Body fat gets such a bad reputation, but that's really because it's often misunderstood by many. For those of us looking to lose weight, it is even more confusing! If you are constantly avoiding fat you could be causing yourself a disservice instead of helping you. The same goes for if you spend many late nights awake and then sleep for too few hours.
You're probably wondering how these things affect your body fact and the truth is: A LOT.
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To this day I'm still confused by how fat works and if spot reducing really works. The truth is it is a complicated topic that needs to be simplified. What is also important is knowing your body well and how body fat functions overall.
As women we may not realize it but fat is essential to our existence and we should become educated about it as opposed to hating it. To get an idea about what I'm talking about check out these amazing facts you didn't know about body fat!
BMI vs fat: Your body mass index (BMI) don't always go hand in hand with fat. The BMI factors in your height and weight, while fat percentage is measured in other ways. In fact it's your body fat percentage and not your BMI that you should be most concerned with.
Fat has different colors: There is white, brown, and beige fat, which all have different functions. Brown fat burns calories and generates heat, while the white fat doesn't do anything and gets stored as fat on your body. Then there's the beige, which is a combination of the two. It's been found that exercising and eating certain foods can decrease the white fat.
Where you have fat matters: If you tend to carry fat in your stomach area this is a health hazard and it's important to have as little in this region as possible. Through diet and exercise this can be accomplished. If you have a big booty, the good news is it doesn't pose as much of a health risk.
Body fat was important to our ancestors: Body fat is stored energy that is used when we are starving. Cavemen had to survive periods of time without eating and relied on their body fat to give them the energy they needed to hunt. Today we don't go hungry and for this reason we store more visceral fat (belly fat) compared to our ancestors.
Women have a harder time losing weight as they age: This is particularly true during the ages of 40 to 60 when hormonal changes, slow metabolism and other stressors come into play. If you are in this age range it's best to watch your diet because it can lead to other health risks.
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