How to Burn Stored Fat

There are two kinds of fat in our bodies. There is the fat we need, essential fat, and the fat we don't need, stored fat. Essential fat helps our bodies function correctly and is responsible for carrying nutrients to our vital organs. Stored fat might have been useful when we had to hunt for our own food, and went for a long time without eating, but in modern society it is merely useless, unsightly baggage we carry around because we aren't burning enough calories. To burn a pound of body fat you must expend 3,500 calories. There are ways to burn stored body fat and make your body an efficient calorie-burning machine.

How to Burn Stored Fat

1. Fat-burning heart rate: To determine your fat-burning heart rate, have a stress test performed by a doctor or get an exercise physical done at the gym. This test also can be found online and will give you a general idea of your maximum heart rate for burning fat, based on your age and resting heart rate.
2. Exercise: Do aerobic exercises that raises your pulse to the heart-rate level or above the heart-rate level in your fat-burning zone. The higher the intensity of your workout, the more calories and fat you will burn.
3. Weight training: By building muscle you increase your metabolism. When you increase metabolism, the body burns more calories--even at rest. To increase muscle mass, lift weight until you have difficulty doing the last repetition. Also do full-body workouts with weights that include the arms, legs, chest and back.
4. Increase protein: Carbohydrates are converted to sugar and then to fat if they aren't used by the body for energy. Limit carbohydrate intake to fewer than 40 grams per day for maximum fat-burning. Consume foods high in protein.
5. Drink water: Water helps flush out toxins that accumulate with fat buildup. Water also will help make you feel full and dampen your appetite. Increase your water intake to at least six 12-oz. glasses a day.
6. Sleep: Get plenty of rest. Your body can't perform at its optimal level if you aren't rested. Fatigue leads to overeating and fat accumulation. Your body needs recovery time to prepare for the next fat-burning session.