Why Spot Reduction is a Myth

Most newbie clients come to me wanting to spot reduce. They would say, “I want to get rid of this!” while pointing to a specific area of fat on their body. My response: If only we can! I would be a rich woman......

Spot reduction is a claim that if you target a certain area of your body when working out, then that specific area will reduce in body fat. For instance, doing a bunch of crunches will eliminate the fat from your abs. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

There have been many studies done on this subject, showing that resistance training on one specific area actually ends up giving off a generalized fat loss all over your body. In a recent study done by University of Connecticut, participants completed a 12-week resistance training program where their non-dominant arm was exercised - but not the other. They measured their subcutaneous body fat before and after the program and results showed that only overall fat loss occurred, and none specifically in the arm!

The reason? The fat in the fat cells are known as triglycerides and our muscle cells cannot use these triglycerides as fuel. Therefore, the fat must be broken down into fatty acids that enters the bloodstream. This means that the fat broken down can come from anywhere in the body, not just the area you exercised!

So then, you ask...why do we target specific areas when using weights? Why bother doing bicep curls or squats, if fat loss can be from anywhere?

The reason is that even though we can't lose fat from a specific place, we CAN build muscle there! There is no such thing as “being toned” - it is actually just having your muscle pop out after building them! So we need to do some resistance training to build muscle so it can show that defined look you want.

Of course, you still have to have a good diet to get the look you want. However, not everything is about caloric restriction- you want to make sure your metabolism is at a good place before you start cutting calories for fat loss. Otherwise, you can't sustain it for the rest of your life!

Need help with fat loss and muscle gain? Talk to Helen and she can help you get on the right track!

Why Building Muscle Is Good for Improving Longevity

We all know working out will help us live longer, but often people turn to running or cardiovascular activities for our workouts. However, studies now show that having muscular strength improves the longevity of our health as well.

How does having muscular strength benefit our health?

1. It increases our overall strength which means decrease in injuries

2. It increases bone density

3. It reduces body fat and increase muscle mass

4. It increases energy levels

5. It corrects and maintains posture

6. It increase metabolism for fat loss

7. It increase tendon and ligament strength

Do you want to be able to move your arms overhead as you get into your 80s? Do you want to keep your metabolism going high so you can burn calories by sitting still? Do you want to be able to walk upright for the rest of your life?

German researchers did a study in 2015 on muscular strength and reported that an increased level of muscular strength was significantly associated with lower rates of mortality. Grip strength seemed to have been an indicator of living a longer life. Grip strength is a measurement of muscular strength or the maximum force generated by your forearm muscles. It has been used as a screening tool for the aging population as a measurement of upper body strength and overall strength.

Overall, having a greater grip strength was associated with an 8% lower risk of mortality. The mortality risk was highest for men and women with the lowest grip strength and the highest obesity measures.

Weight training can increase not only your grip strength but all the muscles in your body for increased overall health. Being strong has carry over in every aspect of your life including having better mobility, stronger joints to support your body, and reducing the risk of injury as we age.

Don't know what to do for weight training? Get a personal trainer and have him or her show you some basic movements with proper form! You would be surprise how much better you feel after a good weight training session.

Contact Helen at HelenLinFitness@gmail.com for your free phone consultation!

Why Eating Less Can Cause You to Store More Fat

A common problem I see with female clients is that the minute they want to lose weight, they cut calories drastically. And by drastic, I mean anything under 1200 calories is way too low, if you are over 5 feet tall. What makes me crazy is that there are articles out there saying “1200 calories” is the perfect amount for many people – that make no sense! Everyone has different metabolisms.

But, at the same time, I get it. I went through this myself — if you want to lose weight, you create a caloric deficit. You can do this by eating less or working out more. Some people choose to do both at once (which I don't recommend but that's a whole other topic).

However, when you eat less than ideal for your body weight, the problem most people run into is that after a certain amount of time, it slows down your metabolism. Your body is smart- it is always trying to be efficient and saving energy. If you eat a lot, your body is like, “Hey! Food is plentiful so we can keep using the energy stores!” But if you eat less, your body thinks, “Oh crap, survival mode so let's slow down the metabolism to store the energy as fat for later!”

How do you know when you are eating too little? Some potential signs:

1. You don't feel hungry a lot. When your metabolism is slow you don't feel as hungry as frequently or at all. (Keep in mind you can also eat too MUCH and never feel hungry so this is varied from person to person).

2. You workout frequently and feel tired. If you are active (do some physical activity everyday) but you feel tired a lot, then your body is telling you you may not be eating enough.

3. You track your foods and are under 1200 calories a day.

How to Change Your Metabolism to Lose Fat

1. Lift heavy weights with compound movements with appropriate rest intervals.

2. Lift consistently – at least 2-3 times a week.

3. Eat enough calories to support your heavy lifting. On days you lift, you should definitely be upping your calories with healthy carbs and protein.

