Fat Burning Secrets for Women
ByKelli Calabrese
Body Fat Distribution
Women bear almost double the amount of body
fat as men, primarily to help them carry and
nourish babies. Fat is the major energy source
needed for fetal development and protection.
We have no control over where the fat cells
decide to swell and shrink.
The fat cells in the lower body,
where women tend to put on inches, are
more prone to fat storage. The fat cells
in the upper body, where men tend to carry
extra weight, are more prone to releasing
fat. Women who have dieted will notice
that as they lose weight, body fat starts
melting away from the upper body first,
followed by the persevering lower body
fat.
Yet the reverse is true when gaining
weight. The fat cells in the hips, thighs,
butt and abs will enlarge first. Woman
who have yoyo dieted for years have an
upper body that is disproportionately
smaller than her lower body.
Hormones
During pregnancy and the menstrual cycle,
hormones encourage water retention in
the fat cells. The excess fluid slows
down circulation and makes it even more
difficult to mobilize fat.
The progesterone in women’s bodies affects
appetite and mood. It causes hunger during
the second half of your menstrual cycle
and is responsible for the ravenous appetite
experienced during pregnancy. Progesterone
also causes sluggishness and sleepiness
making one less inclined to exercise.
Women who take birth control pills gain
on average 3 - 5 pounds as a side effect.
Pregnancy
Throughout pregnancy, fat cells in a
woman’s body not only expand, but often
multiply in number. When the pregnancy
is over, those fat cells remain and are
always ready to enlarge when the body
takes in more calories than it uses. In
addition, the thyroid gland, which drives
the metabolism, becomes notoriously sluggish
during pregnancy to help the body hold
onto fat. Not surprisingly, after two
or three children, the weight loss dilemma
may be compounded.
Menopause
During peri-menopause (the 10 years prior
to menopause), women begin producing less
estrogen, which is a protective hormone.
We also begin to sleep less and our appetite
becomes stimulated. As peri-menopause
begins, fat tends to accumulate around
the waist and chest, increasing our risk
of heart disease.
Aging
Beginning in the mid-20s, women lose
an average of about 7 pounds of muscle
mass each decade (compared to 5 pounds
for men). To make matters worse, non-exercising
women typically gain 1 -2 pounds of fat
a year - for life. And the fat gain number
can be much higher depending on lifestyle
choices.
So, by your mid-40s, you have probably
lost close to 15 pounds of metabolically
active muscle and replaced it with over
20 pounds of lethargic fat - and that’s
conservative! Your metabolism has dramatically
slowed and your body composition has changed
in unfavorable proportions.
To make matter worse, if you have dieted
(I imagine you’ve attempted one or two),
you have accelerated the muscle loss process.
Dieting without exercise can lead to 25%
to 28% muscle loss.
Aging also makes excess fat harder to
hide. As skin begins to lose its elasticity
and sag, it has a harder time containing
fat cells, giving the skin a rippled appearance
often referred to as cellulite.
Why Men Have It Easier
Testosterone stimulates bone and muscle
growth. Men don’t lose testosterone as
fast as we lose estrogen. Men have more
muscle, more bone minerals, and tend to
eat about 35% more calories than women.
Men also respond faster to exercise training.
Although men don’t generally live as
long as women, they start and end with
more bone, more muscle and more testosterone
compared to women. By the time a woman
is 60 years old, she probably has 20 to
30 pounds of muscle on her frame -IF she’s
not exercising.
Women also face many social and emotional
challenges, which can lead them to become
a slave to the scale, avoid exercise for
fear of bulking up and fall for spot reduction
and quick fix solutions, all of which
only compound the problem, These fears,
misconceptions and bugaboos, which hold
so many women hostage, could easily fill
a book, but let’s skip over all that and
talk about solutions that DO work.
Now that you understand the special physiological
challenges women face, let’s talk about
how to overcome them to attain the strong,
trim, fit body you really want.
Exercise is the key to fat burning. If
you do one thing incorporate 2 - 3 strength
and cardio workouts into your weekly routine
using the following 10 tips. The results
are guaranteed!
Here are my top 10 fat-burning secrets
for women.
1. Warm up before a strength training
session - Warming up increases blood flow
to muscles by about 55%, giving you better
muscle contraction. You’ll sweat earlier,
which helps to regulate your body temperature.
It also jump starts the neuromuscular
connection which initiates the release
of carbohydrate and fat enzymes and hormones
while reducing your perceived exertion
during strength training. Just 5 minutes
of walking or cycling will meet this requirement.
