How to: Lose Belly Fat

Hello!  Hello!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  I spent mine just the way I like it- with my family and in the weight room!

Last week I was eavesdropping overheard a conversation between two men discussing their "guts" (their words, not mine).  To no surprise they were comparing which abdominal exercises to really work the best to target their midsection.

It blows my mind how many people are out there spending so much time and attention on their abdominal workout in hopes to gain rock hard abs when really it's just a SMALL piece of the puzzle.

Last year I wrote a post addressing the dreaded belly fat and how to tackle it.  After the conversation I heard take place, I think it's time to revisit......

*This post originally was published 7/1/2013

How do I get rid of my belly?

What can I do about my stomach?

What are some good exercises to get rid of the fat around my midsection?

I need to work on this. (said as they squeeze a handful of love handles) 

In my past four months of being a certified personal trainer I have heard these questions more times than I can count and I find it hard to answer.  As a wellness coach it's part of my job to help guide you, not just tell you what to do, and I'm finding that a lot of people are miseducated about the best way to tackle the belly problem.    

So let's talk about what we know....

You can not spot reduce fat.  All the crunches, sit ups, and bicycles in the world are not going to magically melt fat from your abs.  Don't get me wrong, core strength is so important for a variety of reasons but exercise alone will not get the job done.  

I'm not surprised people believe that you can crunch your way to six pack abs though.  Look at this month's cover of Shape magazine.  

Really?  If I do 3 moves, four times a week for say four weeks I'll have a "flat belly"?  Don't fall for it. 

I  love Shape but that's totally misleading.  

We also know 80% of your body composition is determined by your diet.  I'm sure you've heard this and "Abs are made in the kitchen." before right?  I'll be honest I searched and searched for the origin of the 80% diet, 20% exercise fact and this is what I found: 

"say you eat 3 square meals a day. Better yet, as a fitness athlete you know about the advantages of meal spacing and eat 5 meals/snacks a day. That’s 21-35 opportunities a week to directly impact your muscle building and fat burning goals.

A common question in the fitness industry is, “what percentage of my physique enhancement goals will be a result of exercise, and what percentage will be a result of my diet?” Common answers are something like, “Well, they are both important. You can’t really assign percentages” or “training is 100%, diet is 100%”. But that doesn’t really give novice trainees an accurate depiction of the bigger picture. And in the big picture, diet will always have a bigger impact than training.

In our above example of 9 training sessions and 35 meals/snacks geared toward body composition improvement a week, that works out to about 20% accounted to physical activity and 80% accounted to diet. I’d say that’s a pretty accurate assessment of the physique enhancement process. If you want to look good, 80% of your results are determined by the food that you eat."

Source

 I found this explanation a few different places but I liked the way this guy explained it the best.  Truthfully,  I'm not sure the validity of that "science" but I do believe diet plays a huge role in our ability to lower body fat.  And, just like you can't spot reduce fat through exercise, you can't pick and choose where you'll lose fat so the best way to reveal your six pack is to lower overall body fat.  

I bet I can guess what your next question is gonna be.... "Ok Annie, I get all that.  So, how do I lower my body fat?:  

Great question!  

Lowering your body fat is easier said than done.  Trust me, I know...I'm workin' on it!  I'm still in the process of learning, exploring, experimenting and researching all of the studies and information out there on the topic.  I'm not a "believe it because I read it/heard it somewhere" type of gal. And thus far I've found a few simple (read simple to incorporate not simple to perform) changes anyone looking to lower body fat can make.  

1. Add some HIIT to your cardio plan!  I know it's hard to believe that a 20 minute HIIT workout can help you lose more fat than an hour long run that leaves you drenched in sweat and totally exhausted but it can and it will! The studies do not lie.  You don't have to take my word for it.  Read this.  You don't have to take his word for it either.  All of the studies and research to back this up at linked at the bottom of his article.  

2.  Find a weight, lift it, repeat.  One of the most effective ways to burn more fat, even at rest is to have more muscle! You're not going to get bulky. You're not going to look like a man.  I have yet to meet a woman who tried weight lifting and stopped because she got too strong. 

But please, stop wasting your time with the light weights! Women, quit selling yourself short! Find a weight you can perform 10-12 repetitions.  When you can perform more then 12 reps UP THE WEIGHT, do a little dance, be proud of yourself and then lift it again!  *I'm referring to general strength training, not specifically powerlifting. 

3.  Watch what you put in your mouth.  Oh, this is a hard one for me but arguably the most important for reasons I've mentioned above and so many more.  Don't negate all your hard work in the gym with a poor diet.  It took me years to figure out I couldn't out exercise my crappy food choices.  I'm not a dietitian but if you want to see how I figured out my macros you can read it here.  

Your turn: What's the most bizarre advice you've been given about 

how to bring out your six pack?

How To Pick A Protein Bar

Happy Friday!

Before I dive right into some suggestions on picking a protein bar, hop over to my giveaway and enter to win a GYMBOSS Interval Timer in any color you choose!

