The Truth About Aerobic Exercise and Fat Loss...

Aerobic means with oxygen.  You will often hear the words aerobics and cardio interchanged within the fitness community.  The purpose of doing aerobic exercise is to make your body have a need for more oxygen so that you can burn fat.  Fat is a slow burning fuel that requires oxygen.  When the right amount of oxygen is delivered to your muscles, your muscles can easily burn fat and use it as energy.

During aerobic exercise, your body goes through several stages before it reaches the point where you are burning fat. You will hear people say that you are only burning sugar (carbohydrates) not fat during the first 10 minutes of exercise; but you will continue to burn sugar past the 10 minute mark if you are not working out hard enough for your body to want more oxygen.  

However, if you exercise too hard you are not allowing enough oxygen to get to your muscles to help burn fat for energy during the exercise.  You will know if you are working out too hard especially if you are breathing heavy and trying to catch your breath.  When you are working out at this higher level, your body requires more oxygen than you are able to supply it.  Therefore, your body will start to burn carbohydrates in order to keep up with the demand for more energy.  So to burn fat during an aerobic workout, you must exercise at a steady pace.  To burn the most fat during the workout, make sure that you are taking in enough oxygen (do not hold your breath), by working out hard enough to create a need for oxygen.   

The above two paragraphs are very true when it comes to aerobic exercise, but it is only half of the truth…    

The other half of the truth is the fact that aerobic exercise is a waste of time if you want to burn fat fast and get a lean muscular body.  This is because once the aerobic workout is over, you stop burning fat. 
Many people don’t realize that there is a way for your body to continue to burn fat after the workout.    

That way is through anaerobic exercises such as intervals and weight training.