Aerobic Exercise: Top 5 Reasons To Get Physical. Become a “Better Fat  Burner”, Make Fat the Fuel of Choice!!

Research shows exercising in specific target heart rate zones is the most productive way to improve cardiovascular health, maximize your workout time by preventing both under training and over training, and reduces the risk of injury, disease and burnout.

“Aerobic exercise” is also known as fat burning exercise because in the process of combining oxygen with the nutrients your body becomes more efficient at burning fat as its primary fuel. During aerobic exercise your body learns to favor fat over carbohydrates and this gives you several advantages. Fat is a much more efficient fuel, providing more energy than carbohydrates per gram, and it is abundantly available even in thin persons. Carbohydrates in contrast are found in limited supply in the body and when you burn carbohydrate your muscles produces lactic acid which leads to fatigue and the dreaded bonk!

But what is your “optimum target heart rate” for exercise. The only way to determine your optimal fat burning zone with any precision is to undergo a simple metabolic test called a VO2 Analysis. This test takes a “snap shot” of your physiology while you exercise and tells us the most productive exercise intensity i.e. when you are burning the most fat. . These precision metabolic tests will produce an exact personalized heart rate prescription from which to design your activity program for optimal results. Because each person’s metabolism is unique to their personal physiology, Phase IV metabolic testing is the only way to accurately determine your proper heart rate training zones. Eliminate the guess work and frustration by training with science!

Working to maximize your Aerobic Base is a process of educating your muscles to utilize fat as a resource.

Top 5 Benefits to aerobic training exercise:

1. You will look and feel better as a fat burning metabolism will reduce your body fat and provide better energy levels.

2. Improved protection from heart and vascular disease as you develop a stronger network of blood vessels called capillaries that deliver oxygen to the heart muscle

3 Decrease fatigue: As your body adapts to precision heart rate training you will start to use more fats to meet your energy requirements during workouts and every day activities and therefore produce less lactic acid.

4. Stronger Heart: Prolonged aerobic exercise training Increases the volume of blood being pumped with each heart beat which results in a lower heart rate.

5. Improved performance for all sports, activities and daily tasks. Less reliance on carbohydrate metabolism and the corresponding lactic acid production means you can go longer, faster and stronger than before.

In summary, by training aerobically you will not only be able use fat as fuel but you will be able to work harder for a longer period of time before fatigue sets in. Remember to work in a recovery day each week and one week a month, so to avoid overtraining and injury. The key is to TRAIN SMARTER NOT HARDER!

By Aishea Maas, Phase IV Director of Exercise Sciences