Have you ever seen someone doing hundreds of crunches in an attempt to get a smaller waist line, or to burn fat solely around their midsection?

Have you ever done this yourself?  Well, I’m here to tell you that spot reduction (attempting to burn fat in just that one little –or big– spot on your body that you are unhappy with) does not work.

If spot reduction did work, chewing gum would give you a skinny face, right?  What you really need to do is to focus on what does work. If you want your body to burn fat around your midsection, then the latest ab crunch device isn’t going to do it.  

What you need is to tap into the fat reserves of your entire body. To do this you need to do three things consistently right.  Here they are:  

1. Have a concern for muscle.

What I mean by this is that you will need to perform some strength training exercises.  Within the framework of your personal transformation program, you must work to maintain the muscle that you already have.  This is important to you because muscle is a metabolically active tissue.

A metabolically active tissue requires significant calorie expenditure to maintain itself.  The bottom-line is that when you have more muscle, you burn more calories, and you can potentially burn more fat.

2. Eat the “right foods”, in the “right combinations”.

Ideally, you want to eat a small meal every 3 ½ hours that contains a lean protein, fibrous carbohydrate, and starchy carbohydrate.  Doing this will keep your blood sugar levels stable, which will give you more energy, and burn more calories, paradoxically. It will also keep you satiated and you will never feel like you are “dieting” or depriving yourself.

3. Perform interval strength training for 12-20 minutes per day, ideally in the morning, at a “high intensity” level.

An interval training program is any program that alternates high and low intensities of exercise.  “High intensity” is relative to the individual. A professional athlete might have to sprint uphill for 30 seconds, whereas a grandmother may be performing a “high intensity” interval by doing five body weight squats.

The interval training method has been conclusively proven to be the most efficient way to elevate your metabolism and keep it high all day.  

Remember, you must take action if you expect to see and feel physical changes in your body. Reading this article will have been a waste of your time, UNLESS you DO SOMETHING about what you just learned.  

So what are YOU going to do?

Blaming anyone other than yourself is giving your power away.  You must examine your beliefs about what is possible in your life. Develop a strategy to acquire your goal or find someone who already has a proven strategy to attain a similar goal.  

You must accept 100% responsibility for who you are right now. You are not limited to your current state — you can change anything and everything as long as you first accept who you are at this moment.

All change happens in an instant. It happens the instant you decide that you are fed up and NOT going to “settle” for anything. Never settle for anything less than you can be. Make up your mind right now and set a physical fitness goal for yourself.

Make your goal challenging, yet attainable. Set a deadline for its achievement. Think of the real reason why you want it and take action now! 

Get up and move!

Photo Credit © Suprijono Suharjoto | Dreamstime.com

Tags: fat loss, Fitness, goals, health, Weight Loss