The Fat Loss Zone

I am currently bound for Moab, UT with a close friend for her birthday. I’ve never explored down this way so I’m really excited to check it out. We’ll be checking out three different national parks, doing a little backpacking and LOTS of hiking, which made me think about something called Zone 2 training.

Have you heard of heart rate zones? Essentially, you calculate your “max heart rate” (there are several different - and more accurate - equations to figure this out but the most basic one to estimate this number is to subtract your age from 220.

I’m 35, so this means my estimated max heart rate would be 185.

Another option that’s used often is 208 - (your age X 0.7). So, for me that would be 183.5. Pretty close. From there, you calculate your heart rate zones as percentages of that number.
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Many fitness trackers will actually just give you this information, but if you want to calculate it yourself, here’s the breakdown:

Zone 1: 50-60%

Zone 2: 60-70%
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Zone 3: 70-80%

Zone 4: 80-90%
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Zone 5: 90-100%

(Source: whoop.com)

What’s interesting is that your body will utilize different ratios of carbs/fats/proteins for energy depending on which zone you are in, and Zone 2 is often known as the “fat-burning” zone because it utilizes fat sources for energy more so than carbs or protein. This often confuses people because they think that means they’re better off staying in the lower zone all the time for more efficient fat burning, even though going into those higher heart rate zones will result in you burning more overall calories.
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So what’s a person to do?! The answer, as per usual, is that they all have different benefits! Working them all into your life will give you a variety of benefits to improve your health. Getting into those higher zones is not only important for calorie burning but it’s very important for heart healt and improving overall fitness.
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However, if fat loss is something that’s part of your goals, Zone 2 training can be helpful to incorporate into your routine too! A great way to do this can be through focused, intense strength building exercises. Another is hiking! And specifically, rucking!
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I’m not going to get into the history (or why it’s so trendy all of a sudden), but rucking - essentially walking with a weighted backpack - is a great way to hit this zone, improve cardiovascular fitness, and even build strength (especially that core strength!).

Backpacking around the national parks this week will surely illicit lots of Zone 2 training and I’m excited to see what my Whoop (the fitness tracker I use) will record!
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Do you have a backpack? All you have to do is fill it with some books, some water bottles, whatever! And just start walking!
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Is this something you’d be willing to try? It’s especially useful if you can do it out in nature.
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As Michael Easter (author of The Comfort Crisis) said:

“All exercise is great…it isn’t a ‘bad, good, best’ thing. And it depends on your goals. But it’s more like this:

Great: any exercise at all, indoors or outdoors

Greater: exercise outdoors

Greatest: exercise in wild nature.”
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So, how can you move outside this weekend? How can you get to that Zone 2 training? Give it a try and begin to recognize what it feels like to be in that zone versus at rest versus at your max heart rate.

Self-awareness is where it all starts.
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