Fitness: Should You Do Fat Burning or Interval Training?

Editor's Note:  We are excited to feature a special fitness guest blogger, Adrienne Robinson.  Adrienne is a personal trainer, nutrition educator, and group exercise instructor. She started in the fitness industry in 1982 as an aerobics instructor and over the years has evolved into leading people through their personal journey towards fitness and wellness. She has a master’s degree in exercise physiology from SJSU and is certified in her field through ACSM and ACE professional associations in the fitness industry. She is a certified nutrition educator through Bauman College School of Holistic Nutrition and a certified yoga and Pilates teacher.  You can learn more about Adrienne and her personal training and nutrition services at BodyZenBalance.

Look for guest posts from Adrienne over the next several weeks--think of it as Fitness Friday!  So with out further ado, here is Adrienne...........

Ever wonder which buttons to push for your cardiorespiratory workout on your favorite cardio workout machine? Well, it's January, you're back at the gym ready to burn off the extra pounds you gained over the holidays, so you push the fat burning button. Would you be surprised to know that you will actually burn less fat than if you had pushed the interval-training button? Interval training provides a high-intensity workout, with periods of rest, which requires a greater percentage of carbohydrates as fuel than fat. The body needs carbohydrates when working at moderate to high intensity levels. This fuel source of carbohydrates burns more calories than the fat burning model, which is what we want at the end of the day. At the end of the workout, of similar duration, you will have used more carbohydrates as a fuel source, burned more calories, and therefore burned more fat. The secret is to work hard and keep moving. The more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. So, go ahead, make your day.