In order to effectively burn fat and build muscle, it helps to understand a little more deeply than just the surface level how exercise and metabolism work. Though many people have a pretty good idea about this topic, there is still room for errors and misconceptions. This article will examine and set straight a few such errors with an eye to helping you burn the fat and build the muscle you want more consciously and efficiently.
Here's a common misconception: that the only thing the body ever metabolizes is fat. This idea sets up the conclusion that if you simply starve yourself, or eat only something like salad, and do, say, a lot of aerobics, you can simply burn up the fat, leaving you leaner and more muscular. There are a number of things wrong with this idea.
The main problem here revolves around protein. The fact is that your body is just as willing to burn protein as it is fat. And when it senses it is not getting enough protein it is potentially more willing. In an attempt to get hold of essential metabolic substances, it finds the protein it already has - your muscles - and digs into that. This may even result in weight loss in a simple sense, but what's being lost is as much muscle as it is fat, or even more.
This kind of program often results in a "thin yet flabby" sort of physique, or at least a leaner more sinewy look even if the muscles are toned and strong. This kind of physique it is harder to maintain as a weight. This is because built up muscles require a continuous metabolization of fat which works in the long term, while thinner or smaller muscles don't require as much, meaning that more of it will get stored as fat. So the thinned out muscles are in less demand of energy both by virtue of the smaller volume as well as by the drawn out demands of long, low intensity workouts. What really burns fat is muscle building.
A related misconception is that eating less fat is always a good approach. When you don't eat any fat your body stores the fat it has as a future reserve. This means that, again, it will be willing to burn muscle rather than fat. Your body is essentially trying to keep a balance between fat and muscle, both of which it needs. So as you can see, the errors come in a sense from the oversimplified idea that fat is "bad' and muscle is "good." The body needs both and uses them for different purposes.
So the logic here is that both fat and protein are essential and it is only a question of the amount. The body even needs a small amount a saturated fat, which people are always saying to reduce in your diet. They are right in saying this in the sense that we usually get much more of this kind of fat (and usually fats in general) then we need or is suited to our caloric energy expenditure, but it may give people the impression that saturated fat is something to be avoided at all costs. Not at all. The body needs it and needs fats as fuels for both its muscle building and muscle expenditure.
Another thing to keep in mind is that when muscle gets built it requires more energy to run. Fat can considered the raw fuel, and muscles can be thought of as the machines that use it. So a shift in thinking can occur when you begin to see it this way: Focus on building muscle in the positive sense rather than burning fat in the negative sense and you'll be on the right track. As the muscles get larger and stronger, they will naturally burn more fat for their increased energy requirements, as long as they don't get the sense that they will run out.
The basic attitude shift that's necessary to get beyond misconceptions about exercise is to consider all the food groups as basically working together. Carbs provide the quick energy, fat the stored energy, and protein the raw muscle building material. So get going building some muscle, which will burn fat just by virtue of the calories it requires, and reduce fats so that it doesn't get added back on. Use the carbs for boosts, complex rather than simple carbs if possible. Do some serious muscle activity and get all your nutrition in the right proportions and you'll be on the right track.
Visit Burn Fat Build Muscle to get hold of the proper eating plan and work out routines so you can easily carry out your goals. To Burn Fat and Build Muscle you simply just have to keep to the best eating plan and work out routine. One fact that every person must also understand is that it requires time to Burn Fat Build Muscle.