Your Best Body Ever

9 Oct 2009

Spot reducing…and why it doesn’t work.

One of the most common questions I get from my clients at the Diversified Health and Fitness gyms is how to tone certain areas of the body. Most people have these spots – for women, it’s usually their thighs, butt, or abs. Men are usually focused on their “spare tire” region too. It can be frustrating to see these areas gain weight as we get older and are less active. Often, these “trouble spots” are the main motivation for people to get themselves in shape. But no matter how hard you try to weight lift and do cardio, can we really do anything about these areas?

Fat and muscle are two different kinds of tissue. So “fat doesn’t turn into muscle”, as I sometimes here when I train. Nor does it help to lift weight and then expect to see results when you have a layer of fat still lying over your newly stronger muscles. To really see a result in that area, you need to combine weight lifting with a lower calorie diet and cardio to burn off the extra pounds. I can’t tell you how many people I have with super strong abs but no six pack!

Spot reducing is also futile for another reason, primarily because you’re fighting your own genetics. If your genetics dictate that your butt is supposed to be pear shaped, there’s only so much you can do to change that. Your body also doesn’t know you’re trying to reduce a certain area, so when you do cardio and lose weight, your body may lose that weight in your belly instead of your butt. It simply depends on your personal genetics, and those are impossible to fight.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get into the gym though and start hitting the cardio machines! Even if you’re not seeing the results you’d like in your given trouble spots, over time you may see an improvement in that area as your body loses fat everywhere.

Hey, it would be great if we all looked like supermodels. But realistically, their body types aren’t what most people are going to look like. So even if you’re not satisfied with that little extra weight around your belly, it’s time to start accepting your body for the way it is and work out to lose fat and become healthy. Nobody, not even models, have “perfect bodies”, and you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to get there.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

13 Aug 2009

How long should you exercise to lose weight?

The question of how long you should work out to lose weight comes up often in my training sessions. After all, we’re all pressed for time, and many people find long workouts tedious. It’s hard enough as it is to find the time to workout with a packed schedule, and it can be tough to get to the gym every day.

While a lot of people who have been sedentary for a long time will typically see a decrease in their weight with even some exercise and dietary changes, to keep the weight off and see even more pounds drop, a significant amount of weekly exercise is needed. Recently, the American College of Sports Medicine released the results of their latest study, which recommends that people wanting to lose weight need to be exercising at least 250 minutes a week. That breaks down to about 50 minutes of exercise, 5 days a week, which can seem daunting when you’re trying to lose weight.

“In the midst of a genuine crisis inn Americans’ health relate to what we eat and how little we move, these guidelines are meant to provide an understanding and clarification of the role of physical activity and its relationship to weight,” Joseph E. Donnelly, a chairman of the writing committee, says in a written statement. “Now that we have the latest information on how much physical activity is part of the equation, we can continue the educational process to help people who struggle with their weight.”

If you’re just trying to maintain your weight, the ACSM recommends that you exercise for at the minimum, 150 minutes per week. That works out to be a half hour a day, of moderate intensity physical activity. Obese and overweight adults, however, are more likely to reach their weight loss goals when they do reach the 250 minute goal, along with dietary changes.

Sound like a lot to you? It’s important to remember that your 50 minutes of exercise can be done in stints, so you might not be spending almost an hour of your day in the gym. For example, take a brisk 20 minute walk in the morning before you go to work, another 20 minute walk on your lunch hour, and then hit the gym for a quick workout on the way home. You might be surprised at how quickly you’ll reach your 50 minute goal, without even realizing it.

Most gyms, including the ones I work at, offer classes that are typically at least 45 minutes long. Even more top out at an hour. If working out for 50 minutes on the treadmill or other machine starts to be very boring, give a new class a try. Most classes are fun and fly by without you even noticing it!