A Detailed List of What Exercises to Do to Burn Fat

It's no secret that exercise forms an essential part of any weight-loss plan. The mechanics of how exercise contributes to the fat-burning process may not be quite as clear. This "complex biochemical process," as Muscle & Strength describes it, involves a series of metabolic and cellular actions that are influenced by factors such as body composition, body size, age, gender, thermogenesis -- or food processing -- and physical activity

  1. Fuel Sources

    • Whether you're riding a bike, running a marathon or folding laundry, every movement your body makes requires fuel, or energy. Energy comes from the foods you consume and is measured in calories, or units of heat. Your body burns the calories you eat -- usually a half-and-half mixture of calories from ingested carbohydrates and fats -- to create the energy you need to move. Generally, faster and more intense movements tend to burn more carb-based calories, while longer but less-intense movements tend to burn more fat calories. However, both fat and carb burning contribute to weight loss.

    Metabolism

    • Your body converts food into movement-powering energy through the metabolic process, which has three levels. Basal or resting metabolism refers to the 60 to 75 percent of the calories your body burns through its normal processes, such as breathing, circulating blood and cellular growth and repair. Digestive metabolism, or thermogenesis, burns up to 10 percent of consumed calories through processes such as digesting, absorbing and storing the food you eat. The rest of your fat and carb calories are burned through physical activities and exercises, or exercise-activity thermogenesis, whether that's a gym workout, a leisurely stroll or small movements such as combing your hair.

    Biochemical Processes

    • All of these metabolic processes burn fat through a biochemical process that releases fat from fat cells, or adipocytes. Adipocytes themselves don't go away; rather, the fat inside, which is stored as a substance known as triacylglycerol, the chemical name for triglyceride, releases into the bloodstream and is transported to mitochondria in the muscles that require energy for movement. The mitochondria then "burn" the triglyceride, creating energy that powers the muscles. Adipocytes that have released triglyceride don't disappear, but they do shrink -- much like a deflated balloon -- leading to a leaner appearance that's associated with burning fat and losing weight.

    Triggering the Burning Process

    • In order to empty out your fat cells, you need to use up more energy than you take in. While the amount of fat you burn depends on factors such as your weight, size, age, sex and intensity of exercise, a simple rule holds true: If you burn more than you consume, your body's adipocytes will release triglyceride. While you can't control your metabolism, you can burn more calories through regular aerobic exercise, muscle-building and strength-training activities, and lifestyle movement, such as gardening and cleaning, says the Mayo Clinic.