How to Get a Low Body Fat Percentage

Your body fat percentage reflects the amount of fat that your body contains. Your body needs a certain amount of fat to function properly. Body fat is mainly used for energy; it also regulates your temperature, and cushions organs and tissues. According the American Heart Association, if your body fat percentage is too high, you are at an increased risk of getting high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. There are various things you can do to lower your body fat percentage, but they take a sustained commitment.

Instructions

• 1

  Avoid starving yourself by going on highly restrictive diets. because this only slows your metabolism and triggers the body to store fat instead of reducing it. Eat healthy foods four to six times per day to keep the metabolism working. Include complex carbohydrates, unsaturated fats and lean protein in each meal. Eat foods such as egg whites, fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken, olive oil and avocados.

• 2

  Reduce your caloric intake by no more than 500 to 1,000 calories daily to lose 1 to 2 lbs. per week. According to the Medline Plus website, losing more weight on a weekly basis is not healthy.

• 3

  Lower the amount of carbohydrates you eat towards the end of the day and instead of eating brown rice and whole-wheat pasta, fill up on vegetables.

• 4

  Build muscle tissue by incorporating weight training into three days of the week. Muscle tissue activates your metabolism because it needs energy to sustain itself. You will burn fat even after your workout, when you are resting. Lift weights that train all parts of your body so you get even proportions.

• 5

  Drink a low calorie protein shake to provide your muscles with the building blocks they needs. Protein shakes come in handy when you have trouble get sufficient protein from the foods you eat.

• 6

  Boost your metabolism and burn fat by increasing your cardiovascular activity level. Run, walk, swim, bike, or train on the stair-climber or elliptical machine to increase the heart rate.

• 7

  Drink at least eight glasses of water per day to suppress your appetite and to make you feel full. Water also promotes fat metabolism and flushes toxins out of the body.