Fat Is Where It's At
Yeah, I know! It is not fair to talk about "fat" before the holidays! But let's do it! Fat is where it's at! Don't worry, we'lll talk about the good news too and let's reframe our attitude, a little, about body fat.
We are talking about body fat, you may think of it as that jiggly, dimply, stuff on the thighs rear end!! You know the stuff, but there is more to it, than how I might feel in a bathing suit. Fat is necessary and important to our wellbeing, but excess fat can be harmful too. Like everything in life it comes down to balance.
First, what is "fat"? The 3 main types of fat are brown, beige, and white. the actual term for the largest percentage of fat we carry is adipose tissue. Body fat is located beneath the skin - subcutaneous fat, around our internal organs - visceral fat, in breasts, muscles, and bone marrow.
White Fat Cells: This is the one we are most likely to think of when we think of body fat. This cell is how our body stores energy for when we need it later. This type of fat also works with our hormones like estrogen, insulin, cortisol, and leptin. Some of this type of fat is necessary, but when we have too much we start to be at risk for serious health issues.
Hormone imbalance
Heart diseases
Some types of cancer
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Liver disease
Kidney Disease
Inflammation! Excess fat creates an inflammatory response in your body all on it's own, just having the excess fat can cause inflammation. That's before you add pro-inflammatory foods into your diet.
Brown Fat Cells: Brown fat cells help keep us warm, they are "turned on" when we get cold.
Beige Fat Cells: Beige fat cells are located near the collar bones and spine and are pea sized. These cells also play a part in keeping us warm, but these cells are still being studied and not very well understood. They are targeted by Irisin, a hormone muscles cells express during exercise.
The good news?
Fat can:
Store energy
Balance hormones
Transport vitamins- Vitamins A,E, D, and K are fat soluble vitamins and absorbed in the body and stored in our fat cells.
Protects our internal organs
Helps keep us warm
Helps our reproductive system; women who have extremely low body fat levels will often cease to menstruate
Helps with our neurological functions
May help balance our blood sugar
We can't end without talking about body image. Many people become obsessed with body fat which can lead to eating disorders, depression, and self hate and more.
Try to remember to love the body you have not the body you wish you had. Then take a moment to realistically ask your self if there are things you would like to change and have the power to change. Then create a healthy plan to meet your goals. Don't be afraid to ask for help and encouragement.
I suggest that you tell yourself one thing you like about yourself every day, add it to your habit of gratitude. Like, "I like the color of my eyes". Say it out loud, over time you may just believe yourself. Making change involves caring for ourselves, one of the most profound things I was told was that to love yourself you must love yourself! Think that through.
Fat is where it's at! Having a healthy amount of body fat helps balance our hormones, protects our bodies, and fuel us through energy and the transportation and balance of certain vitamins and hormones. Having too much body fat can cause us to live in a constant state of inflammation, puts us at risk for heart disease, certain cancers, and other diseases. It is all about balance. It's also about learning to love yourself.
If you would like help creating a balanced plan you can book a coaching appointment at https://www.yieldingaction.com/services.
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