Recently, I have been seeing articles on Facebook on how doing a certain exercise will help you shrink an unwanted area. One of these articles talked about how long a plank should be held in order to minimize one’s waist. Articles like these, drive me crazy! However, I do know why people produce information as such, people want to target weight loss in a specific area. I get asked the frequently on how to trim up people’s waste, which exercises they can do and for how often. The reasons below are why those articles drive me crazy.
1. You Can’t Isolate Weight Loss
That’s a fact! Sorry, but it is. Unless you are doing liposuction, you cannot isolate weight loss, no matter how many exercises you do for a specified area. Your body type actually dictates this as it already has a preset amount of fat cells designated for every area in your body. Some people have more fat cells around their mid-section while others have more in their lower half. As you are burning calories and losing weight, those little fat cells decrease at the same rate.
2. Abs Are Made in The Kitchen
Whether or not you agree with Arnold’s philosophy, there is some merit in the statement, “Abs are made in the kitchen”. This is especially true for women due to the how our bodies designate fat storage compared to men’s. Though, to keep it simple, in order to show muscle definition, the layer of fat on it needs to be thin. So, you can build up your ab muscles to a good size, but if there is a thick layer of fat on it, then you will never see them. Even if you want to just “tone” your abs, not get a 6-pack, it’s the same thing. In order to look “toned”, you need build up some muscle mass.
3. Work More Than Just Your Abs
If you are wanting to shrink your waist line, you will need to find a way to decrease your body fat percent. Besides diet, building up some muscle mass on your body will help increase the number of calories your body burns in a day. Which, in turns, helps you “tone” up and drop some body fat. In addition, incorporating compound movements (exercises involving more than one muscle group) will help burn more calories during your workout than a single muscle movement, ie crunches.
Another big reason is you do not want to over work your abs while neglecting the rest of your body. By developing your abs and neglecting other areas like your back, you will throw your body out of balance and you will have other issues you will have to deal with.
As I was writing this article, I wanted to keep everything simple and to the point. So, if you felt like I needed to put in more information or if you have any questions about this, please email me, (I will NOT use your email for any type of mailer list or spam!!) Or if you are ready to start getting healthier or drop some body fat and need some guidance, please contact me as I would love to help you. Everyone gets a free discovery session to see if we will be a good fit for each other.
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Stay Healthy. Stay Happy. Stay Strong.
And do at least one thing today that will get you one step closer to one of your goals!