Day 20...Recovery and Regeneration Day...aah

Today is Sunday, which means no workout...just some active recovery and regeneration exercises to help my body recover from the week's workouts, and be ready for tomorrow...day 21!  Later this evening, I will do a little self myofascial release with a foam roll, and some stretching.  My quads/hip flexors are a little tight from yesterday's bike work, and I need to do a little work on my left IT Band before it becomes a problem. 

Yesterday was my cheat day, so I took the liberty to enjoy some tasty food and wine at dinner...I even had some dessert!  Seasons-52 is the name of the restaurant, and their claim to fame is that no item on their menu exceeds 450 kcal...even the desserts!  The concept is great, and apparently it is catching on as the place was packed! 

Yesterday I took some time to answer a common question regarding weight loss (or the lack thereof) and regular exercise.  I mentioned a term known as EPOC (excess post exercise oxygen consumption) which refers to the body's demand for oxygen following a workout.  Without getting to scientific, EPOC (this is very simplified) refers to the amount of fatty acid oxidation (burning fat in the presence of oxygen) and the duration of time this occurs, following your workout.  Steady-state exercise is typically performed at relatively low intensity.  Upon completion of the workout, the body quickly returns to its normal resting metabolic rate, which means that the accelerated caloric expenditure encountered during the exercise session quickly ends.  High intensity exercise however, has been shown to cause the body's metabolic rate to stay elevated for a few hours following the end of the exercise session, thereby burning calories at an accelerated rate even after the exercise session has ended. 

It is important to note that during exercise, very little fat is being used for energy.  I know what you are thinking...we've all heard it before...low intensity exercise is considered the 'fat burning zone'.  Believe me, its really just a myth!  Glycogen is the preferred fuel of choice during exercise...not fat.  That doesn't mean that there isn't any fat being utilized...just very little.  "But I see the little charts on the treadmills and steppers at the gym that say that I should only work at 65-70% of my target hear rate if I want to burn fat"...I know that's what you are saying to yourself right now...huh?  Here's the deal...we as consumers have been lied to in order to boost sales of 'cardio' machines...can you believe it?  It's not so much a lie as it is a stretch of the truth, but that doesn't make it better does it?

The truth is that body is an amazing, efficient machine that will take the path of least resistance to provide itself with energy.  Those of you who have ever taken anatomy-physiology, or biology, already know this to be true, but you have been brainwashed into thinking differently.  Do you remember the Kreb's Cycle?  This amazing God engineered process, is responsible for converting glycogen to ATP (fuel).  The process for converting fat to usable energy is far more involved, thus making fat 'second string' to glycogen for energy production.  The other thing to remember is that fat cannot be used for energy without the presence of oxygen...thus the scientific term fatty acid oxidation, which refers to the utilization of stored fat for fuel.  High intensity exercise (should) be performed above the anaerobic threshold...the point at which oxygen is no longer used to generate ATP.  This is typically the point at which you can no longer hold a conversation while exercising.  It is at this time, that glycogen accounts for nearly all of the energy created to sustain activity, which means that fat is sent to the bench, while glycogen becomes the star player in the game of energy production.

This is where the little charts stretch the truth.  Remember, I stated that fat does play a role in energy production (a small one) during low-moderate intensity exercise.  The charts embellish this concept, making it seem as though working at low intensity levels is the most efficient way to burn fat, when in fact, (all things being equal) it would take 3 or 4 times as long to burn fat at this intensity level, as it would if you performed high intensity interval training...all thanks to the wonders of EPOC!

I know I said I would address the HCG question today, but I am still gathering information so that I can provide an informed answer...so hold on a few more days while I sift through a few more research articles.

As always...thanks for reading!