One of the most common misconceptions about fat loss is that fat can be lost from particular parts of the body by exercising that area.
Men, for instance, tend to accumulate fat around their stomachs. Doing thousands of crunches is not however going to burn off fat from the stomach – the body doesn’t burn fat selectively. Likewise a flabby chest (another area that fat tends to accumulate in men) cannot be cured by bench pressing. Women tend to gain fat deposits around the buttocks and thighs, and similarly, fat here cannot be lost by high repetitions of leg exercises.
The first thing to realise is that you cannot solve fat problems without sorting out diet. A poor diet, or one that contains more calories than those ‘exercised away’ will lead to fat being deposited – in different areas in the different sexes, as we have seen.
In order to lose fat, calories expended during the day must exceed those imbibed over the same period. You can increase the number of calories expended by exercise, of course, but essentially a diet high in calories and fat will usually lead to fat gain. And it is the issue of diet that therefore becomes key in fighting fat accumulations.
Exercises that raise cardiovascular activity are better at fighting fat than anaerobic exercises such as weight training. Weights can be used to tone individual areas and promote muscle growth but on their own will not necessarily play a major role in fat loss. Of course, high repetitions of lighter weights is an aerobic exercise and therefore valuable calorie burner. Programmes designed to build muscle mass are not necessarily the best for fighting fat.
The easiest way to address fat issues is to change the way we eat. Sporadic dieting has little long term effect on fat and repeated dieting seems to promote increased weight gain in the long term. What we should be aiming for, rather, is a lifestyle change that is implemented for the very long term; that is, indefinitely. Permanent removal of needless fat such as a junk food habit will do more for fat loss than any fad diet, however rigidly implemented. We need to get into good habits, such as no snacking (or healthy snacking) and stick to them permanently in order to address the body’s long-term fat levels.
In short then, in order to lose fat, exercise more and eat less, permanently. And remember that exercises for particular groups of muscle will not burn fat around that muscle group but rather contribute to the overall calorie burn caused by an exercise regime.
