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A Leaner
You
By Erick Alvarez for Rocket Magazine
Whether
you've been wondering when all that gym work is going to result in a
six-pack in the mirror or whether you've just started an exercise routine
so you can fit into a favorite pair of jeans again, getting leaner is
probably at the top of your list. If a leaner you is what you want,
here is what you need to do.
Body Composition
The key
to getting and staying lean lies in body composition, basically the
ratio of body fat to muscle mass. For healthy young men and women it
is important to maintain body fat percentages below 30 percent of total
body weight (the ratio allows for higher percentages as you get older).
Most men tend to store excess fat in their abdominal section, most women
in their hip area. Achieving muscular definition in these areas requires
even lower percentage of body fat, less than 12 percent in males and
less than 15 percent in females. This is when it gets tough.
The type
of fat that gets in the way of muscular definition is called subcutaneous
fat, because it is stored under the skin, which also means that it covers
the muscles. Everybody has a six-pack. If you can't see yours, it is
simply because there is a layer of fat between the abdominal muscles
and the skin that covers them.
The best
way (and sometimes the only natural one) to achieve a leaner body is
a combination of exercise and nutrition. The duo will yield the desired
result: more muscle mass and less body fat.
Nutrition
You can
go to the gym six times a week or jog five miles, but if you are not
eating right the results obtained will be middle-of-the-road. When getting
leaner is the goal, nutrition is half of it: what you eat, when you
eat, and how much you eat are going to determine your results.
The "right"
diet of course is different for everybody; you'll have to adjust it
according to your age, gender, height, weight, and level of activity.
Whatever the specifics may be, however, there are three basic components:
- Find
out where your calories are coming from. The best nutrition plans
have a healthy ratio of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. An ideal
range is 40 percent protein, 30 percent carbohydrates, and 30 percent
or less of fat. Most American diets lack protein and are too heavy
in fat and carbohydrates. Start reading food labels to learn your
nutrition ratio.
- Eat
smaller and more frequent meals. Eating 5 or 6 small meals a day
is going to accelerate your metabolism into using more fat for energy.
On the contrary, eating only one or two big meals per day will slow
it down, causing you to store more fat.
- More
important than where the calories are coming from is the total amount
of calories. Excess calories are metabolized and stored as fat
- whether they come from butter or broccoli. To lose body fat, the
most important thing in terms of calories is that you create a calorie
deficit by consuming fewer calories than your body uses, and of course
by burning more calories through exercise.
Exercise
The exercise
component is made up of two different types: aerobic and anaerobic.
Aerobic exercise, or cardio, will burn the most amount of fat in the
least amount of time. You can get cardio in many different ways, from
walking around the block to running on the treadmill to participating
in a group exercise class. To see results you need to complete at least
three cardio workouts per week of at least 30 minutes each for a beginner,
and up to 5 weekly workouts of 45-60 minutes for intermediate and advanced
exercisers.
Anaerobic
exercise builds muscle: while anaerobic exercise includes such activities
as sprinting or diving, the one that is builds the most muscle is weight
training. Building muscle is an important aspect of getting lean because
the added muscle will help your body burn more fat. Muscle is denser
than fat and uses more calories to sustain itself. Think about it this
way: an extra pound of muscle will burn anywhere from 40 to 70 calories
per day (depending on your body, age, gender, etc). So let's say you
add five pounds of muscle by weight training: all of a sudden your body
will be burning an additional 200 to 350 calories each day. This can
result in losing half a pound to a pound of fat per week. If you have
noticed that muscular people tend to have less body fat, this is the
reason.
Think strong!
Note:
If you have an injury or any health problems, consult with your physician
before starting an exercise program.
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