Focus on Fat Burning

I came across a short article today at http://www.womensfitness.co.uk/fitness/835/how-lose-fat, which got me thinking about my personal experience since I first started Insanity in March. This is not a groundbreaking article by any stretch, but I think it gets a lot of things right, and focuses attention on what you need to do to burn off fat. I wanted to comment on a few points

First point: refueling the body is not a license to pig out after a workout. Yes, when doing high-intensity exercise, you need to increase your caloric intake proportionally. But food choice and portion control are critical issues. If you don't maintain a reasonable calorie deficit, the weight will not go away. This is where my earlier attempts to drop weight went off track.

Second: High intensity interval training scorches fat. It continues to do so even after the workout s over. I had tremendous success with Insanity, which emphasizes HIIT, and I doubt I would have had equal success with another workout program. There are a lot of other quality programs out there, but I needed the intensity that this one offered (but note - if you've never really done this type of workout before, I would recommend starting with a lower intensity HIIT program).

Third - muscle-building promotes fat loss. As a woman, I don't want to look like Schwarzenegger in his heyday. But most women won't bulk up like that, even when lifting heavy. I love the look of a strong physique, plus it helps maintain achieved weight loss. My next program will combine cardio with weights (Chalean Extreme), in preparation for the dreaded P90X during the winter.

The last point from the article I want to emphasize is pylometrics (jumping). There's a lot of Plyo in Insanity, and I think it's one of the reason the program can be so effective. But it's essential to concentrate on form and control when you start incorporating Plyo into your workouts (especially for us in the over-40 crowd).

Workout report

This morning I finished FocusT25 Alpha Cardio. I pushed through and felt pretty good when I finished. Tomorrow I'll be up early for a double. (I have mentioned that I'm not a morning person?)