How to Reduce Body Fat

Increased body fat can prevent you from achieving an active and healthy lifestyle or maintaining your ideal body weight.

It also increases the risk of a stroke and is a primary reason for many chronic and dangerous diseases.

That's why, to improve your overall well-being and ensure great and lifelong optimal health, it's important to maintain healthy body fat levels.

What is Body Fat?

Body fat is a natural component of our bodies that is required for optimum functioning.

Fat is made from the energy that your body didn't use from meals stored in the fat cells to use for energy later.

While we commonly link body fat with negative connotations such as obesity or being overweight, it serves a super important role in many vital bodily activities.

How Does It Form?

So, how does body fat form? When we eat more calories than our bodies need, the extra calories get stored as fat.

This can occur even if we eat healthy foods because extra calories from any source can be stored as fat.

The body's primary way of storing fat is by creating new adipose tissue, which is done by the fat cells themselves.

When we continually consume more calories than our bodies need, our current fat cells grow larger to store additional fat.

If we continue consuming more calories than needed, our existing fat cells will eventually reach their full capacity, and the body will begin to create new ones.

Why Does the Body Store Fat?

The human system needs some body fat (A healthy amount) to maintain proper physical function. The lack of this healthy amount can be as dangerous as the presence of excess body fat.

Did you know that fat provides insulation and protection for our organs?

Belly fat, and fat in the abdominal cavity, which surrounds the liver, kidneys, and other vital organs, act as a protective cushion, absorbing shocks and preventing internal injuries.

Fat is also important for regulating body temperature and providing the needed energy during times of limited food intake. 

What Are The Healthy Body Fat Levels?

Healthy body fat levels might differ according to age, gender, and fitness level with older people often having a larger healthy body fat range.

The following guidelines for optimal body fat based on gender, age, and fitness levels are provided by The American Council of Exercise (ACE)

• Essential fat: Men: 2-5%; Women: 10-13%

• Athletes: Men: 6-13%; Women: 14-20%

• Fitness: Men: 14-17%; Women: 21-24%

• Acceptable: Men: 18-24%; Women: 25-31%

• Obese: Men: 25% or higher; Women: 32% or higher

Measuring Body Fat Levels

Skinfold calipers

This approach includes pinching and measuring the thickness of skin and subcutaneous fat at various spots on your body with calipers.

Your body fat percentage is calculated using these measurements.

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)

This procedure includes passing a low-level electrical current through your body using a tiny device.

The present resistance is then utilized to calculate your body fat percentage. Because of considerations such as hydration levels and the presence of metal implants, BIA can be less accurate than other approaches.

Dual-energy X-ray (DEXA)

This method requires you to lie still on a table while a machine scans your body with two low-dose X-ray beams.

Based on the absorption of each beam, the quantity of fat, muscle, and bone in your body is determined.

DEXA is regarded as one of the most precise procedures for determining body fat, however, it is expensive and not commonly available.

Is weight loss the Same As Fat Loss?

The elements that make up your body weight are bone, muscle, water, and fat.

When you lose weight, you don't only lose fat but also water and muscle mass, which can be harmful to your health and present in the way you look.

Fat Loss

Fat loss, as the term implies, refers to shedding body fat mass while preserving or growing muscular mass.

This is usually achieved by a combination of diet and exercise, which helps to reduce overall body fat while maintaining lean muscle tissue.

The goal behind losing body fat should be to improve not only appearance but also body composition, and general health, and to limit the risk of chronic diseases.

Weight Loss

Weight loss can refer to any decrease in body weight, including muscle mass and water weight loss.

While losing weight quickly may appear to be a good idea, it can often result in muscle loss and a slowed metabolism, making long-term weight loss more difficult.

Effective And Healthy Ways to Burn Fat

‌Intermittent Fasting

In recent years, intermittent fasting has gained a lot of favor as a weight loss method.

It involves fasting periods followed by feeding periods within a particular time frame.

The body burns stored fat for energy during the fasting period, causing you to lose body fat.

Intermittent fasting can be done in several ways, such as the 16/8 approach (fast for 16 hours, then eat within an 8-hour window), or the 5:2 method (eat normally for 5 days, then limit calories to 500–600 for the other two).

Intermittent fasting can be an efficient approach to losing body fat if you consume fewer calories than you burn.

It is important to note, however, that intermittent fasting is not a quick fix and involves discipline and regularity.

Exercise for Burning Fat

Exercise can boost metabolism, burn calories and fat, and enhance general health and well-being. Here are some efficient fat-burning exercises:

Cardiovascular Exercise

Want to burn calories and fats fast? cardio is your best friend! The best thing about these exercises is how easy and familiar they are. Running, cycling, swimming, and brisk walking are all examples of cardio exercises.

These activities raise respiration and heart rate, which increases calorie burning. Five times a week, try to get in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiac exercise.

Strength Training

Weightlifting and other strength training activities help build muscle mass, which raises metabolism and speeds up fat burning.

In addition to assisting in fat loss and maintaining muscle mass, resistance training also aids in avoiding weight gain.

Target all main muscle groups throughout two to three weekly strength training sessions.

Circuit Training

In circuit training, several exercises are carried out back-to-back with little respite.

This kind of exercise can help you gain muscle while improving your cardiovascular health.

Bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups, and jumping jacks may be included in a conventional circuit. Aim for two to three circuit training sessions each lasting 20 to 30 minutes each week.

Low-Intensity Exercise

Low-intensity exercise can be helpful in addition to high-intensity exercise for fat loss. Exercises like yoga, stretching, and walking can help lower stress, elevate mood, and promote more general physical activity. Aim for daily low-intensity exercise for at least 30 minutes.

Follow A Low Fat Diet

A low-fat diet includes focusing on low-fat and high-fiber foods while limiting or avoiding high-fat ones.

What foods should you include in your low-fat diet?

When following a low-fat diet, you should focus on eating foods with elements that are filling and with fewer calories such as fibers and whole grains.

Here are foods you could add to your diet

• Vegetables and fruits

• dairy items with low-fat content, such as skim milk and low-fat cheese

• legumes like chickpeas, lentils, and beans

• lean protein, including tofu, salmon, and chicken

Remember to focus on making small changes to your diet and exercise routine and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts.

And, don't forget to invest in comfortable and attractive sportswear that will make you feel good about yourself and motivate you to stick to your fitness plans.

Luxe Lady Fit offers you attractive options that will help you look and feel your best while you work towards your fitness goals!