New studies have shown this, the best way to burn fat and lose weight that way is to do low intensity exercises i.e. walking outdoors maybe?
In the past, I and with me many other people have thought that the best way to burn fat and lose weight was to do either high intensity cardio workouts like running, sprinting or spinning. Other people suggested lifting weights or other gym activities towards building more muscles. But a study in Nutrients Magazine shows that this is not the case. The best way to burn fats, according to the study, is to keep a relatively low hearth rate for an exercise for 30 to 60 minutes.
What is the reason behind this?
The intake of food
They’ve found that when people exercise hard for a work out, sometimes referred to HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), people get hungry. The result of this, after such workouts, is that people eat and snack more. As you can imagine, this might not be the wanted effect of the training.
Your body will feel hungry tough, and it will try to replenish the used energy during your workout.
The energy usage
What they’ve also seen is that when you work out hard, the energy in the body will be drawn from calories stored and not your fat recourses. There is a rule you can keep, to make it a bit easier for you.
Keep your heart rate between 50 to 70% of your max
They’ve found that the optimum fat burn happens when your heart rate is between 50 to 70% of your maximum. An easy way to calculate your max is using the following formula:
200 – your age = your maximum. For example, mine is 220 – 30 = 190. To be burning optimally, I would need to stay between 90 and 133 bpm.
In summary, is walking good to burn fat and lose weight?
The answer is yes -walking can help you burn fat and lose weight. But there are some things you need to know in order to make sure your walks are effective for burning fat. Here are four tips for maximizing the benefits of walking when trying to lose weight or burn fat
- Make sure your walks are brisk enough – aim to walk at a pace that gets your heart rate up to that 50 to 70%.
- Walk as often as possible – try to walk every day, if possible, for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Vary your routine – mix up your walks by going different places, varying the speed and intensity, and adding hills whenever possible, this will also make it a bit more fun.
- Supplement with other forms of exercise – while walking is great, it’s not the only form of exercise that can help you lose weight or burn fat. Try incorporating strength training, cardio exercises, and healthy eating into your overall routine for best results.
Results
When you take to account for the above, results in the study show that without changing much of the lifestyle or diet, people lost 1 to 2 kilos a month. If you would also change your diet, eat healthier and snack less, the results can be bigger and come faster.