Losing weight is not just about weight. Exercise at home to reduce body fat

Are you still obsessed with the numbers on the scale when losing weight? Although you can lose weight quickly by controlling your diet alone, your body will become loose and baggy after losing weight, with no curves at all. A popular fitness coach in Japan said that people of the same weight will look bloated if they have a higher percentage of body fat, but if their body fat percentage is lower, their body curves will be thinner and firmer. Therefore, losing weight simply by lowering the number on the scale is a myth. If you want to be thinner and firmer with more beautiful lines, you must also rely on strength training to increase muscle mass.

In his book "Train Muscle Strength at Home, Reduce Body Fat by 10%", Japan's super popular fitness coach Mori Toshihiro said that many people often rely on diet control when losing weight, setting goals of "losing 5 kg" and "definitely losing 10 kg". However, setting such goals without combining them with muscle strength training will result in weight loss, but the loose body curves will not change at all, or the face will become haggard and unattractive.

The key to being slim and curvy is to reduce body fat

To have a good body shape, you should first pay attention to your body fat percentage (the percentage of fat in body weight). Due to the lower density of fat, the volume of fat is about 3 times that of muscle at the same weight. That is to say, if the body weight is the same, if the body fat proportion is high, the appearance will be more bloated; but if the body fat percentage is low, the body curves will be thinner and firmer.

Therefore, pursuing a lower number on the scale is actually a myth. What you really need to do to lose weight is to reduce body fat and increase muscle mass. In principle, the body fat percentage for women under 30 years old should be below 25%, and below 30% for those over 30 years old; the standard for men under 30 years old is below 20%, and below 25% for those over 30 years old. If the body fat percentage exceeds the above standards, not only will the curves be distorted, but it may even reach the obesity standard.

Gaining muscle and improving basal metabolism will reduce weight and prevent weight gain

Increasing muscle mass not only makes you look leaner, but also helps you lose weight. Muscles burn calories 10 times more efficiently than fat, so people with more muscle mass have a higher "basal metabolic rate." The basal metabolic rate is the minimum amount of calories needed to maintain the body's physiological functions. The body needs to maintain body temperature and the functioning of organs such as the lungs, heart, and brain. Even when sleeping or not moving, calories will be consumed.

Since muscles require more calories than fat to supply muscle activity, people with more muscle mass have a higher basal metabolic rate, consume more energy every day, and are less likely to gain weight. On the contrary, adipose tissue requires less energy consumption. If the fat ratio is high, the energy consumed by daily metabolism is lower. Not only will you gain weight easily after eating, but you will also easily gain weight again when losing weight.

How to gain muscle? Strength training + protein intake

So how can you increase muscle mass while losing weight? In addition to doing aerobic exercise to burn calories, anaerobic muscle strength training should be done in the early, middle and late stages of weight loss. After strength training, muscle tissue will be damaged due to excessive load. In addition to a balanced diet, consuming more protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, dairy products, soy products, etc. after training can provide nutrients to muscles and repair muscle tissue. At the same time, the thickness and thickness of muscles will gradually increase, and there will be more muscle tissue. Here are 3 sets of strength training that you can use to build muscle at home:

[Muscle-building exercise 1/side palm]

Action: The training area is the side abdomen. It can be combined with plank to fully tighten the waist curve.

Movement site: side abdomen.

Targeted muscles: Oblique abdominal muscles.

Reps: Stand still for 30 seconds. (Left and right sides are calculated separately)

[Muscle-building exercise 2/Lying on your back and raising your legs]

Action: Lie on your back and move your feet up and down. This action is simple but can accurately stimulate the lower abdomen and can be done while lying in bed.

Exercise parts: abdomen, thighs.

Target muscles: rectus abdominis, quadriceps.

Number of times: 10 times.

[Muscle-building exercise three/back kick with trunk fixed]

Action: Support your body with both elbows and move one foot up and down. This can strengthen your abdominal muscles and the whole body. It is an essential action for training the torso.

Exercise parts: abdomen, buttocks, thighs.

Target muscles: rectus abdominis, gluteus maximus, quadriceps.

Number of times: 10~12 times. (Left and right sides are calculated separately)