1. Exercise within your aerobic capacity, which is within 65 to 80% of your maximal heart rate. Maximal heart rate = 220 – age.
2. Exercise is done early in the morning. The ability of exercise to selectively promote fat oxidation could be optimized if exercise is done post-absorptively, i.e. during morning fasting metabolism where the body has been fasted for the whole night.
3. Exercise should be of moderate intensity (see above) and prolonged duration.
4. Caffeine is consumed prior to exercise.
5. No calories should be ingested for a few hours after exercise.

Please note that the above are not applicable to athletes, whose goals are different.

1st September 2005