Focus on overall health, not certain 'problem' body parts

Sarahndipity30

Good read in our paper yesterday - Thought i would share with those who would be interested.


When did society become so obsessed with fixing certain body parts instead of worrying about overall health? Over the past five years, I have seen a huge shift from people wanting to lose weight and be healthy to people who only want to lose weight in certain areas.

We have become a society of people wanting to fix muffin tops, turkey necks, bye-bye arms, side boob and my current favorite – the thigh gap. It has become an obsession, and it is getting worse.

For those not familiar with these terms, let me explain. A muffin top is what hangs over the waistband of your pants and looks like a freshly baked muffin. Turkey neck is the proverbial double chin that looks like a gobbling turkey. Bye-bye arm is the skin under the arm that you see when someone waves goodbye. Side boob is the extra skin that hangs over the side of your bra. Thigh gap is the space between your thighs when they don’t touch, something most people don’t have but are obsessed with having.

Most people believe that they can eliminate fat from a certain part of the body by working just that area.

For example, people who want to lose belly fat do crunches. Someone who wants to get rid of the bye-bye arm does tricep work. For the infamous thigh gap, people use the inner outer thigh machine (don’t even get me started on how bad this machine is for you). This is called spot reduction.

Unfortunately, my friends, it is a myth and nothing more.

Spot reduction is the belief that a specific area of the body can be targeted for fat loss through exercise. Many infomercials do a great job selling you on this idea, and many products and pills are sold to unsuspecting consumers. I wonder if Suzanne Somers would admit that the ThighMaster was not the real reason for her slender thighs. I am sure her trainer and nutritionist are pretty upset they did not get any credit.

So the question remains: How can you transform a specific area of your body?

The truth is that unless you were blessed with the right genetics, it is going to take hard work, determination and discipline. There is no simple remedy, but you can do it

Here are four recommendations to “spot reduce”:

1. Set a goal – not a crazy goal of losing 200 pounds like Jared from Subway but an achievable goal in a reasonable amount of time. An unrealistic goal sets you up for failure.

2. Have a support group. Weight Watchers has been so successful over the years helping people lose weight. Its secret is having a group of people with a common goal who support each other. The key word is support. Family members may or may not be a good choice to help. You need to analyze your own situation, but I do recommend friends and co-workers or strangers (at those Weight Watchers meetings). They often can be your biggest cheerleaders.

3. Lift. Lift. Lift. STOP doing so much cardio. Male or female, it does not matter. You need to lift weights. The heavier the better, just keep good form. Weights will help you build muscle, give your body a better shape, burn more calories and help you reach your goal faster. I will explore details in another article on this topic.

4. Portion control. One of my favorite sayings is “you cannot out-train a bad diet.” No matter how hard you work out, if you are consuming more than you are burning, you will not lose weight. Think of your body as an expensive car. Would you put cheap gas in a Ferrari? Probably not for the fear of an expensive mechanics bill. Then why would you put unhealthy processed food into your amazing machine unless you wanted a really expensive medical bill? Think about that the next time you can’t pronounce something on the ingredient list.

Now that you know you cannot target a specific area for fat loss, I hope you will put in the hard work, dedication and discipline that it takes to achieve the body you are looking for. It is much more gratifying when you have earned it. But if you are not satisfied with my answer, I guess there is always liposuction.

Article from our Delaware paper -
Nic DeCaire, owner of Fusion Fitness Center in Newark, has been training clients for more than a decade.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20131105/HEALTH/311050001/Focus-overall-health-not-fixing-certain-problem-body-parts?nclick_check=1