ESTABLISHING THE PROPER
PHYSIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT
FOR WEIGHT LOSS
While releasing fatty acids from fat cells is an important part of establishing the correct hormone environment for weight loss, that is only part of the process. The real objective is to oxidize those fatty acids once they have been released into the blood stream. Oxidation means the fatty acids have been burned as fuel and therefore won't be circulating back to the fat cells to be stored again. This is why establishing the optimum physiological environment is so important. The objective of your exercise routine should be to maximize oxidation of the fatty acids being released from the fat cells. In Chapter 5 I tell you the best physiological environment for weight loss, which involves exercising at a specific percentage of capacity, or maximum heart rate, at the same time that the hormone environment has maximized the level of fatty acids available for fuel.
HOW YOUR BODY CREATES FUEL FOR ENERGY
Chapter 5 explains exactly how your body creates the fuel it needs for different kinds of exercise. Clinical studies show that fatty acid oxidation falls as the work rate increases. If you double your work rate during a brief 15 minute workout, you will also change the rate at which your muscles use fatty acids for fuel. When you increase your work rate to the point where you are doing anaerobic exercise your body is no longer able to use fatty acids to fuel your muscles.These differences occur because of the way your body produces adenosine triphosphate or ATP, the primary source of fuel for the muscles. During aerobic exercise your body uses oxygen to create ATP from the glucose and fatty acids in your body. Because aerobic exercise is generally slow to moderate in intensity, the body is able to continually create ATP from both glucose and fatty acids. However, when the work rate increases, the body will turn more to glucose to create ATP because it can do so more quickly and efficiently than from fatty acids. During very intense exercise, such as in a 100 meter race, the body does not have time to convert either glucose or fatty acids to fuel due to lack of oxygen to do so and instead turns to glycogen, a carbohydrate stored in the liver and muscles, to provide the immediate fuel required for the muscles.
THE OPTIMAL WORK RATE FOR WEIGHT LOSS
In Chapter 5 you will learn how to establish the proper work rate for maximizing weight loss. If you are walking, your pace should be only slightly above your normal walking rate. There are various guidelines for establishing work rates for various exercise programs. Most are determined by estimating some percentage of maximum heart rate. The best way to establish your maximum heart rate is to get on a treadmill and determine it medically. Obviously this is not a practical option for everyone to pursue. Nor is it necessary under the EverTrim system. Common sense is what you need in order to establish the proper work rate.That is why most overweight people can do all of the exercises discussed in the EverTrim program without even becoming short of breath. You will also learn in Chapter 5 why just going from a normal walking rate to a brisk walking rate will quickly increase your heart and pulse rates to a level that is not optimal under the EverTrim program. In summary, slower is better for weight loss.
MAXIMIZING WEIGHT LOSS WITH SPACE AGE EXERCISE
THE CORRECT HORMONE ENVIRONMENT FOR WEIGHT LOSS
BACK TO: EXERCISE - THE RIGHT KIND
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