Most people want to lose weight. We talk about it all the time, set resolutions for it, and far too many people base their self-worth on the number that appears on a scale. But if you were healthy and looked they way you want to, would you care at all what the scale said? What if you could change your body composition without fixating on a single number? That’s exactly what you can do by focusing on better body composition, instead of solely on weight loss.
Body composition refers to the proportion of fat mass to lean mass, such as muscle, bone, and organs, in your body. It’s important because having more lean mass means higher energy expenditure (or what most people think of as a “faster” metabolism) and improved overall health. Additionally, since muscle takes up less space than fat, those with higher levels of lean mass tend to look slimmer—even if the number on the scale hasn't changed much. When others say they want to lose weight, what they really mean is they want to lose adipose tissue, aka body fat, which is another reason body composition is a healthier measure than weight alone, as adding muscle while losing fat can improve your health and metabolism, without necessarily changing the scale much.
The best way to achieve optimal body composition is through exercise and eating specifically designed for fat loss and muscle gain. This type of combination will enable you to build muscle while simultaneously losing fat, which is something that simply cannot be achieved through dieting alone. Exercise programs like high intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training are great ways to both burn fat and build muscle at the same time. Additionally, eating enough protein can help ensure that you don’t lose lean mass when cutting back on calories for fat loss purposes.
Focusing on body composition over weight loss is beneficial for a variety of reasons. For starters, it can lead to improved health markers such as lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, increased metabolism leading to easier maintenance of lost weight over time, improved appearance due to increased muscle tone, increased strength due to increased muscles mass, and more! Additionally, when focusing on improving your body composition rather than obsessing over a number on the scale, you are more likely stay motivated since progress will be visible in how you look—rather than relying solely upon an arbitrary number which rarely reflects real progress or setbacks in terms of actual health or fitness levels.
Achieving optimal body composition should be every person's goal when striving towards overall health and wellness—not just putting emphasis solely on numbers found on a scale or tape measure. When proper nutrition is combined with specific exercise programs to simultaneously build muscle while burning fat, you will see progress in both your health AND fitness. This also allows you to stay motivated with physical changes taking place rather than waiting for an arbitrary number to move up or down before feeling good about yourself or seeing results from all your hard work. So this year make sure improving your body composition is one of your top priorities!