How To Lose Fat

Maintaining a healthy weight is essential for living a quality life. Losing excess body fat is key to meeting your wellness goals. Transforming that fat into muscle can help you feel mentally and physically fit. Here is your ultimate guide on how to lose body fat and gain muscle.

How to Trim Body Fat

Losing weight is a commitment, but it's also an investment in yourself. Once you integrate these weight loss tips into your routine, they will become natural habits. Use the same concepts, diet tips, and fat loss exercises we discuss here to maintain a healthy weight.

Get in the Right Mindset

Make sure you want to lose weight for the right reasons. There is a fine line between doing exercises to lose love handles and developing body dysmorphia. If you believe you have appearance issues, never hesitate to consult a mental health physician.

Typically, if you have a healthy body mass index (BMI), you shouldn't concentrate on fat loss. Instead, focus on turning that fat into muscle.

Losing weight is an ongoing process that requires small lifestyle changes. With each change, you will notice tiny transformations.

Maybe your pants will be looser around your legs due to a loss of thigh fat? Perhaps you'll get fuller quicker after you lose some belly fat? Notice and celebrate these milestones, as they will add up to one significant victory.

Lastly, always remember that you can't rush this process. Cutting fat doesn't happen overnight. Although, there are some tricks to help burn fat faster. Try the following diet and exercise tips.

Rethink Calories and Carbs

It's easy to vilify fats in a diet because you're trying to burn fat. However, the type of fat you consume makes all the difference.

A Western Diet is rich in omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6s are present in vegetable oils used for fried foods, animal fats, and processed cheese.

These are typically saturated fats that slow down our digestive system. Since saturated fats are challenging for our bodies to digest, they get stored around our waistline. This causes the belly fat you need to burn.

Instead, opt for leaner monounsaturated and, in some cases, polyunsaturated fats. These fats are found in fruit oils, nuts, seeds, and wild-caught fish. They help curb inflammation caused by too many omega-6s, which helps blast fat.

Also, change up your carb intake. Eating simple carbohydrates found in processed bread, cereals, and protein shakes can add extra pounds.

Opt for complex carbohydrates that leave you fuller longer while providing lasting energy. Our bodies take these carbs and transform them into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the electric currency that powers us through our day. Get plenty of complex carbs through gluten-free whole grains, sweet potatoes, and legumes.

Lastly, worry less about calories and more about the content of those calories. Calories are energy. As long as you're working out to lose fat, you will burn off those calories.

Calories consumed from unhealthy foods won't provide us with the energy we desire. Instead, we feel sluggish and bloated.

Eat as many organic, whole foods as possible. Also, only buy meat that is hormone-free and cage-free eggs. These products are more nutrient-dense and won't contain toxic chemicals that can cause weight gain.

2-5 Hours of Cardio Per Week

Burning calories is essential for losing weight. Otherwise, these carbs will get stored in your stomach fat.

Cardio exercises are the most efficient way to burn calories quickly. These types of workouts increase your heart rate, blood flow, and body temperature. This increase in activity burns through fat and expends more ATP.

There are two types of cardio exercises. Steady-state cardio like running or swimming can burn up to 60% of calories from fat.

Meanwhile, high-intensity interval training (HIIT fitness) can burn up to 35% of calories per fat. However, HIIT training expends more ATP. So, you will burn more calories per hour. That makes HIIT staples like sprints and planks great for sculpting the body for people with busy schedules.

Define Your Body with Strength Training

Strength training does more for the body than make you grow stronger. It burns off fat while sculpting the skin to muscle to provide the body with definition.

Through weight and resistance training, you can tighten up back fat, develop arm fat into biceps, or give your chest definition.

Isolate your body parts so that you tone the body evenly. Plus, switching your targeted workout prevents injury from excessive training of the same muscle.

Improve Mental Health & Flexibility

Stretching your muscles is important for healing wear and tear on the body caused by strenuous workouts. Be sure to stretch before and after any cardio or strength training.

It's okay to skip leg day every once in a while for a yoga session. Restorative yoga will help you repair any damage caused to muscle fibers from weight training while tending to achy joints from running.

However, you can also burn fat by upping the pace with Vinyasa flows. Faster-paced yoga classes can help you cat-cow away side fat and tone up arm fat through Chaturangas.

Additionally, yoga is a great resource for supporting mental health. Many studies correlate depression with obesity. Eating sweets and processed foods could trigger positive responses from dopamine receptors.

These addiction-inducing responses tell the brain that these foods provide pleasure. When in reality, they're just creating excess fat. Create genuine feel-good hormones by joining a yoga class.

Yoga draws breath to movement. During practice, you reel in your varying thoughts to become present in the moment. That's why yoga naturally lowers stress levels, which can have a positive impact on your weight.

Exercises to Burn Fat

The beauty of exercise is that there is no shortage of ways to burn fat and lose weight. This variety breaks up the mundane, making it easier for you to keep your exercise routine fresh. Here are some great exercises to shed body fat throughout the body.

Leg days aren't everyone's favorite. However, your legs deserve a lot of love. Since they are the lowest parts of our bodies, the legs are prone to poor blood flow.

Tone Up the Legs

Get the blood pumping to your legs with these cardio exercises:

Running
Walking
Treadmill
Stairs

Also, make sure to get in plenty of strength and resistance training in. The legs have the largest muscles in the body. So, they will need some extra working out.

Try these strength and resistance training ideas for the legs:

Tone up the quads with a leg press.
Tighten up thigh fat with inner/outer thigh machines.
Give your hamstrings definition with leg curls.
Define your glutes with weighted squats.

