Your exercise tip – Can I shift my belly fat?
Yes, you can – but not how you are probably thinking.
One of the common questions we are regularly asked is ‘Can I shift the weight from (insert body part/region)?’ You can remove weight from an area on the body but when it moves (in comparison to other areas that may be moving quicker) is very much dependant on the make-up of the distribution of adipose (or fat storage) cells passed on by genetic code from your heritage.
You cannot spot reduce from an area that you specifically wish to; the body will not work that way. When we burn calories through our day to day metabolism, or through exercise, it will draw stored fuel from all over the body. If we could spot reduce, those people who chew on gum would have thin heads.
Those stubborn areas will move, you just need to be patient, consistent with your exercise, and be aware of the pitfalls of what you are putting into your mouth.
Your health tip – A quick snapshot on the role of vitamins in the body.
Most of us know we need to have vitamins in our diet to help with living healthily, but not many of us know how important they are and why we need them.
There are two specific categories. The first is water soluble vitamins which need to be regularly consumed in our diet and not normally build up to toxic levels in our body. The second is fat soluble vitamins which do not necessarily need to be consumed on a regular basis, and can build to level that will cause us harm.
The roles of vitamins vary from helping to clot the blood (vitamin K), reducing neural tube defects in infants (folate/Vitamin B), to helping our bone keep strong (Vitamin D). Consuming plenty of colourful fruits, vegetables and whole foods in your diet will ensure you receive all the vitamins you need.
Exercise of the week – Barbell bench press
This week we are looking at the barbell bench press, a good exercise for the chest muscles, shoulders and the back of the arms (those tuck shop arms). There are multiple variations, but keep it simple in the beginning. Tips for the bench press are:
- Start slow, trying to maintain a pace throughout the time frame you choose. When you lay down on the bench, tuck or squeeze the shoulder blades together to form a flat platform to lift from.
- When you have the weight fully up, keep a slight bend in the elbows (this protects the shoulders from injury).
- To give you a more controlled lifting action, keep the feet firmly planted on the ground without too much of an arch in the lower (lumbar) back.
- This is not an exercise for those that have shoulder issues.
- If it hurts – stop!
Your life tip
Try and keep your focus on committing to a goal or task that you have, rather than the motivation and positivity techniques. You will win in the end.
This week’s wise words
“Your mind is like water, when agitated it becomes difficult to see but
if allowed to settle, the answer becomes clear.”
Tsem Tulku Rinpoche
Have a great week and keep healthy in 2017. David.