Imagine a fit and healthy you

We’ve all heard of the ‘Fat Burn Zone’, but what exactly is that? Exercising in the fat burning zone refers to the concept that if you exercise at a moderate intensity with a lower heart rate and at a slower pace, you will burn more calories from fat. Sounds great… but when all is said and done, it’s just not true! Let me explain why with this example. Two ladies weigh 130 pounds and both exercise for 30 minutes on a treadmill. The first lady is working at 60% exercise intensity, at 30:00 she will burn 146 calories, half or 76 calories are from fat. The second lady is working at an exercise intensity of 80%, in 30 minutes she will burn 206 calories, and 82 are from fat! As you can see, the second lady burned slightly more calories from fat, but the total calories burned were a much higher number. Remember that 1 pound is equal to 3,500 calories, if you eliminate 3,500 calories either through diet or exercise you will lose 1 pound. For the average person, the bottom line in weight loss is the number of calories burned or eliminated, not their source.

That leaves us with the questions “How hard should I be exercising?” and “How can I find that out?” There are many scientific ways to determine the intensity of your exercise, including; VO2 max and oxygen uptake, maximum predicted heart rate for age or metabolic equivalents (METS), but the easiest way is to use the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) scale. It is a simple scale from 1 to 10; where 1 is effortless and 10 means you can’t possibly do another rep. What I like most about the RPE Scale is that you are listening to your body. Next time you’re on the treadmill, increase your speed every minute until you hit 9/10 on the RPE scale, then you’ll know how to judge how hard you’re working out by listening to your body. The RPE scale works for cardio and strength training physical exercise.

Follow the RPE guidelines below and listen to your body when you train. No equipment necessary!
RPE 1-2: Very easy – you can converse effortlessly
RPE 3: Easy: can converse almost effortlessly
RPE 4: Moderately Easy – you can converse comfortably
RPE 5: Moderate – conversation requires some effort
RPE 6: Moderately Difficult – Conversation requires a lot of effort
RPE 7: Difficult – the conversation is challenging
RPE 8: Very difficult – conversation is very difficult
RPE 9-10: Maximum effort – basically no talking

For the best possible physique results, forget about working out in the fat burning zone and work as hard as you can!