Whether your goal is to lose or gain weight, you must burn fat for overall health benefits as well as physical appearance. As mentioned on the homepage, a smokin’ body has little body fat, which allows for great muscle tone and definition plus overall good health.

Burning fat is the key to muscle definition, because if there is a layer of fat covering your arms or legs or even abdominals, you will struggle to see any tone in these areas.

How can I burn fat, you ask?

Fat Burning Exercises!

1. Perform low to moderate intensity aerobic workouts for an extended period of time in order to get a great workout and burn fat. Jogging at a moderate pace for over a half hour is one example of a fat burning workout.

You may think, not another boring treadmill workout, but don't. Aerobic fat burning exercises can be enjoyable.

A high intensity workout will also help you burn fat, so if you are physically able to perform intense training, go for it. Interval training is one popular form of training that can be used to burn fat in a shorter amount of time. Aside from burning fat, aerobics offer other health and performance benefits, and will contribute to a well-rounded fitness plan.

2. Weightlifting is another great form of exercise utilized to burn fat. This exercise is knows as anaerobic exercise. It has been said that additional muscle mass burns more calories than body fat while resting.

Weight training will allow you to burn fat during your workouts, as you will be putting stress on your body and burning energy (calories).

One major benefit of weight training is the metabolism boosting properties. If you train hard, you may boost your metabolism for several hours following your workout.
This means you will be burning more calories even during your recovery time!

Note: Aerobic exercise is sustained over a long period of time, while anaerobic exercise goes in shorter bursts. While both will allow you to burn calories, the consistency of an aerobic workout will be more efficient for fat burn.

What should I eat?

While exercise is important for fat loss, nutrition is of equal or greater importance. You may train harder than anyone in the world, but if you fill your body with unhealthy, fatty foods, you will not see improvements in body fat.

Simply put, you should put together a meal plan that is adjusted to meet your goals. It doesn’t really matter if you goals are weight gain or weight loss because either way you will be eating similar foods just in different quantities. Here is a list of fat burning foods to incorporate in your meal plan. Steps to Burn Fat through Nutrition:

1. Burning fat all comes down to your metabolism, which basically determines the energy you burn while at rest. The types of exercise listed above will help boost your metabolism, and smart eating can as well.

2. No matter what your goals may be it is best to spread your meals out between 4 to 7 meals daily. Supplying your body with nutrients every couple hours will allow you to keep your metabolism in high gear.

3. Limit your intake of foods high in unsaturated fats. Avoid fast food as much as possible, because the majority of food items are high in unhealthy fats.

4. Limit your intake of flavored drinks. Regular soda, coffee, and many juices are often high in calories, while offering you little nutritional benefit. These are called “empty calories.”

5. Drink more water. As you put strain on your body through exercise, you must continue to hydrate to make up for water loss. Overall, a consistent supply of water to your body is necessary to maintain health.

6. Slow down when you eat. If you eat slower, you will have time to digest and will fully realize what you are putting in your body. Although it sounds funny, try eating with chopsticks, which will force you to eat slower.

7. Use your common sense when preparing meals. Most people have some understanding of what foods are healthy and what are not. Try to fill your shelves with healthy foods, so you have plenty of choices.

As with any effective fat loss program it all comes down to a balanced diet and smart portion control.
Fat Burn Recap:

Burning fat is essential for any fitness plan, for it will allow you to build a healthier body and improve your physical appearance. Two major components will help you achieve your goals:

1. ExerciseJust get out and run or bike. Any sustained exercise will put you on track toward achieving your goals.

2. NutritionBe smart about what you eat. Eat in moderation, and eat often. On top of that drink enough water to stay hydrated over the course of the day. A balanced diet is an essential part of any fat loss program.