Go The Distance

Some of us run for fat burning benefits and others run to train for long distance runs such as marathons.  Fueling our bodies is important for both, but different kinds of fuel work better depending on our goals.

For long distance running, carbohydrates go a long way.  Complex carbohydrates keep a steady flow of energy in our bodies to help us endure throughout the race.  Foods such as pasta, whole grain breads, oatmeal, sweet potatoes and legumes go a long, long way.

But for those of us who run as exercise and to burn fat, fueling our bodies is a little different.  Rather than loading up on carbohydrates, eating more protein is much better.  When we burn fat we do not want to burn muscle.  Muscle keeps our metabolism running at an optimum rate.  To retain muscle, we need protein.  Also, when we eat carbohydrates before a run, we use those carbohydrates for energy as described above.  When we do that we burn those carbohydrates and never get to our fat reserve.

No matter what your goals, remember to maintain a healthy diet at all times.  For more information on healthy eating and more on a healthy lifestyle, check out. . .

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Eating Healthy On A Budget

Eating healthy isn’t as expensive as you think.  In fact, when you consider doctor bills to treat high blood pressure form eating too much salt, high cholesterol from eating too much fat and obesity from eating too much bad food, you are saving more than money when you eat healthy.

When you shop in season for produce, you can get fresh fruits and vegetables at a great cost.  So don’t buy blueberries in the winter, try another berry such as the raspberry.  In fall, try squashes.  And onions, garlic and celery are always in season and cheap.  Did you know that eating celery burns more calories than it adds?  The reason is that celery has little to no calories and is mostly water.  Your needs fuel for digesting it and therefore burns fat reserves.

Frozen fruits and vegetables are flash frozen and retain their nutrients in addition to their taste.  Not the soggy vegetables and fruits of yesteryear, try stocking up on your favorites.  Frozen blueberries pack a huge punch with antioxidants and can be bought frozen year round.

For some great information on eating right, exercise and more healthy info check out. . .

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Interval Training

We are always looking for the best way to burn fat with the least amount of effort.  It is often hard to find hours to go to the gym with work, family, etc.  But we do it so we can look good.   Well with interval training, it is possible to work out a shorter amount of time, and actually burn more fat.

Interval training works on short bursts of high intensity exercise followed by a short rest period, repeated.  There are variations in the length of time for each, but all accomplish more than a steady 40 minute high intensity work out.  There are a few interval training work outs that only require 15 to 18 minutes total time.

You start out with a 5 minute warm up and then interval train with intervals of 2 minutes high intensity, 2 minutes low intensity, or 1 minute high intensity, 30 minutes low intensity or 1 minute high intensity, 2 minutes low intensity and the most dramatic, 20 seconds high intensity, 10 seconds low intensity.

If you notice there are different ratios and there are different theories on each, but one thing is certain, they burn a load more fat than walking on a treadmill for an hour at the gym.

For more info on healthy workouts, foods and more check out. . .

Bigg Health