We’ve all seen them… fat burning pills, teas, shakes, all claiming to help you “burn fat”. These supplements are readily available over-the-counter and claim that you can lose weight without changing your diet or physical activity level.
Fat burners are marketed as aids to help burn fat by increasing your body's metabolism. These products are not all evaluated by the FDA and some manufacturers add ingredients that are not listed on the label. If you ask me, the risk is not worth the so-called “reward”.
The real problem with fat burners:
Some cause dangerous side effects
Others may not have metabolism-boosting benefits at all!
Side effects have been known to include; anxiety, headaches, insomnia, diarrhea, high blood pressure, and increased heart rate.
So how to burn fat you ask?
Here are the 3 key components:
1. Strength training
2. Proper nutrition
3. Sleep
1. Strength training: You’ve heard me say it before and I’ll say it over and over again. After a strength training session, your body keeps burning. This makes your body a powerful fat burning machine over the long term. Not only do you get a body that looks tight, toned, and fit, you have the added advantage of a body that burns calories while you are resting. BOOM
2. Proper nutrition: Choose high volume foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins. You want to make sure you are eating enough food as well to ensure you are losing body fat, not muscle mass. Last, adequate protein intake is a crucial part of fat loss as protein plays an essential role in helping our bodies build and maintain muscle.
3. Sleep: Sleep is a hormone regulator, and too little sleep can cause your body to produce excess amounts of ghrelin. Ghrelin is a hormone that encourages your body to store more fat (yikes) and actually makes you hungrier. No thanks!
Also, Lack of adequate sleep will prevent your brain to make optimal decisions when you’re experiencing that hunger. In other words, it’s a lot easier to overeat after even one night of suppressed sleep…no bueno!!!
If you are looking to burn fat, make sure to do it the right way. If it takes a little longer than you would like, that’s okay. You can start to enjoy the progress while feeling great <3
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