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What Is body composition?
How much do you weigh? You might think it’s important, but your body weight is irrelevant to your health and fitness. Your body weight is simply the total weight of your bones, organs, muscles, fluids, and fat. It would be best if you were more concerned about your body composition: the ratio of muscle to fat.Healthy body composition means the right balance between the two. It will reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance while increasing your energy level and improving your appearance and self-esteem.
Muscle weighs more than fat
As you begin to diet and exercise, it’s important to remember that your weight does not show the relationship between muscle and fat. It is common for new trainees NOT to see a change in weight on the scales – but you might see an increase in muscle and a decrease in fat and inches when looking in the mirror. This is because muscle weighs three times more than fat per unit of volume! As you begin to exercise, you’ll gain muscle – you can be smaller physically but weigh more. As you choose to follow a healthy and fit lifestyle, remember the distinction between being overWEIGHT and overFAT.
How to change your body composition with food
Your goal is no longer weight loss. Your goal is now fat loss and gaining lean muscle! How do you accomplish this? You know the answer: diet and exercise. To be more specific, you need a healthy, natural eating plan filled with nutrient-dense foods PLUS regular, moderate exercise.
Everything you eat fuels your metabolism. The nutrients, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates each have specific functions, but the calories they provide are “burned” to fuel your metabolism, the biochemical and biological processes that support your body. Walking, running, breathing, and even your heart beating all require calories. If you eat many calories above those needed to support your metabolism, they are converted and stored as fat!
Should I eat less and exercise more? While this approach has been used for decades with moderate success, a better approach would be EAT SMART and EXERCISE SMARTER. Start by eating higher quality, nutrient-dense foods like lean proteins, complex carbs (fruits and vegetables), and healthy fatty acids. Next, eliminate high-calorie junk foods from your diet, which will reduce the number of calories being converted to fat.