4. Get your calories up to a decent amount before cutting. Decent amount should be at least over 2500 calories for a woman. (Yes ladies, I am blowing your mind that you can eat this much and not gain weight). This strategy is called reverse dieting.

5. Get a trainer to help customize the best food and training program for your goals.

Contact Helen to help you with changing your metabolism to a roaring one, to a point where you can burn calories while sitting on your butt at work! Email HelenLinFitness@gmail.com for your free phone consultation today.

Why We Should Focus on Function over Aesthetics

Every client comes to me wanting to lose weight or to look better.  When I first got a personal trainer, I wanted to look like fitness model Zuzka Light until my coach told me she was at an unhealthy level of body fat.  It was then I realized I had no idea what “healthy” looked like.  And that is because healthy looks different for different people, and there is no set “look” for health.

Why focusing on our looks does not represent good health:

1.       You can look like a fitness model and have an unhealthy relationship with food.  In fact, a lot of them do! Becoming obsessive over food choices and restricting certain foods can end up an eating disorder for some people.  Not to mention you would also have some nutrient deficiency.

2.       You can be skinny fat. 

3.       You can have diabetes and heart disease and look thin. 

4.       Looks are fleeting and relative.  For some people you may look big and others you look small.

5.       The scale means nothing if you weight train.  Muscle and fat weigh the same (no, one does not weigh more than another) but muscle takes up less space than fat, so you look leaner, but scale numbers do not change – sometimes it will go up!

Why focusing on function and performance is better for your health (and looks!):

1.       You can measure performance and strength.  Are you increasing in weights each week? Are you moving better? Are you more flexible? If YES, it’s progress!

2.       You can feel the difference.  Less daily pain.  Less achy joints.  You feel stronger.

3.       You can tell energy levels.  You are less tired.  You have more energy at work.

4.       You sleep better.  Your quality and length of sleep improves.  You wake up feeling rested and ready for the day!

The BEST part of focusing on function over looks is that once you start focusing on strength and movement, your looks automatically get better! It’s a win-win.

Think about when you are 80-years old, do you want to be self-sufficient or only LOOK self-sufficient? I think no one can argue that looks may fade but we care about quality of life more.  But the truth is, if I am a 80-year old who can move well and take care of myself, there is no doubt I will look younger.  Resistance training has been shown to reverse aging process.

As your trainer, I care about your long term health and quality of life. I care about making sure you stay active, keep those bones and joints strong, and feeling life without aches and pains.  Focusing on function instead of looks will guarantee you live a long, healthy and happy life.  And I promise you will look great too!

Why Cardio Sucks For Fat Loss

Want to lose Fat? Stop doing a bunch of cardio!

Are you someone who wants to "tone" and lose fat but spend your time running or doing a bunch of cardio and wondering why the fat is not coming off? Diet of course is important but also understand what you are telling your body when you do cardio all the time. 

CARDIO SUCKS FOR LONG TERM FAT LOSS.

Cardio is great for cardiovascular health.  It is great for improving your endurance.  But it is not going to build you muscle, aka the "toning" you desire.  When women want to "tone", what they really mean is they want to build muscle.  

Our body is a great machine that is good at any adaptation that we throw its way.  When you do a lot of cardio, you are sending an adaption signal to be good at endurance and you don't need a lot of muscle for endurance.  In fact, what happens is over time with excessive cardio, your body starts to store fat.  

Believe me, I was a marathon swimmer- I swam for 3-6 hours in the ocean or pool (5-6 days a week) and not lost a single pound - and my body composition looked the same.  My body had no reason to lose fat because as it adapted, it became more efficient to swim long distances which means it got easier and my body was not using much energy to do it.  

So what's the answer? RESISTANCE TRAINING.  When you do resistance training, you are now sending a whole different signal to your body to BUILD muscle.  

Why build muscle? It increase your resting metabolic rate! Even though side by side, an hour of cardio burns more calories than an hour of weight training, but every pound of muscle you gain you increase your resting metabolic rate by about 50 calories a day.  That's your body burning calories by doing nothing.  

For your cardiovascular health, keep your cardio to twice a week for 30 minute sessions.  Your daily movement can count towards your cardio.   Or a walk around the block with your dog.   But no need to spend 60 minutes on a treadmill each day.  Do resistance training 2-3 times a week is way more beneficial than a daily run (if your goal is to lose fat).  

As you build muscle and have a proper nutrition that goes with it, your body composition will change.  But the scale can go up or down depending on a variety of factors- sleep, diet, carbs (holds water), stress, and/or your workout.   You CAN LOSE WEIGHT AND NOT LOSE ANY BODY FAT!  You can also see an increase in scale when you start to build muscle as well.  That's why it's beneficial to work with a trainer who can help you monitor all these different aspects since the scale is very deceiving when you start doing resistance training.