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Spot Reduction by Gregory Florez, First Fitness We hear a lot of talk about "six-pack abs" and "trimming those problem areas." A product that is supposed to help you lose fat and tone up a specific part of your body accompanies most of these messages. This notion of "spot reduction" is probably the biggest myth going in fitness. Read on to find out how you can still trim down and shape up. No one can "spot reduce". You can't pick a particular area of body fat and lose that fat. Your genes determine where your body fat is stored. But you can change your body shape and tone muscles by following a low-fat diet that restricts calories and engaging in aerobic exercise and strength training. To exercise for weight loss and an improved body shape: Perform aerobic exercise like jogging, biking or aerobic dance that keeps you moving and raises your heart rate for at least 20 minutes at a time, 3 times a week. For more effective long-term weight control, exercise for 45 minutes at a time, 4 times a week. Tone muscles with crunches, leg lifts and strength training. Focus on enjoying your exercise, not on losing weight or building muscle. Begin your program slowly. Don't over do it in the beginning or you may be injured and discouraged. Seek expert help from a certified personal trainer on proper form when first learning to lift weights. As you lose weight, the genetic body type you inherited from your parents determines your loss of body fat.

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