Wheelchair User Killer Belly Fat! What’s all the fuss about?

So all body fat is bad right?

Well no that’s wrong your body is covered in fat, “subcutaneous fat” that sits in between your skin and muscle, if you give yourself a gentle pinch you’ll feel it, It’s soft and squishy!

What does it do?

It helps keep you warm and it can also act has your bodies natural shock absorber, and of course it also stores those valuable extra calories.

So what’s all the fuss about?

It’s the other fat that’s the problem “Visceral fat”! This fat also stores calories but it sits much deeper in the body around the organs of your belly region, it is not soft to touch in fact its quite firm.

Killer fat!

Fats don’t just store potential energy! Like other living tissues within your body they can produce and then release hormones. The problem with the visceral fat is its proximity to the other organs in the body when these hormones get released. An increased visceral fat level will raise your LDL “Bad cholesterol”, increase your blood pressure and also lead to an increased risk to type 2 Diabetes.

I’m really skinny so I’m fine right?

No I am afraid not, it’s not that simple, skinny doesn’t = healthy!
You can be thin but still be carrying visceral fat without a CT scan there is no way to know for sure how much visceral fat you carry but you can do a couple of simple checks to give you an indication of how you are doing.

Have a look at yourself, which fruit are you?

This can give you an idea of where your body stores its fat. Are you Pear shaped storing the fat on your hips, thighs and buttocks? Or more like an apple with the fat being stored around your belly and chest? Now that you have decided if you’re an apple or a pear then do you look in proportion?

Waist Size maters!

Circle a tape measure around your body over the top of your hips and passing over your belly button. Relax so no sucking in! Men should have a measurement of less than 40 inches (102 cm) and women should be less than 35 inches (89 cm).

Waist to hip ratio

Take your waist circumference of and divide it by the circumference of your hips. Measure your hips, at there widest part. Then use this formula:
WHR = (Waist circumference) / (Hip circumference).
Men should have a WHR of less than 1 while women should have a WHR of less than 0.8If If you’re in doubt, it’s best to speak with your healthcare provider.

If I work really hard I’ll get rid of that killer fat right?

No it’s not about how hard you work, when it comes to moving visceral fat it’s all about getting your heart performing at the correct level. The correct intensity of work out is no more than 60/70% of your maximum heart rate.

So what’s my maximum heart rate?

A rough calculation is 220 minus your age and you need to work at about 60/70% of that.

How do I monitor my heart rate when exercising?

You can purchase an inexpensive heart rate monitor to use when you workout, many of them connect to apps that tell you which zone your heart rate is operating in and weather or not you are burning fat.

So why don’t I burn more fat if I work harder?

As your heart rate raises your calorie burn will increase but that doesn’t mean your burning fat. In simple terms your body doesn’t have time to convert fat into energy when you operate at above that 70% level so instead it takes its energy from sugars and carbohydrates. By keeping your heart operating at around that 70% level then it will take about 85% of its calories from fat with the remainder coming from carbohydrates and protein.

Go long!

Workouts under 30 minuets will mainly burn sugar and carbs. This type of energy store depletes quite quickly after it’s been depleted your body will call on its fat reserves for its calorie burn. You’re ideally looking for workout durations of 45 minuets or longer, don’t panic if you can’t get there immediately each week just look to increase your time by 5-10 minuets, and remember to monitor that heart rate!

How often?

This is a low-to-moderate intensity workout, so you won’t risk injury by completing these workouts on consecutive days. Doing the same type of workout day after day can result in mental fatigue, burnout and a plateau in your overall fitness level. For this reason, if losing weight is your primary goal, it is recommended that you complete long-distance workouts 3–4 of your weekly workouts.

Change it up!

You should occasionally alternate your fat-burning workouts with higher intensity efforts that are shorter in duration. Using your heart rate monitor you should be working in Zone 3, 4 and 5 help you improve your pushing speed, build muscle and still burn a good amount of calories in a shorter period of time. Higher intensity workouts may also be ideal on those days when you don’t have as much time to exercise.

I’m afraid its next to impossible to push your chair outside in most places and maintain a consistent level of effort, hills, slopes, chambers, potholes, traffic, curbs, pedestrians and so the list goes on.

So for that reason we recommend the Invictus Active trainer which delivers a constant predetermined level of constant reliable load that’s been optimised to not only guarantee the best possible workout for a chair user but also allows you to do so in a safe, clean and dry environment at a time that is best for you.

The heart rate monitor is a must because there is simply no other way of identifying your working at the right levels.

You may also wish to keep a log of your workouts and the speed sensor, which works perfectly with the heart rate monitor links to the app allowing you to not only track your current performance but also store the history of all your previous workouts as well as communicating with other apps in the range that allow you to track your calorie intake against your calorie burn.

We would also strongly recommend that if its fat burn your after then the momentum weights will help you achieve and maintain a longer duration of work out.