Do you feel that you have the perfect upper body and need to lose weight just on the hips? Or you have great legs but the only thing that prevents you from wearing a bikini is a bulging tummy? I am sure if that’s the case, you would have tried (in vain) all those methods to lose weight in just one area and are wondering what went wrong. Read on to find out…
Well, here’s the thing – there is no such miracle called spot reduction. You cannot lose weight in just one area while keeping the other areas constant.
Disappointed? Don’t be. It’s certainly not as bad as it sounds!
Blame your Genes
Each of us can point to a problem area – the fat storage that we desperately want to get rid of. And it’s different for different people. Some of us tend to accumulate fat in the stomach region while it’s the thighs for some others and hips for others. Since this is genetically determined you cannot fight that. If you, as an individual, have a tendency to put on weight, then that part will be the first one to store fat and the last one to lose it.
But by bringing about some lifestyle changes you can definitely get the body you want.
Cardio Workouts
Fat loss happens only with the help of cardiovascular workouts, more popularly known as cardio. And it’s not possible to focus all weight loss efforts on one particular area using cardio – be it dancing, swimming, running, using the elliptical or walking. It’s your whole body that gets the workout.
The good news is that fat gets burned from that part, which has the most stored. So, eventually, you are going to lose more fat in your hips or stomach as the case may be, but you cannot target all your weight loss on just specific spots.
Weight Training
Once you have started losing weight by doing cardio, you should start incorporating weight training or strength training in your routine. This consists of exercises targeting specific muscle groups using weights. The results are going to just amaze you. They tone the muscles and give your body the tighter, leaner look you have always craved for. You will be visibly smaller. An added advantage of weight training is increased metabolism. Your body will continue to burn fat even when you are sleeping. For the best results, combine weight training with cardio, lose layers of fat quickly and see the toned muscles surface up.
Catch – Fat Loss but Weight Gain
If you are in an otherwise perfect shape and are only looking to slim down in a particular area you sure will achieve that without targeting it specifically – a combination of cardio, strength training and diet is all you need – but you might end up gaining weight. The reason being muscles are heavier than fat. So don’t worry if, after all the hard work, you end up weighing more than before – you have a well toned body and look a lot thinner and that’s what really matters.
Now that you know how you can get the figure you want, don’t fall for products that claim to burn fat in specific regions – you can put all that money to much better use!
Summary
- The part of our body most likely to put on weight is genetically determined – you can’t fight it
- The only way to lose weight is through cardio workouts
- Once the weight loss has started, incorporate weight training in your regime
- The combination of cardio and weight training will give stunning results
- Be prepared to weigh more after losing fat since muscles are heavier than fat.
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