5 Easy Hacks to Improve Your Body Composition
Losing body fat while maintaining/gaining muscle can be very difficult for some people but it is definitely not impossible. Many times people overwork and starve themselves just to lose weight, but the weight they lose doesn't always improve their body composition. In an extremely simple definition, Body Composition can be defined as the portion of fat and fat-free mass in your body. So, if body composition is a ratio of fat:fat-free mass there would be two ways to improve it; decrease fat or increase fat-free mass (muscle).
Throughout my self-experimentation and exploration of research I came up with five extremely simple tips that have either worked for me or have been shown to work to improve body composition. These are the very first things that I recommend changing when anyone asks me for advice about improving body composition. Although they may seem extremely basic and even seem like common sense, they will add up and make a huge difference over time. Keep in mind that these tips are not meant to be the only protocol that is followed, they are just small tweaks that will be a great addition to your current health/fitness diet and routine. Also keep in mind that I advise the cliche disclaimer of following physician advice before beginning any diet or exercise program and if anything doesn't feel right.. don't do it.
1. Switch from cow's milk to almond milk
First, let me be clear that it is extremely important that the almond milk you choose is unsweetened. The sweetened kind can get pretty high in sugar (refer to #5). Personally, I have had a TON of success by switching to almond milk (and avoiding all dairy in general) with not just body composition but also digestion and even energy levels. I understand that everyone is different but I know that this has also been true for many other people. As far as body composition goes the primary reason that almond milk is superior to cow's milk is sugar content. On average, almond milk has less than one gram of sugar compared the 12 grams of sugar in standard 1% cow's milk. Another difference between the two is fat content. Although almond milk and 1% dairy milk both hover around three grams of fat, cow's milk is made up entirely of (what some call "bad") saturated fat while almond milk is made up of "good" monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The advantage that some may give to cow's milk over almond milk is protein content. This would be a true advantage in certain cases such as malnourishment or in those with body building or performance goals, but is generally not an advantage in the US as americans generally consume MUCH more protein than needed. Overall, almond milk is at a clear advantage over cow's milk when it comes to improving body composition and even though it might be a little more pricey it is worth the splurge.
2. Get up and MOVE before breakfast
"Fasted cardio" is an age-old technique used to increase fat burning. In short, it is essentially just exercising when a meal has not been consumed for awhile and is usually performed prior to breakfast. The goal of fasted cardio is to deplete your body's readily available energy source (glucose aka sugar) and tap into it's long term energy stores (adipose tissue aka fat). In a 2015 study, the only time that exercise increased fat burning throughout an entire day was when exercise was performed while fasted before the first meal of the day. This study showed the benefits of fasted cardio and implications for fat loss and improvement in body composition. For this tip, I am not strictly recommending heavy cardiovascular workouts prior to eating if that is not something that can be safely performed. Depending on your fitness level, applying this tip can be anything from a brisk walk to a full-blown workout and it is up to you to determine which is best for you.
3. Replace refined grains with vegetables
Modern processing of grains into refined grain products has increased tremendously and a slice of bread today is extremely different chemically than a slice of bread 200 years ago. Although it may not be necessary to cut all grains completely out of your diet, it may be beneficial to replace the majority of them (especially refined grains) with with vegetables. Sweet potatoes and squash are starchy vegetables that make a great replacement for grains, as well as nutrient dense green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach) and those in the cruciferous family (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower). Whole grains like oats and brown rice are also better choice than refined grains as a higher intake of grains is associated with less abdominal fat, and high intake of refined grains is associated with more abdominal fat.
A good reference for examples of whole vs. refined grains can be found here
4. Make sure to give yourself at least 12 hours between Your Last Meal and breakfast
Giving your body enough time to fully digest your last meal and "reset" the digestive system can be an extremely beneficial tip to implement. Your digestive system is extremely complex and consists of different hormones that are released in response to certain foods and tell your body what enzymes to release and how to digest certain foods. When your digestive system is constantly responding to being full it may not have the opportunity to "reset" and correctly digest and move food through. By waiting at least 12 hours between your last meal and breakfast you can help your digestive system get back on track and prepare for another day. The reason for the effectiveness of this feeding gap could be attributed to fewer calories consumed, but a recent study may suggest otherwise. In a mouse study from the journal Cell Metabolism, mice who only ate their meals in a 12 hour window improved their body composition even when the food and calories they consumed was the exact same as a mouse group that was free-fed. This study suggests that body composition can be improved solely by implementing this simple tip.
5. Fat is NOT the enemy, sugar is.
This is currently an extremely hot topic in the fitness and health community and there is way too much information surrounding it to thoroughly summarize. Basically, healthy fats like omega-3s have been shown to improve body consumption in a ton of studies (like this one) and sugar intake has been linked to obesity in a ton of studies (like this one). So if you are looking to improve your body composition avoiding excess sugar at all costs may be one of your best options. Also, don't forget that many of the low-fat foods and drinks have A TON of added sugars so a good tip is to avoid the low-fat stuff. It may also be a good to get in the habit of checking sugar content of all foods you eat just to be sure you aren't unknowingly consuming this drug.