I love protein bars.  My husband and I always have a stash of them in the house to use for meals/snacks on the go or when we just don't feel like cooking.  Plus, most of the ones I pick contain at least a little chocolate, so they satisfy my sweet tooth without completely derailing my day.

Here is what I don't love about protein bars- candy bars disguised as protein bars.  Between the sugar, fat, and calorie content of some of these so-called protein bars you might as well enjoy a Snickers.  How many times can I say the words protein bars in one paragraph?  (The answer was four)

I'm not picking on Snickers as it's a wonderful tasting candy bar but let's compare it's nutrition facts to that of a popular selling Clif Bar.

Snickers bar nutrition facts

Nutrition facts for Coconut Chocolate Clif Bar

Not too different are they?  To Clif Bar's defense it does call this particular bar an "energy bar" in which case I'll take one Snicker's energy bar please!  Seriously though, Clif bar has some amazing products out there, I just don't think this is one of them.  

With all the marketing and catchy jargon it can be hard to distinguish between protein bars, candy bars and "energy bars".  Here are the top four things I consider when evaluating a protein bar:

Grams of protein:  I know this seems like a no-brainer but you'd be amazed at how many "protein bars" there are out there without much protein.  If it has less then 15 grams of protein, it's out.  

Calories: Is this a "you're running late and forgot to prepare a meal ahead of time and you know you're going to be starving in a few hours so let's have this instead of driving through a fast food restaurant" type of a bar?  If so, I'm ok with picking a bar with a little higher calorie count.  

*Tip: If you have amazing will power and find a higher calorie bar you enjoy and fits your nutritional goals, you can choose to eat just half.  This option is not for me.  The whole bar will get eaten. 

However if it's a "It's snack time, I'm hungry and I'm about to shove my hand into the cracker box" bar then I try to stick to 200 calories or under.  

Seriously, that's seriously how my brain works.  

Sugar: Any bar that makes my grocery cart must have under 10 grams of sugar.   And keep an eye out for sugar alcohols as well.  The sweeten food like sugar but use about half the calories.  They may sound great but sugar alcohol has been known to cause gas, cramping, and bloating.  Check the ingredient list for sneaky guys like Xylitol and Erythritol.   

And finally

Taste: Does it taste good?  If it doesn't, throw it out.  Don't choke it down because you think it's good for you.  If you don't like it, find something else to eat. 

Of course 

Your turn:  Do you have a favorite go to protein bar?  

Post Workout: What to Eat?

Picture this: You just smashed leg day.  You quads are already quivering and the thought of descending down the steps to get out the front door has you petrified.  Squats, lunges, GHR's- the works!  It was a great workout.  After some struggle, you make it to your car and you're starving.  What should you do next?

a. Head for fast food.  Hey! You just kicked your own butt, you deserve it!
b. Force yourself to wait until meal time.  You'd hate to undo all the hard work you just put in.
c. Grab something, anything from your car/home.  Left over goldfish in the diaper bag?  Good enough!
d. Find a meal that is rich in complex carbohydrates and protein.  And don't forget your water!

If you chose D as your answer then you're correct!  If you chose A, B, or C don't feel bad...I've done every single one of those as some point.  Where do you think I got those ideas?!

Seriously though, it's important you follow that amazing workout with a great meal choice to help your body recover.  Please keep in mind I'm not a nutritionist or dietician.  I'm sharing the knowledge that I have been taught through my experience in personal training/powerlifting and gathered on my own. I want to share what my post-workout routine looks like in hopes that maybe you can pick up some ideas to try on your own!

My first post-workout goal is hydration.  We lose water through sweat and our breath.  That's right our breath- so even if you're "not a sweater" you still need to drink up.  Besides water helps every single action and reaction in our body. Without, we slow down internally and externally... and that's never a good thing.

My second post-workout goal is getting a meal (supplement or whole food) that is rich in complex carbohydrates and protein. It is important to help your body replace energy your body used during the workout.

**This is about as sciencey as I will ever get but just hand with me....

When we exercise our body's glycogen stores become depleted.  Consuming carbs after a workout can help to replace glycogen and may even help release insulin which can help slow the breakdown of protein.

We also break down muscle tissue when exercising, especially resistance training. To help rebuild that muscle, it's a good idea to include protein in your post-workout snack/meal to stimulate protein synthesis.  I've even heard some "big name" fitness professionals say that weight training without consuming protein is counterproductive.  I'm not sure if I would go to that extreme but it is pretty important.

There are a few key points to remember when planning your post-workout grub... There is some debate about the "window" in which you should eat.  Some articles have claimed there is a 30 minute window of opportunity that your body will most readily accept the carbohydrates and protein needed to refuel and recover.  Other articles say it's actually fine to eat within two hours of finishing your workout.  Personally, I just do my best to refuel as quickly as possible.

Another point to consider is how much you should eat, and that can depend largely on your goals (i.e. fat loss, weight maintenance, etc).  Again, I've read a lot of theories about the best carb:protein ratio and see everything from 3:1 recommendation to 20grams of protein is the sweet spot.  Again, I do my best.  Sometimes that "best" is a cliff bar, a protein shake or an omelet on a wrap when I get home.

