Burning The Fat

“There is no passion to be found in playing small – in settling for a life that is less than what you are capable of living”. Nelson Mandela


We spoke last time about the difficulties we sometimes face in deciding what we really want and sticking with until we achieve the desired outcome and how these problems are linked to the image we hold of ourselves. Hopefully you have internalised what we spoke about last time and have a solid foundation on which to start building the dream.

As the title of this entry suggests we are going to look at burning fat and I will share with you the most effective means of doing just that. I said in my first entry that we would not be discussing ‘dieting’ or ‘losing’ as the former suggests being deprived of something and the latter causes us to search for what we perceive we have lost, either scenario is unlikely to result in success. Instead we will hold an image of ourselves that is both believable and desirable and we will commence working toward that image so let’s get started.

The Lessons after the Experience!

I started running late 2004 just coming up to my 44th birthday, I hadn’t run in earnest since my school days which came to an end on or just around my 15th birthday and my first attempt was not a great experience!! I ran about 200 yards down one side of the park opposite where I lived at the time and I was spent, I couldn’t breathe and I was exhausted; up until May that year I had been a 30 to 40 a day smoker and it showed!! I could walk for miles and not think about it but was totally taken aback by how ‘unfit’ I was.

I was not prepared for running, I did not understand the dynamics or mechanics, was not prepared mentally or physically and did not have the appropriate attire and I suffered for my ignorance. My first relief came through a discussion with a work colleague and seasoned runner Charlie or Droz as we like to call him. At this stage I was running about 5 or 6 months and badly it has to be said!! Charlie took me under his wing and arranged to take me for a run, it was the first time I ever ran six miles and was a massive experience and huge lesson to me. Up to this particular point running was torture to me although I stuck with it as I knew that it was the only likely form of exercise I would ever undertake (the gym or swimming were not for me) but it did not bring any great pleasure.

We set out at a pace much slower than I was accustom to, I was a fully paid up member of the ‘no pain no gain’ school as are so many others and was rarely disappointed particularly on the pain side of that equation but this felt great. I did the six miles much to my surprise and enjoyment albeit I was still tired and needed a lay down later that afternoon – never told Charlie that with him being ex army and all.

Being a student of human potential this one event fanned a spark into a flame and true to form I had to know how much more was possible which was very timely as the damage I had done through not knowing was about to manifest itself by way of shin splints and the next 13 to 14 months was to prove torturous, without the flame I think I would have abandon running during this period.

When I did get back on my feet and started to cover greater and greater distances, I am talking the difference between 6 and 12 miles here, but was not a believer that I would actually ever participate in a marathon which I viewed as the greatest of mass human events on the planet that was reserved for true athletes although I will admit I may have been momentarily intrigued by the possibility. Perhaps the primary reason for my lack of belief was fatigue, my recovery rate was by now good but I would always feel tired and as soon as I hit resistance by way of the smallest of inclines my energy would be drained – I had not yet discovered the sources of energy we are discussing here. I guess like most things we have to have the experience first and then seek out the lesson and I did just that!

The Energy Store

You may be looking at this and saying ‘hey Liam I just want to get fit I’m not that concerned with reducing fat’ well that’s great if you are because what I am talking about is fat as an energy source and what I am about to reveal to you is the best of both worlds – a sure fired way to reduce fat whilst getting fit and all without the pain. So how do we do this? Well let’s look at our make up in terms of calories.

The average person will have approximately 165,000 calories of which 2,500 calories are sugar, 23,000 are protein and the remaining134,500 are from fat. The 2,500 from sugar we will refer to as the high octane energy source and the 134,500 from fat as the candle source.

Sugar based fuel is the choice of ‘fight or flight’, it is used when there is a sense of urgency and it provides for a quick anaerobic burst of energy the kind sprinters would require or we would use to flee danger. Dependency on this fuel source will not aid you in distance, it will make you more tired more quickly and is more likely to cause you to produce fat than reduce it. Exercise produce fat well how can that be?

It’s to do with acidity, not all people you see that are overweight are that way because they eat too much, or that they are lazy in fact many of them will tell you they eat moderately and exercise but it all seems to go to the waist or hips and working out doesn’t seem to shift it. This is a topic that deserves a discussion on its own and I have one planned for just for that but for the purpose of this entry it is enough to note that the body’s defence against acid is fat and sugar converts to acid. The other element at play here is that you only have 2,500 calories at your disposal, not much when you look at the energy provided by fat.

As ‘fight or flight’ triggers sugar burn the opposite is true of fat burn, slow and calm is what is required here and this is the realm of aerobic exercise. For fat burn breathing and awareness of your body and the world that surrounds you is king.
This is where you create energy not expend it; this is the home of production.

Having 134,500 calories available to you is what takes you the distance, it is your ultimate source of energy. When you tap into this source you are releasing energy the kind that keeps you going throughout the day without feeling you could do with a nap in the afternoon. The most common causes of fatigue is a high sugar based diet with an over reliance on caffeine and if, as I did, you combine this with anaerobic exercise you will be working hard to stand still or even worse you may do your body more harm than you would by doing nothing in the first place.

We are going to talk more about this later but for now get out there either walking or running and take it slow. Stick with your breathing low to the belly is best just like a baby breathes and give some thought to what crosses your lips – no harm to consider that both in and out. Just as importantly work on the image of you already in possession of your goal and try and spend time doing this daily. I could write volumes on this but we have enough to be getting on with, anyway it is about quality not quantity so I will stop here.

Next time we will look some more at the benefits of aerobic exercise and the impact it has on all your vital organs.

Until then,

Live out Loud

Liam