We know you want it, a FLAT BELLY and with visibles abs. But it seems like everything that you try, nothing helps you to reduce that stubborn fat. There is a way to reduce belly fat percentage, but first you need to know the basic information on body fat.
How do you lose body fat?
Fat loss happens when you consistently take fewer calories that you need, forcing the body to oxidate its fat reserves to keep you fuel. The body fat is broken down with byproducts or waste that they exit via sweta, urine and carbon dioxide when you breathe out.
THIS DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU SWEAT THE FAT EVERY TIME YOU WORK OUT.
If you aren’t in a calorie deficit this will not happen and if you are in a calorie deficit it will not happen just when you work out, it will happen when the body dictates.
We know the risk of a high body fat percentage like cardiovascular, neurologic and metabolic problems, we are bombarded everyday with those messages. But we don’t have to be scared of body fat, we need body fat it’s healthy, necessary, it’s responsible for various processes in the body like:
Hormone signaling, like insulin, signaling hunger and satiety levels.
Helps temperature regulation
Keeps a healthy reproductive health
Is the the storage of many vitamins
Keep a healthy metabolism
Helps with a good neurological function
Is responsible for a balanced blood sugar levels
Avoid lipids from clogging in arteries by storing subdermal form
It protects your internal organs
Depending on sport you do, helps you avoid injuries
It's the primary storage of energy
So we need a healthy body fat percentage, and a healthy objective is to be around women around 21% -35% and men around 8% -24%, this will also depend on the age of the person.
To reduce body fat we do need a:
CALORIC DEFICIT
In simple words we need to eat less of what our body needs, but we need to keep our body nourished, satisfied and keep off extremes.
Also if you are starting out before going into a deficit you need to learn to eat better, integrate physical activity, sleep better, create healthy habits and then start a caloric deficit.
Let’s go into the TIPS
1. Try low calorie density foods
What it refers to is to try food that in large quantities can have lower energy. These can be found in these types of foods:
Gelatin, without any sugar added, make them at home with grenetine and fruits or low sugar powders.
KONJAC pasta and products.
Veggies, like cucumber, spinach, lettuce and tomato.
Seed Drinks, prefer without any sugar added
Infusions and Teas, they are low calorie but they also have a lot of antioxidative properties that can give you great benefits on your health. Depending on the tea or infusion the benefits go from cardioprotector, anti inflammatory or helps to have a stronger immune system.
Yogurt and low fat dairy products
White Fishes and Molluscs
2. Avoid High caloric density foods
High Fat cheeses like american, mozzarella, manchego, blue cheese, cream cheese, goat cheese
Chocolate, in specific high fat density candy chocolate bars like the most common industrial one that are high fat, sugar and have little to none cocoa. PREFER 75% cocoa chocolate, without milk, with no sugar, low sugar or with artificial sweeteners.
Seeds, in specific spreads with a low portion can have a high caloric intake, so if you are having peanut butter or any spread avoid having more than one teaspoon, with no sugar or added oils. And when having as a snack measure the quantity just a palm size portion is okay.
Sugary beverages, like you know, are high in sugar and sugar has a high energy in small portions.
OILS like olive, canola, avocado are great because they are high in OMEGA 3 and vitamin E, so have them on the daily but measure and take into account the ones we use in cooking or any process of the recipe.
3. REDUCE STRESS
Stressing can be the cause of increase on belly fat percentage this is due to a greater amount if cortisol at different times of the day, so here is are some tips to manage stress on the daily:
Practice Meditation for at least 1 to 5 minutes a day
Practice Mindfulness
Integrate breathing exercises in the daily
Exercise on the daily
Reduce screen exposure in the morning and before going to sleep
Read before going to sleep
Write on the daily
4. SLEEP BETTER
If you don’t sleep at least 7 to 8 hours a day you will lack control of your cortisol levels, because you did not relax your nervous system. So getting enough sleep is important to learn better, have better performance and better results in your activity, in addition to a faster change in the reduction of fat percentage.
5. MOVE MORE
Exercising on a weekly basis is important to see a physical change, but having daily movement such as walking and stretching can be key to regulating your metabolism, hormonal system and also helping to improve your circulatory system.
Walk daily, at least 30 minutes or at least 4,000 extra steps a day in addition to the exercise you do, since even if you do weights or move for 1 to 2 hours, if you don't move the rest of the day you are still sedentary.
