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How can you use spot fat reduction to create your dream body? When looking down at your belly, wishing all the fat would magically disappear can be tempting. Your arms and legs look okay, but your stomach is holding on to a lot of fat.
In situations like this, people wonder whether they can eliminate fat from this part of their body alone, perhaps by doing crunches or situps.
However, the evidence for this is thin on the ground. Therefore, spot fat reduction is mostly a myth.
What Do People Mean By Spot Fat Reduction?
Spot fat reduction refers to training forms that eliminate fat from targeted body regions.
So, for instance, if you have fat under the arms, you might try using tricep extensions to get rid of it. Or, if you have fat on your butt, you might start doing more squats.
The theory of spot fat reduction is popular because it seems to make sense on an experiential level. When people tone the muscles underneath stores of fat on their bodies, they appear to get firmer.
However, unfortunately, that’s not how fat loss works, as you’ll read below. Instead, the areas where the body stores fat follows a different distribution than how much you work specific muscles.
So you can train your abs all day long, but it probably won’t make much difference to your midsection leanness unless you combine the activity with other lifestyle changes.
Why is spot fat reduction widespread?
Spot fat reduction is famous for a host of reasons.
For instance, some people gain weight disproportionately. This is because most fat stores go to their stomach or butt, making it appear out of proportion with the rest of their body.
These patterns can be sex-specific. Men, for instance, tend to accumulate more fat around their bellies, while, for women, it is the butt and thighs.
Hormonal changes can also shift the distribution of fat around the body. During menopause, for instance, women can find that they develop new fat stores that they didn’t have before.
Therefore, many hope targeting specific body areas can eliminate unwanted fat. But, the fat loss process doesn’t work that way. The underlying muscle is unrelated to the fat sitting on top of it. When you exercise muscle, it draws energy from other body parts, not necessarily the nearby fat.
How Fat Reduction Works
Fat reduction doesn’t work how most people expect. Instead, it is significantly more complicated. The reason is that your body’s cells can only burn sugar for energy.
It works like this. Your fat cells store energy as triglycerides. These triglycerides are essentially long-chained molecules that your body can cut into smaller pieces and then send around the bloodstream to provide energy to the various tissues of your body.
The main breakdown products are glycerol and free fatty acids. Cells can collect these compounds and then turn them into sugar that they can burn for energy.
So thus, when somebody says they’re burning fat for energy, they mean that their body is breaking down stores of fat and converting them into molecules the body can use to fuel its processes.
When you exercise, genetics and lifestyle factors determine which fat stores your body accesses. It could be in the region you’re targeting, but more likely, you’re breaking down fat deposits all over the body in a piecemeal fashion. That’s why when people lose weight, it generally occurs, not just locally. You get slimmer all over.
How To Reduce Fat Effectively
Fortunately, even though spot fat reduction is a myth, there are ways you can target stubborn fat deposits. Some people have genetics that predisposes them to store large quantities of fat in certain areas compared to others, making them feel self-conscious.
However, if that’s you, science is on your side. Certain types of exercises and interventions are better than others.
Exercise
There are many possible methods for reducing fat on the exercise front and include as many of them as possible in your routine.
Cardiovascular exercise is one pillar: cycling, running, jogging, or elliptical training. In addition, include high-intensity interval training, one of the most powerfully health-promoting exercises you can do.
Focus on whole-body exercises and combining exercises. These change your body’s internal chemistry, forcing an adaptive response.
Diet and Supplements
Support your weight loss goals with diet and supplements. Eat natural food, not processed junk. And find an online pharmacy that offers weight loss supplements.
Supplements can be beneficial because they change how your metabolism works. For example, certain plants, mainly tea and chili peppers, alter the rate at which cells burn energy, encouraging your body to use fat stores and reduce fat.
In terms of diet, focus more on eating foods that contain fiber. If you don’t like carbs, that’s okay. Instead, center your meals around non-starchy vegetables, such as greens, peas, shoots, and low-sugar fruits.
If you eat carbs, get plenty of beans–one of the world’s healthiest foods.
Don’t consume a lot of sugar or refined grains. These foods provide a spike of energy and leave you feeling hungry afterward.
Also, don’t bother controlling your portion sizes. That never works. Instead, focus on filling your plate with natural foods. Your body will then effortlessly regulate your calorie intake. You only need to control portion sizes if you’re eating junk.
Good Posture
How you stand and sit upright or bent affects how you look. It’s an essential part of your physical appearance. By standing and sitting correctly, you can reduce the appearance of your stomach fat by a couple of inches.
Also, perfectly standing and sitting burn more calories, which leads to less body fat. Here are some ways that good posture affects your body fat;
- Good posture gives the impression of confidence and physical strength.
- Bad posture can make you look weak or timid.
- Slouching will cause the bones in your face to shift. This causes sagging skin and makes you look older than you are.
- If you stand with good posture, it can help hold up muscles, so they’ll be firmer, leading to improved tone and appearance of the body.
- Good posture can make you appear fitter and more athletic. So, next time you’re at the gym, remember to stand tall and proud!
Experts note that good posture (and the subsequent feelings of confidence and empowerment) can improve energy levels, self-esteem, and hormonal balance.
However, experts proved slouching results in an increase in cortisol production–a hormone associated with stress.
In addition, cortisol leads to muscle loss and fat production. Try using a free-standing mirror to combat this to ensure you’re sitting or standing straight. This creates a more favorable environment for your body and mind.
Natural Activities
You are what you do. Since most of your time involves performing natural activities such as walking, playing, standing, squatting, and working, consider them like your diet and exercise.
An active lifestyle requires performing natural activities. The World Health Organization found that a sedentary lifestyle is the second leading cause of obesity.
By staying active throughout the day, you burn more calories, which leads to faster fat loss, which is better than spot fat reduction. Combining your diet, exercise, and natural activities creates the perfect formula for rapid fat loss.
Walk at least 10,000 steps a day. You can use a smartphone or watch to count your steps. Take walks in the morning, after lunch, and in the evening—Park further away when shopping, and don’t be in a hurry when you shop.
Also, investigate and explore as you shop. There is nothing wrong with being nosey or curious. This will prevent you from being at home in your favorite recliner.
Get off the sofa and stand more. While standing doesn’t burn the calories like walking or exercising, it beats sitting. Also, standing allows you to watch tv or work on the job as you do it.
Finally, standing works the legs, butt, lower back, and stomach muscles when you do it correctly. Remember, the goal is to burn stomach fat, not get comfortable, so don’t slouch. Once your body adapts to standing, you will find it is easier to stand longer and correctly.
Squat more or start squatting and save your back. When you need to pick up something, bend your legs and squat to go down and reach the object. Bending over repeatedly over the years can lead to unnecessary wear and tear on your back.
By squatting more, you will use the largest muscles in your body more frequently. The legs and butt burn more calories, but the legs produce blood and activate the production of hormones.
The last word on spot fat reduction is a myth
but you can certainly take steps to reach those difficult-to-lose areas and get that perfect physique
In summary, spot fat reduction is a myth. You can’t do it. Instead, fat loss is far more generalized. When you lose weight, your body harvests energy from all over, including your liver, fat storage, and even muscle.
If you want to lose weight, focus on getting the basics right. If diet and exercise still aren’t working for you, seek professional help from a trainer or nutritionist.
We know that most people are skeptical about the potential of spot fat reduction. And, to be honest, if it was possible, many more people would have achieved their dream physique by now.
But what is your opinion? Have you had any success with this technique, or do you think it wastes time and money? Let us know in the comments below!
