Myth Busting – belly fat & 6 pack abs
There are so many fitness myths that people still get caught out with. This week I had a client say to me could I programme more ab exercises in the workouts so that they could get rid of their mummy tummy. I get this all of the time, it is a concept that so many people believe in. That you can target fat loss in specific parts of the body by exercising that body part.
No No No. You can strengthen, tone & build the muscles in specific areas but it does NOT cause fat reduction in that one area. Doing countless crunchies or lower abdominal exercises will not burn off your belly fat or mummy tummy or give you a flat stomach IF your diet is average. You may have toned muscles but they will still be hidden under body fat so you will not see them.
Your diet accounts for 70% of your body shape. We are all individuals and our body type and hormones have a part to play in where we store body fat, but our diet significantly influences our fat storing & fat burning hormones.
Too much work in one area of the body also creates imbalances resulting in poor posture and stresses on other parts of the body (i.e. your back).
The only way to get rid of your belly & get 6 pack abs is to decrease fat levels to the point where the abdominal muscles are showing.
To do this you need to spend more time training the whole body where you burn off significantly more calories than you do just doing abs. Spend the 10 minutes that you were going to use to do your ab workout in the kitchen getting your nutrition right. This will be far more beneficial. For more info on training the abs go to this link:
http://combinedfitness.co.uk/articles/crunch-v-plank-best-ab-exercise/
A balanced functional, full body training programme and good nutrition is the quickest and safest way to the body shape that you want. (Just running or dancing will eventually lead to injuries, trust me). A balanced progressive, training programme that stokes the metabolism & creates a lasting after burn effect and a nutrition plan that switches on fat burning, and increases energy is exactly what we take you through in our Health, Exercise & lifestyle Programmes (online & offline) & our Outdoor Fitness Camps.
So save yourself some time trying to figure it all out for yourself and register to join us for a free week on one of our next programmes.
