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Thursday, June 29, 2017 - 14:58
We may think of “fat” as being the dreaded three letter “F word” we want to eliminate at all costs, but do we really know what it is? Does fat serve a purpose in our bodies? Is there a healthy amount of fat to aim for? When we talk about wanting to lose weight, we are really talking about wanting to lose body fat.


The Good

Fat may be a bad word to most of us, but it’s not healthy or possible to eliminate all fat from our bodies. Without fat, our bodies wouldn’t be able to regulate a healthy core temperature or produce energy. Fat moves the vitamins we eat through the body’s bloodstream and promotes healthy cell growth and development.

The goal should always be a healthy body fat percentage!

The Bad

Even though some body fat is essential for good health, excessive body fat is linked to a variety of dire health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. Researchers at Harvard have discovered that excessive body fat stored around the waist is particularly dangerous.

When you’re setting fitness and weight loss goals, reducing your body fat percentage should always be considered. If you’re not sure whether you need to reduce your body fat percentage, talk to the experts at FitClub or consult with your medical professional. Knowing your numbers will help you design a plan that works for you and allow you to set reasonable weight loss and fitness goals for reaching your optimal health.

What it all means for weight loss.

If your goal is to reduce your body fat percentage, don’t let the science over-complicate the lifestyle changes you can make today to reach your goal.

  • Mix it up. If you’re loyal to one particular type of workout, changing the intensity, duration or type of exercise will keep your body from quickly adjusting to the demands placed upon it. Check out FitClub’s group exercise schedule or talk to a FitClub personal trainer to add variety to your repertoire.

  • Drink more water. Not only does drinking more water throughout the day keep you from confusing thirst with hunger and flush the toxins out of your body more quickly, it also keeps you from reaching for the sticky, sweet sugary drinks. For extra fat-fighting power, make sure your water is cold. Cold water requires the body to use more calories while bringing the water’s temperature up to our normal 98.6 degree body temperature.

  • Calories in and calories out. If you’re not already tracking how many calories you’re consuming each day, today is the day to start. When you consume more calories than you burn in the course of the day, the unused calories are stored in the body as fat. The type of calories that you eat matters, too, so reach for lean proteins, and fresh fruits and vegetables to give your body the most efficient calories available.


Worried about your body fat percentage? Don’t wait to know your numbers and get started on reaching your healthiest lifestyle. Contact FitClub today for an appointment with a fitness professional to get your body composition checked using our In-Body body composition analyzer.