Body-Fat
What is it?
Why do we have it?
How can we learn to appreciate it and flow with the changes in our bodies?
Think of body-fat as a fridge with food in it or a storage cupboard. Before these and supermarkets existed we didn’t store food we found for later, we gorged, stored the food in our bodies as body-fat and often, went days without finding another decent meal.
Body-fat was what helped us to survive, a fuel source.
Metabolic Flexibility
Nowadays how many hours do we go without food, from 8pm to 8am? Maybe not even that! The body is constantly digesting food, it never needs to tap into its fuel source.
It’s important for me to now state that I am not promoting starving yourself, calorie counting, dieting or being overly controlling with food. None of this in my opinion is healthy!
It’s about understanding how the body works and how to care for it. Our bodies are made to be metabolically flexible, to utilize both glucose and ketones for energy and to be able to switch from using food for energy to using body-fat for energy.
How do we become metabolically flexible?
It is possible that fat in the body gained in childhood has never been used for energy as the body has never had the chance to move or utilize that fuel source. We generally consume high carbohydrate foods everyday even every meal, meaning the body is consistently using glucose from foods and stored glucose for fuel.
To create metabolic flexibility we must give the body time to utilize our glucose stores and tap into our fat stores. This does not require you to starve! By using a combination of intermittent fasting (extending your overnight fast by a few hours), fasted cardio (in the morning before you break your fast) and having a few days to a few weeks of playing with your macronutrient ratios (number of days needed depends on your body and lifestyle), you can enter ketosis and begin to burn fat as a fuel. This doesn’t need to be long-term. Your body and it’s needs are constantly changing. Learning the tools and more than this, learning to listen to your body, you can intuitively adapt your food intake so your energy levels are regulated, sleep improves and you get to and maintain a healthy weight.
Seek Support
To begin your journey with the knowledge and tools makes it not only more enjoyable but, helps to remove the guess work. If you would like information on working one-on-one with me (Rachael) or on the courses and classes I offer, you can join the 14 day free trial and enjoy all of the benefits of being a member of the school of Strength & Yoga. Or email me for details:
Hello@Rachael-Burns.com
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