Losing that pesky belly fat!

Hi Everyone! 

Got my first question! Well two questions...so I'll do one now and the other on Thursday or so!
"What’s the best way to lose weight on my midsection including my back....any exercise better than another?  Should I stop lifting and just do cardio??"

Simple Answer... Breathe!!! But also feed it healthy foods of course!

Okay, lets keep it simple! Our body uses Carbs and fats as fuel...You know this...Kids maybe know this...animals know this....Everyone knows!

But how exactly does Excess Fat get removed from the body?? Poop it out? Pee? sweat??? No no no...You breathe it out! 'Ummmm WHAT?!'  I would need fancy models and pictures to show chemical reactions of carbon molecules turning into ATP and CO2 and science, science, science...I wish I could make a video of whats happening in the body like The Magic School Bus... But I'll do my best not to lose you! 

When we are active, our muscles burn Carbs and Fats that we consume on a daily basis.  But what happens to the extra carbs and fats that we don't burn?? Our body stores it as either glucose in the muscles and blood stream so we can have it readily available for a short burst of needed energy or its made into body fat to have as a back up system.  Now just in case you didn't know, kids...excess carbs turn into fats.  I know you knew. I know. 

So! How can I burn away at my midsection, coach?!  The truth is, you CAN'T PINPOINT areas to lose fat from.  You have to work the body to the point that it is forced to use your BODY'S BACK UP SYSTEM as energy.  In this case BODY FAT.

You feel the burn on the Ass Bike or Rower?? Feel your shoulders crying going into that 12th push press or legs about to give out on that 24th air squat? That is Your body using up all the stored GLUCOSE in the muscles and they are CRYING FOR HELP!! "OH Pahleaase send some more glucose so we can keep churning those calories and weights, boss!!  So your body does just that!!  It begins to convert body fat from other areas of the body to usable energy so your legs and arms can bust out that extra, what seems like years, of pedaling or final rep.  Your body gets to decide where that Fat comes from, not you!

"So I SHOULLLLD just do cardio then.....right? I'm confused."

Hush! Im not finished.  Why weight train then?? Well! We need muscles to stay strong and healthy so we can lift cars off of animals who have been trapped and need your help!  Lets stick with the fuel analogy.  If your muscles are the engine... the bigger the engine, the more fuel it burns!  If you stick with just cardio, you will of course lose Fat, but add more muscle and your body will require more fuel(Body Fat) to burn over time ! DOUBLE WIN!!! 
​ 
Which is why Crossfit style training is great!  Its the best of both worlds. You need that fast energy for explosive power and you need to use Body fat as energy when the wods start taking longer and longer and we are huffing and puffing!  If you are looking to get more out of it, then I would recommend some extra cardio on the Bike or Rower, or higher reps of full body moments like the deadlift, squat and Olympic movements to keep the muscles working and to help burn that excess body fat!  Just remember that it needs clean and quality foods.  Not junk!  You cannot just think," its ok to eat out 5 times a week and drink every other weekend! I CrossFit!"

-Jessie Macias