Ask Austin: Can I target Fat Loss?
From all the questions I’ve been asked by members, this one would safely be in the top three. “Can I lose weight just from a specific area of the body?”
This is often the main catalyst to get us started on our health, fitness and exercise journey. As a man, the stomach and love handles have been my nemesis and source of frustration for as long as I can remember. Looking at myself in the mirror on a sideward angle, regretting that doughnut…who am I kidding, doughnuts.
For the majority of female members, the legs, bum and tums have been the area’s of the body they have fallen out of love with the most. Determined to change what they don’t like, this initial motivation sometimes turns into frustration (Yes we’ve all been there!) as we fail to see results straight away. In order for you to not give up hope and get a better understanding of why your dream body may take little longer than expected, read on!
I’m sorry to tell you this, but unfortunately, you’re not able to choose where you lose fat – I know annoying right! It’s simply not possible, as the area in which you’ll lose weight depends on where your body stores fat….Dam you love handles!!! That’s the bad news.
The good news is, there is a way for you to achieve your dream body! And the answer is simple. Keep exercising and instead of focusing on just one part of your body (a thousand crunches a day to get a 6 pack) you should focus on losing weight in general, whilst including compound exercises that target your whole body. This will help you lose fat whilst maintaining muscle, which will help you look as lean and toned as possible.
High Intensity Interval Training
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is effective at burning calories both during and afterward, through excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and because you are using your fast twitch muscle fibres, in turn, guarding against muscle loss.
Getting your heart pumping at least once a day will also help you burn fat and get lean – it can be anything from taking your bike to work, going for a 30-minute walk or taking up sporting activity like badminton.
Another thing that can help you achieve your goal efficiently, is to look at what you eat. If it’s the stomach area you’d like to target then cutting down on sugar and salt, eating whole meal carbs and snacking on almonds and other nuts is a great place to start.
In general, looking at your calorie intake versus the calorie amount you expend every day is very important for fat loss. Calories in vs Calories out- its really not rocket science, but we all can easily make the mistakes if we aren’t aware.
Conclusion
Finally, and this is important, so listen carefully. Don’t be so hard on yourself! A very important thing to help you get your dream body is to give yourself credit! Measure your progress in other ways other than by looking at a number on a scale – look at pictures and see the difference, stop and sense how you feel after a workout and pat yourself on the back for working towards your goal. Don’t put yourself down for not looking like you want to look – Feel positive that you have started on your journey!
We live in a time where social media is destroying our confidence- lighting, camera angles and photo editing are giving people a false perception of reality. Aim to be the best version of yourself, there is only one of you after all- so own it!
It’s time to take back control and exchange wishing for your dream body with working for it!
You got this!
Austin – InstructorLive Trainer
