MythBusters:Spot Reduction

There are many myths out there. From Aliens to bigfoot, or Nessy The Loch Ness Monster. Take your pic! But I am not here to talk about them, its just humerous to correlate this blog these popular myths. Anyways, lets "BUST" the myth of spot reduction.

In the world we live in today, the media is saturated with devices or contraptions that claim to the be the one for all answer to losing fat in a certain area of the body. One in particular spot, the "abdominal region" seems to be the popular "spot" of concern. My question to you is, "if the "vibrating belt" claims to like magcally tighten up and tone the troublesome spots, then why did the next contraption claim to do the same thing, and then another contrpation claims to do the same thing"? its because the prior didnt work! By the time you figure out that none of the inventions worked, you ave already spent hundreds of dollars.

Science class anyone?Adipocytes are special cells our bodies use to store fat. And they are located all over the body. They grow and shrink like a ballon as they store or release fat. If your caloric intake is greater than your caloric expenditure, you will store the excess of calories as fat. Our bodies burn fat and carbohydrates for energy.

YOU CANNOT SPOT REDUCE because, you have no control over adipocytes release of fat. You tend to gain and lose weight in the same pattern.

Exercises such as crunches, leg raise or but lifts improve the tone and endurance of the muscles being worked, but DO NOT burn the fat. it is when we do exercises that elevate the heart rate (i.e. running, circuits, cycling, swimming, dancing, walking) the body will draw upon its fat stores.

What Should We Do?

The key to changing the shape of your body is to eat a low-fat diet and follow an exercise regimen that combines aerobic activity and strength training. This does not mean that you have to run 5miles everyday, in fact any activity that elevates your heart rate can help you burn fat. The American Council on Exercise recommends at least 20minute sessions for 3x's a week. But if your looking for long term weight maintenance, you should do 45minute sessions for at least 4x's a week.

To sum it up: The best way to go about transforming your body is to combine strength, toning, aerobic exercises with a well-balanced nutrition plan!