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Fat Oxidation During
Activity and Exercise
What is fat oxidation? Does
it help with losing weight during exercise? How do fats affect fitness and
how does fitness affect fats? Those are all great questions. To answer them,
we first have to start with how fats are stored in your body.
Lipid Definitions:
Fats are also known as lipids. Those lipids come in a lot of forms. A couple
of them are essential fatty acids and triglycerides. Essential fatty acids
are used for such important work as lubricating joints and reducing
irritation and inflammation in your body.
Triglycerides, meanwhile, are a bit different. They're used as a form of
energy to power the body. They're found in food, and, as a result of
eating
foods, they wind up in our blood plasma. For example,
carbohydrates that we
eat are often converted to triglycerides, if they aren't used quickly. Once
the conversion takes place, they travel to storage cells in our bodies.
Fat Oxidation:
Fat oxidation is a process by which the stored, giant lipid molecules are
broken back down into their smaller parts, triglycerides and fatty acids.
Why is the process necessary? Well, we eat more lipids at a given time than
we need at that time. However, we don't eat constantly all day long. So,
it's a form of time release that allows us to have energy throughout the
day.
Without the fat oxidation process, fat molecules would stay in their larger
form. The larger molecules can't be used as energy by the body, so, they
just stack up. They provide some insulation, but that's about all. So,
fat
oxidation is extremely important, if we want to function on a daily basis.
How does the magic happen? Well, our bodies are full of
hormones and it's
the job of some of those hormones to regulate the triglyceride conversion.
It's a bit like controlling a valve to slowly release air into a tire or
balloon. Without that slow release, we'd have far too much energy being
released to use at a given time and we'd run out in
times of need.
Lipid Abuse:
A lot of people think that fat is bad. After all, it's drilled into our
heads from a young age that, if we eat too many fats, we'll get fat
ourselves. The right lipids are not the enemy, though. Yes, saturated fats
and trans-fats are bad, but there are also such things as
healthy fats. As
mentioned above, the body needs fats to function, so it's not about
eliminating lipids. It's about having a little lipid control.
Too Much of a Good Thing:
There is definitely such a thing as too much of a good thing. That's true of
a lot of things, including lipids. If you take in more than you need, even
if they're “healthy” fats, they start to stock pile and store up. That's
what causes our waist lines to expand and our energy levels to drop. It can
also cause or be caused by a variety of
health problems.
Having too many triglycerides can be the root cause of a problem. In fact,
too many triglycerides in your system could give you an increased risk of
such things as coronary artery disease. However, sometimes you also have to
scratch beneath the surface of the problem.
Typically, diet and exercise can keep our triglyceride levels well balanced.
If you have an underlying illness, though, it's a different story.
Diabetes,
for example, can cause elevated triglyceride levels. So, it's important to
find out what the cause of the triglyceride problem actually is. For that,
you should consult your doctor and have your plasma tested, to begin with.
Then go from there, based on the results.
Triglycerides, Fat Oxidation and Exercise:
The fat oxidation process supplies important energy to your body. So, a lot
of people feel the need to stock up on triglycerides before a
workout by
increasing their carbohydrate intake or eating more fats. The truth is,
though, that that really only needs to be done by some pro athletes. The
average person just needs to eat a balanced daily diet to have the
triglycerides they need. Over loading on carbohydrates before an average
workout by an average person is only going to make fat oxidation harder in
the long run.
What Too Many Fats Do to Exercise Routines:
Now, if you are building up too many fats, it can cause a lot of problems
that can impede your weekly workouts. For one thing, it can make you
lethargic. If you're tired, you aren't even going to
want to exercise.
Not only that, though, but being over weight and having an excess of fats is
going to make you more prone to
injuries. It will also make you more likely
to develop problems during exercise, such as shortness of
breath. So,
triglycerides are good, but extra triglycerides can be very detrimental.
Regulating Triglycerides:
If you want to regulate your triglycerides and make the most of your
exercises, as well as your life in general, there are some things you can
do. One of the most important is to watch how much
alcohol you drink.
Alcohol can really raise your triglyceride levels through the roof.
Next, be sure to eat a balanced diet. That means getting plenty of
fruits
and vegetables each day, especially. Also, reducing red meats and increasing
fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids can help your triglyceride levels
quite a bit. Sardines, tuna and salmon are a few of the healthier fish.
What it all comes down to is that fat oxidation is a major process that goes
on in our bodies. We've got to give our bodies the right fuel for the
process and the right amount of fuel, just as we give our cars the right
amount and type of gas. That way, our bodies will be much healthier and
we'll be much happier.
When body sweats does it mean we're
oxidizing more stored fat?
You must seek approval from your doctor
before starting any new diet.
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