Burning off the fat

Burning off the fat takes a lot effort, you have to actually work longer and harder before your body switches to fat burning. Normally your body utilizes energy from carbohydrates molecules first that might be free floating in your body, once that is used up it turns to metabolizing protein otherwise known as muscle to produce energy, but once you've worked out long enough and hard enough finally your body turns to fat burning.

You can tell the difference immediately when your body turns to fat burning. It's what runners call their second wind, when you get a big spurt of energy and it feels like you can run forever. Fat metabolism actually produces twice as much energy vs. the other energy pathways, but it takes a bit of work to get there because your body is completely switching gears to get to that point.

The key to fat metabolizing is anaerobic also known as without oxygen versus aerobic as in with oxygen. When your muscle are starved of oxygen they naturally turn to fat burning. Whereas aerobic exercises naturally uses muscle as energy first, you have to actually run longer before your body switches fat burning. For me, I reach my second wind after 40 minutes of running which is when my body finally switches to fat burning. With aerobics your heart is pumping harder and you are breathing heavier which works to move oxygen to your muscles, it's not until your muscles become starved for oxygen that you switch to fat burning.

Probably the most efficient way to lose fat is through weight lifting, generally you are not breathing as hard and your heart rate isn't obscenely elevated so it is more of an anaerobic exercise since your muscles are still working away while getting less oxygen.

But I want to stress that it is still very important to do aerobic exercises which also works out your lungs and heart.

Really it's up to you. Run longer and harder or weight lift, or do both. Step aerobics is another good alternative as is jumping rope, or even running up and down the steps in a stadium if you want to focus on fat burning.

But for me, I'm not looking to get sculpted and ripped. I still want that nice layer of softness or baby fat while being trim and athletic. Plus I really like feeling the burn in my lungs and the hard pounding of my heart. Which means I lean towards aerobics, but I get bored easily enough that I'm always trying the alternatives.