What can be done about those problem areas you want to tone or improve? Even people who are fortunate enough to have achieved their ideal body weight will still have some problem areas in the body. For one person, it might be those “love handles,” for another, the skinny arms, the chicken legs, or the sagging butt. Turn on the TV and you will find advertisers offering all sorts of products, from creams made of exotic ingredients to fitness gadgets that promise to tone the arms, thighs or the abs.
However, no matter how good the product seems, how attractive the model is, or how many celebrities endorse it, the reality is that you cannot just “spot reduce” those problem areas Spending money and time on just one area will not to work.
Why Can’t I Just Spot Reduce the Problem Areas?
Advertisers spend millions of dollars to promote products that promise benefits from revolutionary, secret or break though products when in fact there really are no magical, no-effort results to look forward to. But there are some sound principles that you should follow.
1. Healthy Diet Is Essential
Diet is an essential part of any effort to get rid of the undesirable body fat.. The foods that you eat have calories and fats that get stored in your body, contributing to those problem areas. An unhealthy diet is the main cause for unwanted body fat.
So no matter how faith and hope and money you invest in those those miracle gadgets that promise fast results with almost no hard work, the results you seek will remain elusive if you keep indulging in too many sweets, fatty foods or junk foods.
2. Spot Reduction of Problem Areas Is a Marketing Gimmick
It is not smart to believe those who are promoting the benefits of spot reduction efforts. The gadgets you see in stores and on TV supposedly require nothing more than attaching a device or applying them on the problem areas. What about your other body parts? What about the other requirements of the body?
In any successful health endeavor, you must be conscious of your body’s physiology. You need to know what it takes to achieve your fitness goal. For example, if you want six-packs abs or buns of steel, you have to learn what it takes to get them, and then follow-through with a plan and remain committed to accomplish it.
Some people (usually trying to sell you something) will assert that if you want to improve the tone of your stomach or get rid of a belly, you simply have to do endless abdominal exercises or use the magical gadgets that will do the exercise for you. Again, you cannot spot reduce. You cannot achieve your desired fitness goal by simply doing that one type of abdominal exercise.
No matter how innovative or hyped the device is, the body fat will not just melt away just by just using a gadget. Your parents and your inherited genetics is a factor influencing body composition. Diet obviously plays a big role. Your lifestyle, active or sedentary, affects the body shape equation.
The hard to swallow truth is, before you can get the six-pack of muscles on your stomach, you will have to lose the the abdominal fat through sensible diet and regular exercise. Doing 500 crunches a day may give you a sense of accomplishment, but it will not get rid of that belly fat. Your body will not burn-up the excess fat in the problem spot you are targeting. Well-planned whole body workouts will increase your metabolism and address the overall fat to lean-muscle ratio in your body. Fat loss takes time and consistent effort, and not just exercising to target one area.
Reducing fat level is only half the goal, You also want to increase lean muscle mass, the calorie-burning engine in your body. Even in 2009, with all the innovations of science and technology, the only sure-fire way to get rid of that unwanted body fat and replace it with lean muscle mass is to follow a healthy diet and do cardiovascular exercises at least twice each week.
When you have mastered the diet and aerobic exercise components of the puzzle, then can you do those abdominal exercises and get the kind of results you want This is the only real secret to getting those six-pack abs.
3. There Are No Magical Shortcuts
Miracle celebrity diets, pills containing secret ingredients and exotic creams are detours on the road to success that will lead you nowhere. If a healthy body is your goal, you have to work at it consistently You have want it and sweat to earn it.
We live in amazing times, where cell phone cameras and text messaging can spread news around the globe in moments. But the human body still is bound by natural laws. Therefore, your weight loss plan needs to be based upon what is naturally needed by the body. It takes a healthy diet, regular aerobic and resistance exercise and considerable amount of effort and patience to reach the desired result.
4. Health and Fitness Require Commitment
At the end of the day, a healthy body is not the result of a pill or a gadget, but rather a lifelong commitment to yourself. Even if you’re satisfied with your body shape now, it will not remain toned and fit forever if you neglect your diet and adopt a sedentary lifestyle. Your ideal body needs to be renewed and nurtured on a regular basis.
This is why depending upon so-called miracle spot reduction devices is a path to frustration. Hoping for the results you want is not enough to get them. So if you really want a healthy toned body, get started with a diet and exercise program. Look at your body shape from a holistic point of view. Improve not only the body itself, but your self-image, eating habits and outlook on exercise as well.
5. Get Results the Old Fashioned Way
The bottom line is really that there are no shortcuts. You need to get toned the proper way. The old athletic adage still holds true for weight loss: “no pain, no gain.” So, don’t fall for diet and weight loss products that seem to be too good to be true. They are too good to be true. Be a wiser consumer and know the real secret behind a better body. Take control of your own fitness and diet plan and enjoy the multitude of benefits that follow a healthy body.