Weight Loss - Misleading Ideas about Fat Loss, Weight Loss and Fitness

Research continues to emerge about exercise and fitness. Over the years many of the machines and exercises advertised as abdominal miracle flattener or magical thigh reducer has actually turned out to be wrong or misleading. Other ideas about cardio fat burning and the best time of day to work out are also misleading. Scientific research continues to tell us exercise alone will not reduce or enlarge the size any certain body part. In this article review some of the misleading ideas about fat loss, weight loss and fitness. Commonly held ideas about weight loss, fat loss and fitness are: ? Spot reducing or spot enlarging ? It is better to work out in the morning ? Cardio fat burning range people strive to meet The idea behind spot reducing or spot enlarging is that by doing certain exercises to target a particular area of the body, you can effectively reduce or enlarge that area. There have been machines, gadgets and exercise routines created especially to reduce the abdomen or the thighs. Health clubs and fitness instructors teach classes focusing on particular "problem" body parts to reduce or enlarge. Despite all the attention to singular body part reducing or enlarging, there is no scientific evidence that an actual effect on fat loss can be possible using these techniques alone. You must burn 3,500 calories to expend one pound of fat. This is impossible to do with just abdominal exercises to reduce the fat in the abdominal area, or whatever body part you choose to try and work off extra fat in that area. The real bad news is when you do burn enough calories to shed fat; the fat may not come off where you want it. It comes off wherever your genes tell it to come off from first, and this might not be the body part you were working on. Several studies have shown this to be true. Group after group of trained and untrained subjects of all levels of fitness up to athletes have gone through rigorous training programs designed just to work abs, biceps, thighs and so on. Measurements are taken at the beginning of the study and training period and then again at the end of the period. Fat loss was sometimes noted, however, it was rarely at the site of a concentrated training regimen. It is a myth to say you burn more fat or calories by getting up earlier to exercise. Morning exercise routines do have advantages for some people. Those advantages might be: ? You get the work out done and can get through your day with more energy ? A morning routine helps some exercisers stick to their programs longer Some people like to do an exercise routine in the middle of the day and some in the evening and for different reasons. The body does have a biorhythm unique to each individual. Some people have more energy late in the day. Some people also have the luxury of doing an exercise routine whenever they want. Others have to perform exercise just whenever they can fit it into their schedule and that may not be until mid day or evening. The fact is morning exercisers do not burn extra fat or calories just by getting up earlier to exercise. As for the special cardio "fat-burning" range people strive to reach, the truth is you are always burning a percentage of total calories during any given activity as fat and there are always carb calories being burned as well. There is no range where you are burning just fat. The higher the intensity you work at, the more calories you will burn. Some of these calories will be fat; others will be in the form of carbohydrates that your muscles store for glycogen. At the end of all things, no matter what range you are in, if you burn 3,500 calories over time, you will lose one pound of fat. The actual number of calories you burn is not always displayed accurately on the cardio machines. The actual number depends on: ? Your age and/or body weight ? Have you programmed the machine correctly? ? The machine should be properly calibrated ? If the treadmill belt slips (as it can from repeated use unless it is properly maintained) the speed readout could be off, which throws off your calorie reading As a weight-loss mechanism, exercise alone will do it. Weight loss is all about expending more calories than you take in. If you achieve the deficit of 3,500 calories in one or two weeks, the result is the loss of one pound of body weight. It is extremely difficult to do this just by exercising alone. It takes a combination of expending more calories through daily activity and diet. Exercise is a component to weight and fat loss, but not the sole source, and that weight or fat loss is not guaranteed to come off in the areas you specify by a targeted abdominal exercise routine or a set of exercises just for reduction of the thighs. You may suffer through all those exercises and find that the fat and weight came off your "bosom area," and that was the only area you wanted to stay just as is for the moment at least. As with all advertisements and gimmicks, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is not true. You will see results if you just follow a sensible exercise and diet plan aimed toward healthy living and a longer life. Do the activities you like. Keep moving. In time, you will see results and will feel better too. Source: Lisa Zeigel, ACSM Certified HFI, NASM CPT (Zone Newsletters); ACSM.org Disclaimer: *This article is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your health care provider about any kind of a health problem and especially before beginning any kind of an exercise routine. This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. Article written 2-2007. Author: Connie Limon, Trilogy Field Representative. Visit us at http://nutritionandhealthhub.com and sign up for our weekly nutrition and health tips. The article collection is available as FREE reprints for your newsletters, websites or blog. Visit http://www.healthylife27.com to purchase an array of superior quality, safe and effective products inspired by nature, informed by science and created to improve the health of people, pets and the planet. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Limon