Be it because of the lifestyle we lead or the food choices we make, obesity has become this generation's biggest enemy. It is easier to kill our demons when they are right in front of our eyes. However, if they’re invisible, then what?
Our society has the misconception that being skinny implies being healthy. But, in some cases, skinny people can also store harmful fat in their bodies, which is not visible to their bare eyes. That is when they are called skinny fat!
Let's learn more about it and how one can get rid of it by working out at home.
Definition Of Being Skinny Fat
The medical term ''skinny fat'' refers to the physical condition when a person has a relatively higher percentage of body fat and a low amount of muscle mass yet retains a normal BMI.
A person who is described as skinny fat is usually someone with high amounts of visceral fat, which is much more harmful than subcutaneous fat.
Too much of any kind of body fat is detrimental to our health. Still, visceral fat is more of a trigger for chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other severe health issues like high cholesterol and stroke.
The worst part is that visceral fat usually grows closer to the abdominal area, wrapping its organs, and is difficult to feel or see with the naked eye. So a person with a significantly flat belly can still have high amounts of visceral fat. Only an expensive scan can help detect that, which is why doctors usually don't order it.
Quick Ways Of Finding If You Are Skinny Fat
Even though pricey image scanning is the only way of knowing the exact amount of visceral fat you have, you can still get a rough idea by using these tricks.
1. Measuring Waist:
Wrap the tape around your waist over the belly button.
For an average woman, 35 inches or more is a sign of skinny fatness. For an average man, it's 40 inches.
For Asian people, the numbers are 31.5 and 35.5, respectively.
2. Calculating BMI:
There are online calculators available to measure one's BMI. If the number is over 30, it means overweight and could be a sign of visceral fat.
For Asians, 23 or higher is concerning.
3. Analyzing Body Shape:
Closely analyzing your body shape can help you get clues. For example, having a bigger trunk and slimmer leg can indicate higher visceral fat levels. This is more common for men.
In the case of women, the stored fat in the lower abdomen gives them an apple or pear shape.
Ways To Get Rid Of Skinny Fatness
Losing weight is the only possible way of get rid of skinny fatness. However, regular weight control exercise and good dietary habits can significantly help with that. You may learn more systematic knowledge about fitness and health at Trainer Academy.
Calcium and Vitamin D-enriched food are linked to reducing visceral fat. Therefore, try to incorporate a lot of leafy greens such as spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale collards, etc.
Avoiding trans fat, deep-fried or processed food, sodas, and high amounts of sugar will be a wise decision if one wishes to get rid of skinny fatness.
Apart from these dietary guidelines, here are some exercises one can opt for to avoid or get rid of skinny fatness.
Strength Training:
Strength training is known for its effectiveness in losing weight. This is because it not only helps to burn unhealthy fat but also helps in building muscle mass and higher your metabolic rate.
The dumbbell workout is a staple in strength training for its convenience of working out at home or any limited space and efficiency of building muscle strength. Fitness enthusiasts of all levels can engage in countless dumbbell exercises to stimulate their muscles with dumbbells at different weights.
The good news is that the newly-released Ativafit 66lbs Adjustable Dumbbell set helps you enjoy the flexibility of weight adjusting from 11lbs to 66lbs during the strength training, saving time and space.
Aerobic Exercises:
Besides helping in losing weight, aerobic exercises are great for cardiovascular conditioning and help reduce the risk of heart disease. They are also helpful in lowering blood pressure and increasing the amount of good cholesterol in the body.
Aerobic exercises can include swimming, cycling, rowing, jumping rope, or just simply walking or using a trampoline.
1. Squat Jumps:
Squat jumps are a prime example of bodyweight training. In this exercise, the person leaps directly upwards from a squatting position.
Squat jumps are great for burning calories and improving both upper and lower body strength.
2. Lateral Quick Steps:
This freehand exercise is not only a great cardio move for keeping your heart pumping but also helps immensely in warming up the muscles and boosting the metabolism.
They also play a big role in preventing muscle injury in case your exercise regime includes strength training.
3. Lateral Hops:
Keeping your legs together and jumping side to side is what is known as lateral hops.
This full-body exercise is a great way of engaging all your muscles and pumping a good amount of blood to your heart. Apart from improving your knee and ankle stability, it also boosts weight loss.
Compound Movements:
Compound movements are one of the most efficient ways of working out as one uses twice the muscles in half the time. Therefore, in case of losing weight, people often prefer including compound movements in their exercise regime.
Some of the most popular compound movements include bench presses, squats, and deadlifts.
Takeaway!
People who appear skinny can also suffer from fat-related chronic diseases like cholesterol and diabetes and that’s because their body is under the condition of skinny fatness.
So, to be on the safer side, never get deceived by the outer appearance and always try to lead a healthy life!
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