Women’s bodies, because of necessary genetics, have twice the amount fat storing (lipogenic) enzymes and half the amount of fat releasing (lipolytic) enzymes as men’s bodies.  It is important for you to know this difference.  Men have more testosterone than women (no big surprise!).  This allows men to produce more human growth hormone as well as stimulate more muscle and bone growth.  And, other factors combine to allow men’s cells to take in more oxygen than women’s cells. 

This means that when a man is working at 50% of his physical capacity, a woman would need to work at 70% of her physical capacity to stay even.   Don’t shoot me!  I’m just the messenger!  The important thing to know is that I take this into account when I design fitness programs.

 How does this affect fat loss and weight loss?  The differences in how hormones and fat cells work in men and women determine the effects on fat loss and weight loss.  Because of genetics, women’s fat cells are 5 times larger than men’s fat cells.  Women need more body fat to be healthy.  Take a look at this body fat table:

Necessary Body Fat:  Women 10-13%, Men 2-5%

Athletes:  Women 14-20%, Men 6-13%

Fit:  Women 21-24%, Men 14-17%

Acceptable:  Women 25-31%, Men 18-25%

Unhealthy:  Women 32%+, Men 26%+

So, what is the best way to burn body fat?  You guessed right!  Exercise and good nutrition!  Research and my personal experience as an exerciser and personal trainer proves that a combination of full-body circuit weight training (including bodyweight exercises) and high intensity sprint interval cardio training is best for optimal fat-burning, muscle strength/endurance, cardio-respiratory health and bone density benefits.  

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“Exercise is not my life…..exercise makes my life better!”

Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

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My Fitness Hut Blog  has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger!  Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes!   The blog has also been named one of the 50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare!  It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody—including athletes!

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