low. If you are very active, your resting metabolic rate is likely to be higher.
Once you have your resting metabolic rate, you can then determine how many calories you are burning during your activity level.
Example:
Resting Metabolic Rate: 1,500 calories per day
Activity Level: Sedentary
Total Calories Burned: 1,500 calories x Sedentary = 1,500 calories
Now you can see that you will burn more calories if you are more active. This is because your resting metabolic rate is higher.
You can also calculate how many calories you are burning by using the equation below.
Calories Burned = Total Calories x Body Weight
You can use this equation to calculate how many calories you are consuming while you are sleeping.
So, if you are eating 3,000 calories per day and you are sedentary, you are going to consume 9,000 calories per day.
If you are eating 3,000 and you are active, you are only going to consume 6,000 calories per day. This is why it is important to monitor your calorie intake.
The best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn. When you do this, your body will begin to burn fat instead of muscle. This is because your body needs calories to function. If you don’t eat enough, you will start losing muscle and gain fat.
If you are interested in finding out how many calories you are burning each day, you can use the equations above. Or you can buy a calorie counter online. They are very easy to use.
