There are many misconceptions about exercise, fat, and carbs when it relates to sports nutrition and women. From carb loading to low-intensity exercise, here are a few examples.
Myth #1: Women can never burn more fat than men.
False. What we know from exercise research is that women champion fat burning during exercise and can reach a higher intensity of exercise while still burning relatively more fat as fuel than can men (1).
Myth #2: The practice of carb-loading before a competition works well for men and women to improve performance.
False. While carb-loading (glycogen super-compensation) is effective for performance in men, its benefit for women is less convincing. Unlike in men, the practice carried out in women requires women to increase their total daily energy intake beyond normal (potential for weight gain) (3). Everyone benefits from having glycogen stores topped up, but women may not benefit from super-compensated stores.
Myth #3: Performing low-intensity exercise is how women burn the most fat.
False. Women who are exercise trained have higher fat burning than untrained women. These women can achieve a maximal fat burn at a higher intensity, close to their ventilatory threshold (the point where lactate begins to accumulate in the blood) (2). Women shouldn’t lock themselves into low and slow exercise, just the opposite. Adding in moderate to high-intensity workouts will force muscle to become even better at burning fat!
Myth #4: Ingesting simple carbs before/during exercise is a great fueling strategy to keep blood sugar steady and performance high.
False. When women ingest a simple carbohydrate (sugar-based bars, gels, drinks) before or during exercise their fat-burning advantage is lost — they will burn more carbohydrates just like men (4). Plus, performance isn’t necessarily enhanced. The body is so consumed with clearing sugar from the bloodstream that it can’t mobilize its own fat stores to produce high rates of fat burning energy. The natural fuel mix is compromised. Instead, the key to unlocking the body’s ability to mobilize fat stores as energy, all while keeping blood sugar steady, is a new complex carb – UCAN’s SuperStarch. SuperStarch gives the body the opportunity to burn carbs AND fat for long-lasting, steady energy.
Myth #5: After exercise there is a continued fat burn for several hours.
False: This is true for men, but does not appear to be as strong in women. Women return to a resting metabolic rate faster than men, which decreases fat-burning rates (5). Striving for exercise at a higher intensity helps promote longer fat burning.
Cathy Yeckel, MS, PhD, exercise physiologist and human metabolism research, assistant clinical professor at Yale School of Public Health, is an avid runner and a member of UCAN’s (creator of SuperStarch) medical advisory board.