We recently put out a poll where (unexpectedly enough, to be honest) a lot of people knew about the myth of targeted weight loss. However, in case you’re wondering about the hows and whys of it, read on.
Do you ever feel the impulse of throwing yourself into an intense arm workout for leaner arms? Or to crack a few dozen crunches for a slimmer stomach? Turns out while you may be strengthening your body on the whole, it doesn’t specifically target body fat in those areas.
There’s more.
Too caught up to read? Listen to the story here:
All the crunches could have left you with rock solid abs, but perhaps they are buried under layers and layers of fat.
Bottomline? Try full-body workouts and eat clean for leaner limbs, smaller waist or any other body-appearance-related desires of your heart. You don’t have to take my word for it. Here’s what holistic expert Vesna Jacob says:
On the topic of body fat, Vesna further says:
Good blood circulation is imperative for weight loss, emphasises Vesna. Everything gets metabolised through blood which means wherever it has easier access, fat will be targeted better.
Now, there are two types of fat - visceral (around your body organs) and subcutaneous (under the skin). The latter is the kind we want to target through exercise, but if it’s dense, it would also hinder the blood flow, making it all the more harder to lose it. That is why people often opt for massages for particular parts of the body.
It might be surprising to know that your abs might be drowning in subcutaneous fat, but this just goes to show that being lean and strong are two very different things.
While you might be very lean, you may have no muscle mass, and therefore, a low level of strength and fitness. On the other hand, a person can be huge, as in the case of shotput athletes, some kinds of wrestlers and rugby players, Vesna points out, and still be very fit and strong.
Let it be a slow, but sustainable road to fitness. And next time someone tells you about an exercise routine or fad that will give you abs or biceps in a jiffy, give them a metaphorical smack of hard-hitting facts.
(For more fitness related content, follow FIT.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)