How To Use Nutrition To Boost Your Cardio


Cardiovascular exercise is necessary for anyone that wants to get in shape and burn off all that fat they’re carting around. However the problem most people have is that your body doesn’t want to burn fat. Your fat is essentially an investment for your body. When you can’t get food, you’ll still have energy, so why would it want to get rid of it? What’s even worse is that fat is always burned as a last resort. In other words, you burn carbs before fat. So, you need to know how to properly trick your body into thinking it has to burn your fat, so that you can lose LBs!


1. Small Meals
Start eating many small meals throughout the day (instead of 3 sizeable ones). When you don’t eat for 4 hours or so, your body begins to think that it’s starving, and when you starve, you begin to cannibalize muscle tissue instead of burning precious, high-energy fat. So, in order to prevent that, eat something small 4-5 times over the course of your day. A piece of fruit, some nuts or even a cup of yogurt will get the job done. All you have to do is convince your body that you’re not starving so that you can burn fat properly. Just don’t think that it’s OK to eat junk food in all of those gaps!


2. Watch Those Carbs
Before you work out, avoid taking in carbs. Carbohydrates build up in your liver to form a chemical called glycogen. This is a great source of energy, and it’s your body’s go-to fuel if you need fuel right then. So whether you had a slice of pizza or a couple pieces of toast, you packed your liver with glycogen and your body is going to burn all of that up before it takes a single ounce of fat off of your belly. A great way to avoid this is to eat foods that are low in, or which have no, carbs. Egg whites are great for this, as they’re high in protein, but have no carbs. Protein allows you to build more muscle as well, which makes this a bit of a double whammy.


3. Stay Hydrated
Drinking water is important, because if you’re sucking down energy drinks or sports drinks then you’re jamming your system with sugars that it could really do without. What’s worse is that these sugars can, and often are, used as a quick source of energy so that you burn even less fat. In fact, if you don’t burn off all the sugar that you take in, you might end up with a little extra fat. Stick to water during your workout, and afterward, try a glass of chocolate milk for a cool down. Chocolate milk is high in protein, and it’s a great replenisher for everything that you lost while sweating.


4. Celery!
Lastly, if you feel hungry throughout the day you should try to fill up on no calorie foods. These make you feel as if your stomach is full, but they won’t give you any additional fuel and they will assist you in burning fat. Pickles are one great example, as is celery. These and other foods are the best illusions that you can use to help trick your body into parting with its valuable, but unsightly, stores of fat.