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.