Of course, your legs are going to need some stretches. Since they're large, you might need to go deep. Try to stay in these poses for a little longer to find a good release.

Tend to your legs with these stretches:

Release tension in the hips, pelvis, and hamstrings with a butterfly pose.
Heal overworked quads by stretching your thighs behind your back as your lie down.
Prevent tightness in your calf while sitting by wrapping a strap around your toes and pulling lightly.

Sculpt the Waistline

Losing belly fat is a top priority for many people managing their weight. Since this is where energy gets stored, the belly is where weight gain becomes most noticeable. Start making healthier diet changes and try these exercise tips to cut belly fat.

Some of the best cardio exercises for trimming the waistline include:

Running
Dancing
Spinning
Mountain climbers
HIIT workouts

As you blast fat, you'll want to tone the midsection. Otherwise, you might still have the appearance of weight gain due to a lack of a definition.

Strength train for killer abs with these exercises:

Weighted situps
Kettlebell swings
Medicine ball slams
Leg lifts

Tending to your core is a primary principle in yoga. Stretch out these muscles to prevent any discomfort after going hard with crunches.

Tend to your waistline with these stretches:

Strengthen your spine and blast fat with a seated twist.
Cut bloating and excess weight with a bridge pose.
Stretch out the front body and relieve gas with a cobra pose.
Massage your organs and relax by hugging your knees to your chest.
Tone your abs in a full-body experience in plank pose.

Strengthen the Arms

Arms are some of the last places that your body distributes weight. Since the arms are such a small part of the body, it's a bit easier to burn off excess fat on them. Here are some ways you can tone your arm fat into muscle.

Most people correlate cardio but running, but these arm exercises will also get that heart rate up:

Elliptical
Running with dumbbells
Rowing
Bear crawls (also great for burning inner thigh fat)
Burpees

Muscular arms are almost synonymous with bodybuilding. The weight room is stocked with equipment that will help your arms get shredded.

Burn fat on your arm with these weight and resistance training exercises:

Bicep curls with weights or resistance bands
Tricep kickbacks
Hammer curls
Pull-ups
Cable rows

Sore arms can really hurt your productivity during the day. Tend to these sore muscles while chipping away at unwanted fat.

Try out these stretches to strengthen your arms:

Open up your arms and shoulders with an eagle arm pose.
Put your hand and arm out straight and pull back on your fingers for a wrist stretch.
Behind your back, dangle a strap with one arm and pull from underneath with the other to create resistance.
Move back and forth between a plank pose and downward-facing dog.
Thread the needle and lie on your ear for a great shoulder opener.

Tighten Up the Back

The back is often neglected in many people's weight loss plans. It is common to lose elasticity in the lower back when you lose weight. You must strengthen the back to create healthier skin. Burn fat and tighten your back with these exercises.

Do these cardio exercises to get rid of back fat:

Rowing
Battle ropes
Mountain climbing
Jumping jacks
Kayaking

There are plenty of opportunities to build your back muscles through weights and resistance bands.

Alternate these exercises to get a full-body back workout:

Lat pull-downs
Bent-over rows with resistance bands
Barbell deadlift
Dumbell rows from a plank
Farmer's walk/fireman's carry

Between sitting on the couch at night, working at a desk all day, and working out, your back can take a beating.

Stretch out the back with these moves:

Recline in a figure four position to support your lower back.
Massage the spine and release your lower back with a supine twist.
Roll out the thoracic spine on a foam roller.
Relieve tension in the shoulders and upper back by grabbing your wrist overhead and leaning towards the opposite side.

Open Up the Chest

Do these cardio exercises to get rid of back fat:

Rowing
Battle ropes
Mountain climbing
Jumping jacks
Kayaking

There are plenty of opportunities to build your back muscles through weights and resistance bands.

Alternate these exercises to get a full-body back workout:

Lat pull-downs
Bent-over rows with resistance bands
Barbell deadlift
Dumbell rows from a plank
Farmer's walk/fireman's carry

Between sitting on the couch at night, working at a desk all day, and working out, your back can take a beating.

Stretch out the back with these moves:

Recline in a figure four position to support your lower back.
Massage the spine and release your lower back with a supine twist.
Roll out the thoracic spine on a foam roller.
Relieve tension in the shoulders and upper back by grabbing your wrist overhead and leaning towards the opposite side.

Open Up the Chest

A lot of excess fat can build up in the chest. It can promote the appearance of breasts for men or tissue growth for women. This extra weight can cause back problems in the long term.

Blast fat and strengthen your chest with these cardio exercises:

Rowing
Swimming
Burpees
Elliptical
Battle ropes

Strong pectoral muscles help take the burden off of your lower back. Plus, they help lessen the appearance of fat.

Gain strong chest muscles with these exercises:

Chest press
Dips
Chest Fly
Dumbell pullover
Standing high crossover with resistance bands

With all of this hard work, it's essential to stretch your chest muscles. They hold a lot of tension from daily stress.

These stretches will provide great release:

Lay on your stomach and outstretch one arm. Turn onto that same arm's ear and place your heel behind your back.
Kneel and lean back to touch your heels. Push away into and open your chest for camel pose.
Grab your hands behind your back and extend your arms away from your body.

Losing Fat Lifestyle Tips

Once you lose weight, it's going to take work to keep it off. A little bit of progress every day will prevent you from reverting back to your old weight.

Stay positive, eat a balanced diet, and exercise regularly to keep meeting your wellness goals.