How to Lose Fat and Look Fit

Looking fit means living a healthy lifestyle and getting in shape. If you are overweight, your health is at risk. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, being overweight puts you at an increased risk of heart disease, hypertension, stroke, osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. Losing fat, and keeping it off, is best when done gradually by adjusting your lifestyle to one that you can maintain for the duration.

Instructions

• 1

  Lower your stress level. When you are stressed, your body releases more cortisol, which is linked to irresistible cravings and excess fat gain. Take a yoga class or practice meditation. Take breaks throughout the day to take belly breaths -- breathe in deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth while your belly naturally inflates and deflates.

• 2

  Sleep eight hours every night because a lack of sleep can lead to weight gain due to hormonal imbalances. When you are sleep deprived, Leptin, the hormone that signals that you are full, reduces, and ghrelin, the hormone that tells you to consume food, increases.

• 3

  Start a moderate to high-intensity cardiovascular exercise routine. Moderate intensity allows you to still hold a conversation while exercising, while high intensity makes means it difficult to converse because you are breathing heavily. Build up your intensity as you get stronger. Take an aerobics class, jog outdoors or on a treadmill, ride a bicycle or swim laps. Switch the type of exercise you do periodically to keep your body challenged and to avoid boredom. Exercise four days of the week for 30 to 45 minutes.

• 4

  Incorporate strength training to accelerate fat burn. Utilize the weight of your body, free weights or machines to maintain and build muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the harder your body has to work to sustain the muscle tissue. Your resting metabolism increases so you burn fat throughout the day.

• 5

  Wear clothes that enhance your assets. If you have firm shoulders and shapely arms, wear short-sleeved tops to draw attention them. Wear skirts or shorts if you like your calves. Avoid oversized clothes because these make you look bigger, not fitter.

• 6

  Purchase shape wear to enhance body parts while you work on getting in shape. If you still have fat to shed off your belly, wear control underwear to make your tummy appear slimmer. You will look fit even if you still have pounds to shed.