The final point to remember is complex carbohydrates are your best choices (as opposed to simple carbohydrates) for consuming after a workout. Complex carbs don't raise blood sugar in the body like simple carbs can and help produce energy.  Good examples of complex carbohydrates include whole grains, sweet potatoes and bananas.

Ok, that was way too serious for me.  So true to form, I'll leave you with an easy "cookie" that could used for a great post-workout snack and totally customized to fit your nutrient needs!

Annie's Post-Workout Cookies:

In a bowl mix...

• 2 mashed, ripe bananas
• 1/2 oats (add more as needed to get a thick enough texture to form lump/ball)
• Add whatever you want!!!  We used egg whites, peanut butter and coconut but the sky is the limit!  

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes 

Your turn:  Do you eat after a workout?  What do you eat?  Whole foods?  Supplements? Share!  

Losing the belly

How do I get rid of my belly?

What can I do about my stomach?

What are some good exercises to get rid of the fat around my midsection?

I need to work on this. (said as they squeeze a handful of love handles) 

In my past four months of being a certified personal trainer I have heard these questions more times than I can count and I find it hard to answer.  As a wellness coach it's part of my job to help guide you, not just tell you what to do, and I'm finding that a lot of people are miseducated about the best way to tackle the belly problem.    

So let's talk about what we know....

You can not spot reduce fat.  All the crunches, sit ups, and bicycles in the world are not going to magically melt fat from your abs.  Don't get me wrong, core strength is so important for a variety of reasons but exercise alone will not get the job done.  

I'm not surprised people believe that you can crunch your way to six pack abs though.  Look at this month's cover of Shape magazine.  

Really?  If I do 3 moves, four times a week for say four weeks I'll have a "flat belly"?  Don't fall for it. 

I  love Shape but that's totally misleading.  

We also know 80% of your body composition is determined by your diet.  I'm sure you've heard this and "Abs are made in the kitchen." before right?  I'll be honest I searched and searched for the origin of the 80% diet, 20% exercise fact and this is what I found: 

"say you eat 3 square meals a day. Better yet, as a fitness athlete you know about the advantages of meal spacing and eat 5 meals/snacks a day. That’s 21-35 opportunities a week to directly impact your muscle building and fat burning goals.

A common question in the fitness industry is, “what percentage of my physique enhancement goals will be a result of exercise, and what percentage will be a result of my diet?” Common answers are something like, “Well, they are both important. You can’t really assign percentages” or “training is 100%, diet is 100%”. But that doesn’t really give novice trainees an accurate depiction of the bigger picture. And in the big picture, diet will always have a bigger impact than training.

In our above example of 9 training sessions and 35 meals/snacks geared toward body composition improvement a week, that works out to about 20% accounted to physical activity and 80% accounted to diet. I’d say that’s a pretty accurate assessment of the physique enhancement process. If you want to look good, 80% of your results are determined by the food that you eat."

Source

 I found this explanation a few different places but I liked the way this guy explained it the best.  Truthfully,  I'm not sure the validity of that "science" but I do believe diet plays a huge role in our ability to lower body fat.  And, just like you can't spot reduce fat through exercise, you can't pick and choose where you'll lose fat so the best way to reveal your six pack is to lower overall body fat.  

I bet I can guess what your next question is gonna be.... "Ok Annie, I get all that.  So, how do I lower my body fat?:  

Great question!  

Lowering your body fat is easier said than done.  Trust me, I know...I'm workin' on it!  I'm still in the process of learning, exploring, experimenting and researching all of the studies and information out there on the topic.  I'm not a "believe it because I read it/heard it somewhere" type of gal. And thus far I've found a few simple (read simple to incorporate not simple to perform) changes anyone looking to lower body fat can make.  

1. Add some HIIT to your cardio plan!  I know it's hard to believe that a 20 minute HIIT workout can help you lose more fat than an hour long run that leaves you drenched in sweat and totally exhausted but it can and it will! The studies do not lie.  You don't have to take my word for it.  Read this.  You don't have to take his word for it either.  All of the studies and research to back this up at linked at the bottom of his article.  

2.  Find a weight, lift it, repeat.  One of the most effective ways to burn more fat, even at rest is to have more muscle! You're not going to get bulky. You're not going to look like a man.  I have yet to meet a woman who tried weight lifting and stopped because she got too strong. 

But please, stop wasting your time with the light weights! Women, quit selling yourself short! Find a weight you can perform 10-12 repetitions.  When you can perform more then 12 reps UP THE WEIGHT, do a little dance, be proud of yourself and then lift it again!  *I'm referring to general strength training, not specifically powerlifting. 

3.  Watch what you put in your mouth.  Oh, this is a hard one for me but arguably the most important for reasons I've mentioned above and so many more.  Don't negate all your hard work in the gym with a poor diet.  It took me years to figure out I couldn't out exercise my crappy food choices.  I'm not a dietitian but if you want to see how I figured out my macros you can read it here.  

Your turn: What have you heard about how to lose belly fat?  Do you think it's fact or fiction?  What's the most bizarre advice you've been given about how to bring out your six pack?