If Not Now, When?

Fitness-After-50 - Thomas D. Manfredi, Publisher
tom@fitness-after-50.com
http://www.fitness-after-50.com
April 3, 2006; Vol. 2, Issue 4
Published the first Monday of every month

THIS ISSUE: The Secrets of Spot Reduction Exercises

Table of Contents:

1) Editor's Note
2) Food for Thought
3) Feature Article: The Secrets of Spot Reduction Exercises
4) Teleclasses
4) Question & Answer
5) Our Services

Editor's Note

Hi,

Well, our drought is finally over. We went 143 days without rain! We've had a few days of sprinkles since then, but we are still way below the moisture level we should have for this time of year. As I've mentioned before, it's going to be one heck of a fire season.

I mentioned last month that I had my 60th birthday in February. Well, the end of this week is my wife's 60th. Now she'll have to stop teasing about me being older than her. The next challenge is to find her a nice birthday present.

Later this month my son and one of our grandsons, Dylan, are coming out for a short visit. Both my wife and I are pretty excited to have them out. My wife hasn't seen them for almost a year. And, it's the first time they're coming out to visit us since we moved to Arizona 2 years ago. We're trying to figure out things to do with them. I suggested to my son that we could go out for a hike in the desert. He reminded me that when Dylan gets tired it will be my job to carry him (he's only 5 years old!). I guess I will have to rethink some of my ideas to take into account the interests and physical limitations of a five year old. I'm sure we will figure out some fun things to do.

Now, a little about this month's newsletter. A while back I saw an ad for a program on how to reduce the fat content of specific parts of a persons body through specialized exercises. As a person with a masters degree in exercise physiology, these kinds of articles and programs really irk me. So, I'm going to write about the fallacy of what is often referred to as "spot reduction" exercising. I hope that you find the information interesting and useful.

I hope you are continuing successfully with your exercise and nutritional goals. If there is anything I can do to help, let me know.

Best Wishes,

Tom Manfredi
tom@fitness-after-50.com
fitness-after-50.com

Food for Thought

Feature Article - The Secrets of Spot Reduction Exercises

One of the areas I see exploited regularly in the press and in ads is the idea that there are special exercises to help you reduce fat in a specific part of your body. Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you folks, but the secret is that there aren't any exercises that can effectively reduce fat to just one part of your body. In other words, if you want to reduce the fat in your abdomen, doing all the sit ups in the world isn't going to accomplish that for you. If you do lots of properly performed crunches, you can increase the strength of your stomach muscles. But, unless you do other things to reduce the layer of fat over those muscles, you will simply have a set of well camouflaged six pack abs that no one will ever be able to see. The same goes for your legs, your butt, or any other part of your body. Doing exercises to try to reduce the fat in those specific areas just doesn't work.

So now you're confused. Why do all these "exercise experts" keep writing about how their video or special exercise book will allow you to get rid of fat in specific areas by just doing a few simple and quick exercises? It's very simple, they want you to buy their product so they can make lots of money. Rather than basing their programs on sound exercise principles, they base them on the psychological fact that most humans want to do things the easiest and quickest way they can.

Given the following scenario, which do you think most people would choose to do? Someone tells you that you need to do an hour of aerobic exercise and strength training every day and watch what you eat in order to get rid of unwanted fat. Someone else tells you that you can get rid of the fat around your tummy just by doing a few special exercises that will only take a few minutes a day. You probably hope that the few minutes a day will be enough. And so you and everyone else goes out and buys the special program, video, or piece of equipment. Well, guess what? You've just been exploited, because these gimmicks don't work.

What is the secret to losing fat in specific parts of your body then? The secret is that there is no real secret. It is physiologically impossible to get the body to lose fat in one specific area by just doing exercises for that part of the body. Most of us do have a tendency to gain weight in certain parts of our bodies first. Often times women will gain weight in their hips and thighs. Men gain weight in the abdominal area. As you gain more weight it will usually spread itself out throughout the body. When you try to lose weight, the process is reversed. So, in order to lose weight in one specific area, you will have to cause the body to lose weight all over.

If you are really interested in losing body fat there is a very simple formula. Calories taken in by the body must be less the calories expended by the body. For every 3,500 calories you expend over the amount your body needs to function, you will lose one pound. Conversely, for every 3,500 in excess calories you take in that the body doesn't need, you will gain a pound. It is a little more complicated than that, but not much. If you want to lose fat and keep or create muscle tone and strength, you should do some strength training (weight lifting) several times per week. Additionally, you should do aerobic exercise (walking, swimming, biking, etc.) almost every day to help burn calories and keep your heart (the most important muscle in the body) in good shape. It's also a good idea to do some regular stretching to keep you flexible. Along with the these things you also need to watch what, how, and when you eat. If you combine all of these guidelines then you can lose weight and fat, and become healthier. If you want to try some of the gimmick programs out there you will probably lose some money, but not much else.


©2005 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS

Teleclasses

I will be announcing upcoming teleclasses in this section in the future.

If you have a topic that you would be interested in hearing about in a teleclass, send an e-mail to mailto:teleclasses@fitness-after-50.com

Questions and Answers

In choosing an olive oil you should opt for extra-virgin or virgin varieties over the lower grades – pure, plain, light, or pomace, because the lower grades have less phenols. Personally, I prefer extra-virgin for salads because it has a stronger taste, which I enjoy. My favorite salad dressing is extra-virgin olive oil with balsamic vinegar. When cooking, I use virgin grade because the taste doesn't overpower the other foods.


To get more information on various fitness and health issues, please go to my site – fitness-after-50.com


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If you have a fitness or nutrition question you would like me to consider answering here in the newsletter, just send your question, along with your first name and city, in an e-mail to mailto:quesandansw@fitness-after-50.com
Obviously, I can't answer every question submitted. I will choose one question each month to answer here.

About Our Services

Online fitness coach Tom Manfredi is the creator of the site "fitness-after-50". This site is designed with the mature adult in mind. There is a lot of information available on the site for anyone looking to start or restart a sensible exercise program. Learn more by going to fitness-after-50.com



Tom Manfredi, 1218 Easy St., Ste 101, Wickenburg, AZ 85390