We all know the real secret to optimal health is having the right combination of nutrition, exercise and sleep. Well, the same goes for burning fat. Unfortunately, while many of us can handle the sleep part (here’s why it matters), getting the nutrition and exercise parts right can be VERY confusing. Here’s what you need to know:
 
IDENTIFY YOUR INTOLERANCES & CUSTOMIZE YOUR DIET:
One of the keys to burning fat is understanding how your body works. We all have certain foods that our bodies simply do not tolerate (as we age, this list tends to grow). One very common symptom of food intolerance is weight gain. So, if you’re going be changing your diet (and you will if you want to start burning fat), it’s important to take your intolerances into account. Naturopathic dietary wellness programs, like the HEMOCODE SYSTEM offered by Physiomed, can help with this. Hemocode uses a blood based test to identify your intolerances and also provides access to a Naturopathic Doctor to help you to develop a revised nutritional program based on the results. Of course, you’re going to want to incorporate recipes that not only reflect your intolerances but that also support your activity levels. Gourmet Nutrition, written by Dr. John Berardi, founder of Precision Nutrition, is one of the best nutrition resources available. It’s a cook book with an introduction that does a phenomenal job of breaking down very sound nutritional principles. It also has a discussion on meal plan strategies for non-exercise days vs. morning, afternoon or evening exercise days. It’s one of the few resources that relates how our body processes food to levels of activity in such great detail (here’s an online version of the introduction). Taken together, they make for an excellent nutritional component for fat burning. As for exercise…
 
FORGET CARDIO & ADD MEATBOLIC RESISTENCE TRAINING:
For many years, “doing cardio” was believed to be the best way to burn fat. However, now that we understand more about how our body reacts to different types of training, we’ve learned that steady state cardio is actually NOT the best way to burn fat. The best way is with something called metabolic resistance training (bursts of high intensity exercises with minimal rest – the component of Crossfit programs that really gets results). Rachel Cosgrove, a fitness professional who trains bikini/figure competitors and who is also a marathon runner herself, does a great job of explaining why. She explains that when she trains for marathons (mainly running with less weight training), her body fat increases, whereas when she stops running completely and focuses on Metabolic Resistance training her body fat drops to bikini model levels. Click here to check out her article. If you want to take advantage of the fat burning power of metabolic resistance training, here is a quick video that demonstrates a moderate circuit. You can make it as simple or as complex as you want using either all body weight (no equipment required) or equipment (whatever you have at home or in the gym).
 
If you’re looking to burn fat and need help with developing a program, don’t hesitate to let us know. Remember, at Physiomed, Healthier Starts Here!