2. Vary your cardio exercises - Alternate
between two or more cardiovascular activities
like walking and cycling or kickboxing
and step aerobics. This will help to optimally
develop your cardiovascular fitness, maintain
the element of fun in exercise, help you
avoid over-training, as well as injury.
Bottom line, you will expend more calories.
3. Incorporate several cardio techniques
- Use a combination of continuous, interval,
circuit and Fartlek (speed play) training.
Changing techniques forces your body to
adapt and become more efficient. Vary
the intensity and modify impact styles.
For example, if you have been walking
the same path at the same pace every day,
begin to incorporate bursts of acceleration
intermittently. The underlying principle
is that change is what keeps the body
progressing, making improvements and burning
fat.
4. Plan your workouts in Phases - Organize
your workouts into a cyclic structure.
For example, for two to three weeks, exercise
at a lower intensity for 45 to 60 minutes,
and then, for the next two to three weeks,
do 20 to 30 minutes at your highest intensity.
The following 2 to 3 weeks go at a moderate
intensity for 30 to 45 minutes. This system
allows you to maintain a high level of
fitness and not over-train. This cycling
of workout structures will help your body
become more efficient at fat burning
5. Circuit Train - Perform several strengthening
exercises interspersed with a short cardio
segments. For example perform a leg press,
lateral pull down and abdominal crunch
followed by 3 minutes of cycling. Then
repeat another 3 strength exercises followed
by 3 minutes of walking. Circuit training
has a lower dropout rate, is an efficient
calorie burner, increases muscular strength
and decreases body fat.
6. Strength Train with Multi Joint exercises
- Choose exercises that work compound
muscle groups - meaning more than one
muscle group at a time. This will give
you the most mileage per exercise. Examples
include squats, lunges, and push ups.
For every pound of muscle on your body
you need 35 to 50 calories per day to
sustain it, while every pound of fat on
your body requires only a modest 2 calories
per day.
7. Exercise first thing in the morning
- Morning exercisers have a higher likelihood
of showing up. Later in the day, the odds
that you’ll skip your workout increase
as interruptions arise and fatigue sets
in. Morning exercise also helps regulate
your hormone response, telling your body
to release fat and kick start your metabolism.
8. Eat a "primer" meal prior to working
out - Having a small balanced meal prior
to exercise will help you burn fat. After
you eat, your blood sugar rises and exercise
acts like insulin to help regulate blood
glucose. Eating will also give you the
energy for a more intense workout - you
will therefore burn more calories.
9. Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day - Food
has a thermic effect, meaning it takes
energy (calories) for your body to digest
the food you eat. Eating several times
throughout the day increases the thermic
effect, so you burn more calories. Eating
more often also keeps you from feeling
like you are being deprived of food and
prevents hunger from setting in, which
can cause you to binge eat.
10. Train with intensity - To get the
full benefits of exercise, you must graduate
from the "pink weights" and moderate walking.
Do not be afraid to increase your resistance
and challenge your muscles and cardiovascular
system. In order to change, you have to
push your physical limits beyond what
you are accustomed to.
I am going to leave you with a bonus
secret regarding hydration. In order for
fat to be metabolized, it must first be
released from the fat cell and then be
transported by the bloodstream where it
is shunted to the liver and other active
tissues to be used as fuel. If you are
in a dehydrated state, the liver has to
come to the aid of the kidneys and can’t
focus on it’s role of releasing fat. (See
chapter x on hydration)
To sum things up, you really can attain
a feminine, firm, fit and younger appearance
regardless of your age or inherited traits.
You can overcome any weaknesses and trouble
spots to a certain degree with balanced
and symmetrical strength, cardiovascular
and flexibility training, combined with
making nutritious food choices.
Focus on being the best you can be. A
lean and healthy body is both realistic
and achievable.
Kelli Calabrese MS, CSCS, 2004 Personal
Trainer of the Year. Kelli is an Exercise
Physiologist, International Presenter,
Spokesperson, Lifestyle Coach, Weight
Management Expert, and Online Trainer.
She holds 3 exercise related degrees and
19 Fitness and Nutrition certifications.
She is the author of Feminine, Firm &
Fit - Building A Lean Strong Body in 12
Weeks. For more information go to http://www.KelliCalabrese.com
or call 908-879-1469. e-Mail: KelliCalabrese@comcast.net
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