Here is a myth I would love to debunk, “Carbohydrates turn
into fat if you eat too much of them”. Good thing for us that this is
absolutely not true! Sugar does not turn into fat inside your body and then sit
on top of your stomach. Rather, what happens is the excess sugar or carbs in
your body will keep you from burning stored fat, while also causing you to
store the fat you also ingest!
You must understand a few things about how our body works to
get the true message here. Our body has different options of energy to burn,
and at different times, it has different preferences. For example, when resting
or walking, the body prefers to burn fat. Fat is a great form of energy for the
body to use for all types of low intensity activities. For high intensity activities,
the body needs a faster burning more powerful calorie, and that’s sugar/carbs.
When working out with weights, or running hard, your body prefers to burn carbs
for fuel.
Now let’s backtrack a little. Your body wants to burn fat
while resting or walking, but it cannot if there is too much sugar in the
blood. The body must burn off excess carbs before getting to the fat, and this
leads me to my point! Between workouts, on your low intensity days, or when you
are resting, keep your carb intake low and you will be a fat blasting machine.
Do not make the mistake of going no-carb. Your body needs carbs for recovery
and brain function and many other involuntary functions. Keep carb intake low
means ingest only as much as you need. The amount you need is to be determined
by your lifestyle.
In order to workout intensely, you need carbs in the system.
That should be obvious. Working out, by now, should be known by everyone to
increase the metabolism. If you hate gyms, you must find ways to get your heart
rate up in ways that you enjoy. Dancing at home is a great way to get the
metabolism up. Anything is better than nothing, move your body, and you will
burn calories. Now to burn those calories from stored fat, you must regulate
your blood sugar levels.
9 Tips to help keep your blood sugar levels low:
- Of course, watch your sugar/carb intake. This
includes sweets, breads, pastries, French fries etc. Consume natural forms of
carbs (ex. fruit, sweet potato) and only as much as needed based on your
activity level.
- Eat a grapefruit every day.
- Add a tablespoon of cinnamon to a meal every
day.
- Other foods that lower blood sugar levels:
Blueberries, Avocados, Olive Oil, Chia Seed, Cherries, Eggs, and Apple Cider
Vinegar.
- High intensity interval training is a great way
to burn carbs and also keep the metabolism up. This is called the after burn
effect.
- Drink lots of water.
- Eat vegetables any time of day every day
(especially green veggies ex. Spinach, kale).
- Workout your legs. Again, by burning lots of
carbs and also increasing metabolism, this will lead to major fat loss.
Watch
what you are drinking! Lots of sugar can be found in not only soda, but also
juices and other drinks that claim to be healthy. Go for the 100% juices pre
workout.
