People have problem areas. Even people, who have achieved their ideal body weight, will still have problem areas. It could be the love handles, the flabby arms, the sagging skin or the hips. Then you will find the market offering all sorts of products, from creams and applications to get rid of the fats to gadgets and machines to tone the arms, thighs or the abs.
However, there is one reality check you have to make. You cannot spot reduce. The attempt to do so is not going to work and it will not be for your good.
Why Can’t I Spot Reduce?
The market misinforms the public of the benefits that can be expected from their so-called revolutionary products when in fact there really are no revolutionary results to look forward to.
1. Healthy Diet Is Important
Diet is an important element to get rid of the undesirable body fats. The foods that you eat have calories and cholesterols that get stored in your body, probably amassing on those problem areas of yours. The diet is the main culprit for presence of fats.
So no matter how much you depend on those gadgets in the market, it will remain defenseless if you keep indulging in sweets, fatty foods or junk foods.
2. Spot Reduction Is a Mere Myth
It is not healthy to believe what those people say about the productivity of spot reduction efforts. The products you see on the market require nothing but merely attach or apply them on the problem areas. What about your other body parts? What about the other requirements of the body?
In any healthy endeavors, you must be on the top of your physiology. You should know what it takes to achieve a goal. For example, if you want six-packs in your stomach, you have to know what it takes to get them.
Some people out there would claim that if you want to improve the look of your stomach, you simply have to concentrate on abdominal exercises or use the gadgets that will do the exercise for you. Again, you cannot spot reduce. You cannot achieve the goal with simply doing that one abdominal exercise.
The fat can not just come off on its own by just using a gadget. Genetics has to do with it. Diet has to do with it. Lifestyle has to do with it.
The truth is, before you can even aim for the six-packs on the stomach, you will have to take away the fats first.
So doing 500 crunches a day will only exhaust you but it will not get rid of those fats. Your body will not burn the fats stored in that spot you are targeting. Actual workouts can actually address this. With this, the fats are burned one at a time, and not just in one area. It has a more integrated system of reducing the fats in the body.
Then you will also have to gain body mass. At this point, the only way you can only get rid of the fats and get some body mass is to have a healthy diet and do cardio exercises.
Only after surpassing the diet and cardio requirements can you focus on the abdominal exercises. This is the only proper time to really focus on working out for the six-packs.
3. There Are No Shortcuts
Miracle diets, pills and potions are mere shortcuts that will lead you to a dead end. If a healthy body is aimed, you have to work for it. You have to earn it.
We truly are living in a fast world with the advancement of technology, but your body still is very much natural. Thus you will still have to be grounded to what is naturally required by the body, healthy diet, regular exercise and considerable amount of time to develop that desirable state.
4. Health and Fitness Require Commitment
Your dedication to the health of your body is a lifelong commitment. Even if you achieved a good body now, it will not remain so forever if you abuse on your diet and lifestyle. It needs to be loved and taken care of, regularly.
That is why if you will depend on the spot reduction claims, it will really bring you nowhere. You can only hope, but you cannot expect. So if you aim for the healthy body; get an exercise program for your self and make some changes in your diet. Give your self a holistic development. Improve not only the body, but your outlook in life as well.
Do It the Proper Way
With all these points raised, the bottom line is to simply get healthy the proper way. The saying still holds true. No pain, no gain. So do not be a victim of the misleading information and empty promises thrown upon you. Simply know the proper options. Take the matter into your own hands and enjoy the benefits of a healthy body.
Why You Can't "Spot Reduce"
A Great Reason to Nap: Midday Snoozes Can Boost Your Memory
Calling all workaholics and night owls: There is mounting evidence that dreaming and power naps are good for brain health and, more specifically, memory recall. This may come as good news for chronically sleep-deprived teens and college students gearing up for the new school year.
Several new studies have emerged in recent months suggesting naps boost information retention and learning.
Earlier this year, a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, indicated that rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep may enhance creativity and problem-solving. Participants were given various puzzles in which they had to come up with a word that links three other seemingly unrelated words. They were then instructed to take a nap, after which they completed more puzzles. Those who experienced REM sleep were able to solve 40 percent more puzzles than they had before their naps, while those who rested without falling asleep or didn’t experience REM did slightly worse post-nap.
According to the paper’s lead author, this improvement suggests that during this sleep phase, information is moved from the hippocampus region of the brain – an area responsible for the formation of new memories – to the neocortex, which holds older memories and experiences. Once the information is in the neocortex, the brain is able to associate the new information with older information, which can result in increased ability to solve problems and develop new ideas.
Another study conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, further supports the link between napping and improved ability to learn and complete tasks. The study, announced in February, found that those who napped for 90 minutes between learning sessions improved their scores, while those who didn’t nap had worse scores.
High schoolers and college students should also take note: The same research team at Berkeley previously found that pulling an all-nighter decreases the ability to retain new information by nearly 40 percent, due to a shutdown of brain regions during sleep deprivation.
What Our Dreams Might be Saying
The recent movie “Inception” raises questions about dreams and where they come from, but real-life science suggests that dreams may actually be the brain’s way of communicating to us that it is synthesizing information we’ve learned. In a study published in the journal Current Biology in April, scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston asked 99 college students to undergo a computer exercise where they had to navigate a complex 3-D maze as quickly as possible. Afterward, half of the participants took a 90-minute nap, while the others remained awake and were asked to rehearse the maze in their heads.
Five hours later, the students performed the maze task again. The nappers who reported dreaming about the maze did significantly better than both their counterparts – the non-nappers and nappers who did not dream about the maze. According to the researchers, this suggests that while dreaming, the brain is processing information at a higher level and looking to find deeply stored associations for the new memories.
Squeeze In a Nap Whenever You Can
A 20-minute power nap is often enough to refresh your brain and body; this length is usually enough to leave me feeling rejuvenated without making an impact on my schedule.
If your calendar allows, naps between 60 and 90 minutes long have been shown to improve memory retention, as the above studies demonstrate. Naps of this length might be particularly helpful for students cramming for a test. However, keep in mind that anything longer than 90 minutes may affect your ability to sleep at night.
Mind your health,
Dr. Keith Black
For more information on Dr. Keith Black, visit the Cedars-Sinai Neurosurgery Department.
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