If you have been around fitness circles for any length of time, you are probably no stranger to the infamous ‘summer cut’.
It’s a rite of passage taken every year when people commit to trimming off that extra layer of fat from their midsections.
June is traditionally the month of weddings and both brides and grooms want to look their best, after all there is no second take on those photos and videos and there is only so much your cameraman can do with good angles and Photoshop afterwards. Wedding guests want to look their best too.
July and August are when people will be hitting the beaches, creeks and resorts for R&R or partying. Either way, bathing suits will come into play. One look in the mirror now and they will arm themselves with an intense new workout plan, a strict diet protocol, and somehow find that iron will they had been missing all along, to coax their six packs out of hibernation.
If they feel they have left it too late and the workout plan will not cut it in time, or that iron will somehow remains elusive, you can usually find your ‘summer cutters’ in pharmacies and supermarkets looking for that magic ‘pill’ that promises to do it all, and lightening their wallets as they boost the $60 billion weight loss industry.
Whether they come in the form of pills, powder, liquid or sachets, the fastest thing fat burners actually burn is your cash. They are guaranteed to diminish it whether you spend by card or dole out actual dollars. Nonetheless, they have become a staple in the supplement industry, and there are hundreds of brands competing for your dollar, most offering products stacked with barely pronounceable ingredients and backed by dubious claims. Because in truth if you do use them as directed you will see evidence of weight loss though whether it will last is a different matter.
However, the common ingredient running through all of these products is caffeine. And the truth is that many companies load their fat burners with dangerous levels of it. The benefits of caffeine have been well-documented, the harmful side effects not so much.
In terms of weight loss, caffeine can assist by:
* boosting mental alertness,
* reducing fatigue
* spiking the metabolic rate.
But too much caffeine, and according to various online sites, this means anything above 400 milligrammes a day, can lead to side effects such as:
* migraines,
* insomnia,
* upset stomach,
* a rapid heartbeat, and others.
There is a school of thought out there that green tea is a better option to the fat burners. For one thing, it is cheaper and for another, it is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, and naturally contains a bit less than half of the amount of caffeine as coffee and just a fraction of what you would find in a fat burning pill. It is said to be natural and safe.
In addition, studies done of people using decaffeinated green tea also found that it had an effect on body fat and promoted increased aerobic performance.
This means there are benefits to sipping green tea and you can choose to have the decaffeinated blend as it’s just as effective.
But don’t just sit there and sip tea, combine it with aerobic workouts and get some weights in there as well. While you are at it reach for the healthy food options; green tea does not go well with fried chicken and burgers.
Stay tuned, friends. If you have fitness goals and need personal training or meal plans I can help! Serious enquiries only. Email now to emmersoncampbell@gmail.com
