Selena Deleon – THE WORKOUT IT IS widely believed that working a particular area of your body "to death" will result in its disappearance. Those of us with a pot belly will do countless amounts of abdominal crunches to try and whittle it away. Unfortunately, this is not good enough and the idea that crunching alone will do the trick, does no more good than hope, for all of its effort.
Many infomercials on television try to lead us into thinking that their magic product will blast off isolated bulges. Do not be misled ! Know the facts about spot reduction myths and take real steps toward losing the extra pounds.
If you have a specific area of your body that you would like to 'reduce' then start thinking in terms of overall training. All exercises can strengthen and tighten the
muscles, but all muscles are
underneath a subcutaneous layers of fat that give it the appearance
of cellulite or flab.
If you want to lose weight in a particular spot, you need to reduce your overall body fat, there is no such thing as 'spot reducing'. Only regular exercise, aerobic and strength training combined with a sensible diet can eliminate excess body fat. To burn fat, you need to be doing aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, bike riding, swimming, tennis, aerobics, dancing, and so on.
It doesn't matter what type you do, as long as you enjoy it and it does not cause your body any discomfort. Your exercise programme should combine strength training and aerobic training. The aerobic activity will burn up calories at a faster rate than the anaerobic activity (strength training). But what you achieve through the strength training, are stronger and more conditioned muscles, which are able to burn more calories in an aerobic capacity and at rest.
If you are envisioning slimmer legs, you can work the major muscles in your legs, such as the hamstrings and the quadriceps, so that they become more efficient at burning more fat in that area whilst working aerobically. However, there are no major muscles in the "saddlebag" area, and so we are back to the idea of overall combined training, by working those major leg muscles and the glutes, in combination with aerobic training, you can lose inches from the hips.
Although the rectus abdominis is a major trunk muscle, the notion that it is possible to "burn off" fat from this specific part of the body by doing a trillion sit-ups a day is simply not true. By no means, should you stop doing exercises for that area of your body. What we all need to do in our exercise programme is to make sure that we are hitting all body parts, the heart included as a major muscle. Do not stop doing sit ups, just make sure that sit ups are not the only exercise you are doing.
Diet, strength training and aerobic exercise combined is the key to overall body shaping! Where you lose the weight also depends on your genes. Some women will always have larger hips or thighs than others even after they are as thin as they can get. Losing weight around the waist is easier than losing it at the hips. And while losing weight, many people find that the fat comes off in places they wished it would have stayed on (women and their chest for example)!
Weight usually peels off from the top down. Creating strength and muscles in the upper body of women can draw the eye to the upper body and draw attention away from a problem hip area.
Regular exercise is a vital part of any weight-loss programme. Remember a sound fitness goal should also incorporate feeling good at the end of the day. You should aim for between 30 and 60 minutes of exercise, six days per week. Start out going for about 20 minutes, three times per week and gradually build up to 60 minutes, six times per week.
You should balance the number of strength training workouts and cardiovascular workouts according to your individual goal. Be realistic about your body, it is governed by your genes.
Be as toned and fit as you can be, appreciate the energy that you create, and the rewards that are expressed in your life.
Selena DeLeon is a certified professional trainer.
