More people are going on diets and starting new exercise programs daily with one
thing in mind, losing weight by burning off body fat. One way to burn body fat more
efficiently is raising your anaerobic threshold. Your anaerobic threshold is where
your body begins to burn more sugars for energy than it burns fats for energy. When
you hit the anaerobic threshold you aren't able to take in enough oxygen for
your body to continue to function and your oxygen starved body starts to use its
glucagon stores as energy. This is the point where exercising at this intensity
is not burning fat and you struggle to get enough energy for your body to continue
working. It is also the point where you become winded when working out and you have
to push yourself to continue; if you do push further you find you aren't able
to keep going for very long before your body completely gives out in complete exhaustion.
Since you want to get the most out of your exercise routine you want your anaerobic
threshold to increase, meaning you are physically able to do more before your body
becomes fatigued and stops burning body fats as it requires faster nutrition for
your fatigued muscles. When you are out of shape and you haven't been exercising
on a regular basis the anaerobic threshold is quite low. You will notice that you
are more easily winded when you are out of shape. Raising your anaerobic threshold
is possible by increasing your daily activity. This will make it possible for you
to work out longer and harder as well as helping you to burn more fat. Athletes
have a much higher anaerobic threshold and they burn more fat than couch potatoes.
For fat loss you want to be working just below the anaerobic threshold so you stay
below where your workout shifts from aerobic (fat burning) to anaerobic (sugar burning).
You will want to be able to keep this up for several minutes daily, preferable at
least 30. Raising your anaerobic threshold means you are physically able to workout
longer and harder and still burn fats. You will notice you are able to still breathe
normally, or close to it, while you are working out and you will be able to do more
without having your body be completely fatigued.
You want to burn fat so you want your workout to remain aerobic. To burn fats at
the best possible rate you need to exercise at different intensities throughout
the week and push yourself to be able to do a little more without being completely
winded each week. If you are working to a point that you are unable to keep your
breath you are working too close to the anaerobic threshold and you need to lower
the intensity for now, that way you can continue to burn fat. If you are working
to reduce your body fat you should work out regularly to increase your anaerobic
threshold. This will help you to burn fat during the day, even when you aren't
working out. Starting with low intensity exercises such as walking and swimming
is a great way to improve your aerobic condition and increase your anaerobic threshold.