As much as everybody loves to think you can remove subcutaneous body fat stores from specific areas of the body by performing site-specific exercises, this is in fact a myth.  But that doesn’t stop legions of people from doing side-bends or side-to-side twisting exercises in the attempt to reduce their love handles.  It also has not stopped countless number of gadgets and gizmos being sold on late night television that promise to help you “tone” and “trim” specific areas of the body.

Although it’s true that a proper training program can effectively reduce body fat, the fat loss will be spread over the entire body, not concentrated in one specific area.  Your best bet is to incorporate regular resistance training (two to three days per week) that targets the major muscle groups, since that will burn the most calories overall, as well as help to boost your metabolic rate.  In addition, you can incorporate thirty to forty-five minutes of cardiovascular training either after your weight training or on an alternate day.  Please remember, all of this hard work will be futile if your caloric intake isn’t set at the appropriate level for fat loss.

A word of caution, the area of the body with the most body fat will likely also be the most stubborn.  Our bodies are built for survival and fat stores are our body’s survival mechanism in case of famine—hence why starvation diets don’t work!  Your body will want to hold on to those fat stores for dear life.  That said, you can “trick” your body into thinking there is plenty of food by eating properly and following a regular fitness routine.  If you would like to consult with one of our TWW trainers to get a customized meal plan started, please contact us right away.

This article was written by Angelica Driskell of Driskell Fitness.  Angelica and husband Jim provide personal training, online coaching, and competition makeup services.  Click the banner below to find out more…