Your body has three different sources of energy. Two of them are stored, anaerobic and one is created at the time of use, aerobic. Stored energy is used for quick bursts of exercise which is anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Examples of this are weight training, aerobic classes, chasing after your kids or going up a flight of stairs. Basically anything that is going to get your heart rate up quickly and then slow down to recover. This type of exercise burns a lot of calories and strengthens your heart. You should eat every 3-4 hours, an hour before exercise and 30 min after any exercise. At the end of the day if you have burned more calories in your day than you have consumed and eaten properly as mentioned above only then will your body will take the extra energy it needs from your fat.

The other type of cardio uses your aerobic system. Its fuel source is oxygen and fat. If you are huffing and puffing and can’t speak you are not in your aerobic zone. You want to be able to maintain a steady pace for periods much longer than 3 minutes. As soon as your breathing becomes labored you are not in your aerobic zone.

Anaerobic exercises are at 80% or more of your maximum heart rate. (MHR) Aerobic is around 60%. A very simplified calculation of your MHR is 220 – your age. This is not always accurate as there are other factors to consider, but it is a good guideline. If you are on any heart or blood pressure medications you must go by your breathing to determine how much you are pushing.

Your body has enough energy to last about 3-4 hours of daily activities (working at your desk, sitting, watching TV, driving, going to work) and 8 hours of sleep. The following are three ways to maximize your fat burning potential. They are in no specific order. Your lifestyle will dictate which the best is for you.

1. 30 minutes in the morning on an empty stomach - When you wake up your body does not have any more carbohydrates. It doesn’t matter how much you ate the night before. What your body didn’t need for 3 - 4 hours of daily activities or 8 hours of sleep it stored as fat. If you get out of bed and do 30 minutes of cardio right away on an empty stomach your body will use fat as the fuel source. BUT after the 30 minute mark your body stops using fat and starts breaking down your muscle as its fuel source. Eat within 30 min after to refuel your muscles.
   
   
2. 30 min AFTER a tough work out (45 min - 1 hour) - You will always eat before you do a work out so that your muscles have fuel to do what you are asking of them. During your work out if you will be using your anaerobic energy system. You will use up all of your stored carbohydrates. If you hop on a piece of cardio equipment or go outside for a fast walk, jog or any other type of cardio you will use fat as your fuel source. BUT after 30 minutes your body will stop using fat and start using muscle as your fuel source. Eat within 30 min after you stop to refuel your muscles.
   
   
3. 1 hour any time in the day - You will have eaten so will have stored carbohydrates in your body. The first 30 minutes of a steady state cardio will burn the carbs. The last 30 minutes burns fat. The same as all of the above after 30 minutes of fat burning your body stops using fat as a fuel source and starts breaking down your muscle. If you do a lot of long runs or day hikes it is important to refuel every hour. When running you may want to have a bit of juice in your water and switch to it at the hour mark or grab a gel pack. If you are doing a day hike have a few raw nuts and pieces of dried fruit. Continue for another hour and then do the same. Eat within 30 min after to refuel your muscles.

Push Ups are great as they incorporate so many upper body muscles. In order to do them correct you need to have your abs engaged throughout the whole movement. Start off on your knees. Once you can do 10 with strong abs and your head up lift your knees.

1. Have your hands far enough apart so that your wrists are over your elbows and at chest level. Keep your butt flat, not raised in the air.
2. Stomach tight, head up slowly lower yourself. Squeeze your abs before you push back up.
3. When easy lift your knees to do full push ups.
4. Do as many as you can full, and drop back onto your knees to finish your set. Try to work your way up to 20 full push ups.

Salads may seem like a great choice, but often they have more fat than a hamburger. If possible ask for balsamic vinegar on the side for your dressing.

*All salads were calculated without dressing.

Keep in mind that your daily requirement of sodium is 1100 mg – 2300mg per day depending on if you have a family history of high blood pressure, stroke, or heart attack.

If you want to find the calorie breakdown for foods you eat search for the name of the restaurant and nutrition. Here are a few you can click on to choose your favorite food items

• Lettuce Eatery
• McDonald's
• Tim Horton's

Eating Protein with Every Meal

Carbohydrates give you a quick rush of energy and then crash almost as fast. Your body thinks it needs more energy so starts craving carbohydrates again. Sugars, breads, pastas, pretty much anything that will rush energy back into your system. This then becomes a vicious cycle of carb cravings.

Proteins and good fats don’t give your body a lot of energy, but they do satiate you so that you don’t feel hungry again. If you mix a small portion size of carbohydrates with a larger portion size of protein and good fat your energy will stabilize and you won’t be hungry as often. It is not always easy to find a piece of lean meat or fish every time you want to eat. Or if you are vegetarian it may seem tough to eat enough protein.

Grains (brown rice, whole wheat, rye, barley, couscous, quinoa, brown pasta), Raw nuts and seeds, Legumes (peanuts, lentils, beans) and Dairy all have protein in them. The problem is that they are not complete. They do not have all of the building blocks found in protein. If you follow the chart below you can make complete proteins the same as you would find in lean meat and fish. Mixing any two where a line connects is like putting a puzzle together. The only one that is not complete is dairy with nuts and seeds. It is still missing a few important amino acids.

Some food ideas are:

• Hummus (chick peas mixed with Tahini, ground sesame seeds)
• Whole grain bread with almond or peanut butter (make sure the AB or PB is just crushed nuts without anything else added)
• Brown Rice with beans and or raw nuts and seeds
• Plain yogourt with raw oats and raw nuts and seeds
• Lentils and Brown Rice

Black Bean and Rice Salad with Roasted Red Peppers and Corn

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can (16 oz) corn, drained or frozen and cooked
1 jar (16 oz) roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
2 scallions, minced
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice (I use more) 
1/4 tsp chili powder (I use more)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp minced parsley or cilantro

Combine rice, beans, corn, red peppers, and scallions in a large bowl. 

Add in the chili powder, lime juice, olive oil and salt

Toss salad and adjust seasoning if needed. 

Add parsley or cilantro

Better when sits a bit. 

Makes 6 meal size portions-  Each portion  305 calories,  8g protein, 46g carbs, 10g fat, 15mg sodium.