When most of us think about losing weight, we think of losing fat in terms of reducing the numbers we see when we step onto the scale. But that is just weight. For successful weight loss we also need to be more mindful of how to reduce our body fat, and therefore our body fat percentage. Learning how to reduce body fat percentage is slightly more complicated than simple weight loss and requires you to be more diligent than traditional weight loss efforts. Although it takes a little more work, it is not an impossible task. Keep reading to find out how to lose body fat percentage. Measuring Body Fat When we talk of body fat we really are referring to the amount of visible fat on our bodies, but that isn’t exactly what body fat percentage measures. When we talk about losing body fat percentage, we are talking about the percentage of fat that your body contains. This means the percentage of fat you have in reference to your current body weight. For example if you weigh 150 pounds and you have a body fat percentage of 10% that means that your body has 15 pounds of fat and the rest is lean body mass. It would be unrealistic to aim for 0% body fat because we need a certain amount of fat for our bodies to perform properly. According to the American Council on Exercise, an acceptable body fat percentage for women is 25% to 31% body fat and 18% to 25% body fat for men. Now let’s get to how you can lower your body fat percentage! Gradually Increase Intensity If you want to know how to reduce your percentage of body fat you have to gradually increase the intensity of your workout sessions. If you are obese when starting out then you’ll want to start with an exercise regimen that is quite mild so as not to overwork yourself too soon. Even if you’re not obese however, you’ll want to start exercising at a level from which you can go up eventually. When you hit the dreaded plateau you’ll have no place to go if you begin your exercise regimen with really intense sessions. If your life is generally sedentary then begin with low impact aerobics like walking and light strength training, and every 2 to 4 weeks gradually increase the intensity to keep fat burning consistently. Reduce Bad Fats It’s no secret that a diet high in fat will lead to a significant increase in body fat. So if you want to know how to lower your body fat percentage one of the first things you need to do is reduce the bad fats in your diet like saturated fat and simple carbohydrates. Increase lean proteins and complex carbohydrates for greater fat burning and muscle repair. By reducing the amount of bad fat in your diet you can make sure that your diet is helping you to lose body fat. That means complex carbs like brown rice, sprouted grains, beans as well as lean proteins and fiber; these foods will help with fat burning while also satisfying your appetite in fewer calories so that everything you eat is helping you reach your goal of a lower body fat percentage. Mix Up Your Workouts Mixing up your regular workout sessions will help you to reduce your body fat percentage, not to mention help you stay interested in your workouts. By having a handful (or more) of interval based and strength training exercises to turn to each week you’ll look forward to the different activities, and you’re more likely to stick with it because you won’t be bored of the same old exercise routines week after week. Mixing up your workouts can help you to lose body fat because different activities can have different fat burning effects, making sure you target every muscle group. The trick is to give your entire body a sufficient workout over the course of each week so that your fat loss is spread throughout your body for an overall decrease in body fat percentage. Drink Lots of Water You can lose body fat more effectively by increasing your water intake each day. Think of water as a performance enhancer for your liver; it increases the conversion of fat to energy for greater fat burning. By drinking more water you can help your body work more efficiently to burn fat and help you to reduce your percentage of body fat. Since the majority of us don’t get enough water you should replace nearly all of your sugary, carbonated fat-filled drinks each day with water. The standard recommendation is at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day, but if you’re obese or living in a hotter climate then you’ll need drink even more than that to stay hydrated and increase fat burning. Strength Training Strength training will not only help you build and tone muscle but it will also help increase your fat burning at rest, which will help you to lower your body fat percentage more than if you did not perform any strength training exercises. By building muscle, you are burning calories but you are also increasing the metabolic rate to help your body expedite fat loss. Strength training maintains lean muscle mass and raises your metabolism while aerobic activity burns calories, effectively double-teaming your body fat and helping you lower your body fat percentage. Reduce Alcohol Intake Reducing your alcohol intake can really help you to lose body fat because alcohol jumps ahead of carbohydrates and fat in line for fat burning. This means that when you drink, all the food you’ve eaten takes a backseat while the alcohol gets burned as energy. When this happens the excess energy that your body doesn’t need gets stored as fat in your body. Reduce your alcohol intake so that you’re not consuming more than 1 drink each day for women and no more than 2 drinks a day for men. But if your goal is to lose body fat percentage, avoid drinking alcohol every day. Original article and pictures take http://www.fatburningfurnace.com/blog/how-to-lose-body-fat-percentage site
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