Over lockdown, you might have noticed that you have put on a bit of weight. There are plenty of places where you can put on weight, it is not just your stomach. Carrying a small amount of extra weight when you are generally healthy is not the end of the world, however there are many ways of getting rid of this body fat and lowering your body fat percentage.
Going To The Gym
Going to the gym is one of the more simple ways of reducing your body fat percentage. Although, it does depend on what you do at the gym. Including 15 minutes to 1 hour of cardio alongside your usual routine is one way of burning off fat. Cardio can be a variety of different things as well, as you can either go on the treadmill, step-up machine or even the rowing machine. They are all great ways of burning off excess fat and there are also many other healthy sports for elders, such as swimming or walking football.
There are many other ways to burn off fat as well. Strength training is one of these methods that you should also look at. You may have heard of the term “bulking” before. This is when someone is eating a lot of food, more than their daily average intake. The fuel from the food helps people to train harder and their body is able to recover. This means that they will put on some body fat which they will eventually be looking to change into toned muscle by cutting their calories again. If you already have fat on your body then do plenty of strength training to change that fat into muscle. You can target specific areas too, such as exercises to reduce your hip dips.
Calorie Deficit
A calorie deficit is what many sports dieticians and trainers will suggest you do if you have too much body fat. Our bodies have to consume a certain amount of calories to remain at the same weight. However, a calorie deficit is where you consume fewer calories than the amount of calories you burn in the day.
Now, a trainer will suggest you do a cardiovascular exercise if you have not eaten. This way, you are burning the fat off because you are using that for your energy rather than simply burning off the food you have just eaten. However, do not do too much cardio if you have not eaten a lot of food as you may feel faint. Exercising without eating is known as fasted training, so if you are doing this keep it light. A great example is walking on the treadmill at 5 kilometres per hour at an incline for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Consider A High-Protein Diet
A high-protein diet is one of the best you can have when looking to lower your body fat percentage. Protein is a great food source for many reasons. One of them is that it makes you feel like you have eaten a lot more than you have, thus reducing your appetite so you do not want to eat is one of the best ways to stop you from eating.
Protein is used to help repair torn or damaged muscle tissue as well, which is a natural part of exercising. Again, this helps you to lose weight whilst also gaining muscle. There are plenty of foods out there that are high in protein. Just make sure you get the other vital nutrients that you need throughout the day.
Have More Vinegar In Your Diet
There are quite a few health benefits when it comes to vinegar. It has potential positive effects on the health of your heart and also helps control your blood sugar levels. Some research has suggested that if you have 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar daily, it can help to reduce people’s body weight. There are many ways where you can incorporate vinegar into your diet, for example by using apple cider vinegar in your cooking!
To sum it up, vinegar is suspected to increase the feeling of fullness, decrease your calorie intake and lower your overall body fat. This is a win-win when it comes to you trying to reduce your body fat percentage.
Consider Eating Healthier Fats
Yes, healthy fats do exist, believe it or not. However, they are not the ones you are thinking about sadly. Healthy fatty foods will take longer to digest compared to your other foods, which means it will help reduce your appetite and hunger. Your unhealthy fats are things like saturated fats and oils found in heavily fried or processed foods.
There are plenty of fatty foods out there that you can consider implementing into your diet. These are your fatty fish that also contain omega 3 fatty acids, avocados, dark chocolate, whole eggs, nuts, chia seeds, coconuts and full-fat yoghurt. There are many more out there, so do not be afraid to do your own research.
Drink Plenty Of Water
This one should go without saying however, it is still an important part of reducing your body fat percentage. Fizzy drinks have a massive effect on your weight due to the amount of sugar they contain as well as the unhealthy fats.
Alcohol is another drink out there that has plenty of fat in it. Some contain many more calories than others such as beer. Consider alcoholic drinks that do not contain much fat if you wish to have a drink and still lose weight. Your spirits tend to be alcoholic drinks that contain fewer calories compared to beer. If you are looking to have a spirit with a mixer such as coca-cola or lemonade then consider your diet options to reduce your body fat percentage.
If you substitute your fizzy drinks for water then it will help you massively in the long run.
Summary
Reducing your body fat percentage sooner rather than later is certainly advised. Making small changes can make a big difference, so start small and gradually begin changing your lifestyle. Some people may need a tummy tuck in Manchester if they continue to gain weight and their excess fat and skin is very severe, however this is a last resort. It is all about just experimenting and finding what is best for you and your body to get happier and healthier.