Who has not ever been fed up with To do crunches with the purpose of lose belly? For many years gyms have not done exercises aimed at eliminate localized fat. This is because it is increasingly known that the possibility of losing fat from a specific area of the body is a myth. But, as long as we continue to see influencers talking about miraculous training programs or even food supplements aimed at losing weight and losing belly, we will continue to think that it is something that can be controlled in a specific way.
And it is not like that. We must not confuse strengthen a muscle group with reducing fat in that same part of the body. For example, you can do exercises to strengthen the abs. But for what is commonly known as losing belly, it is not enough to have these strong muscles, you also have to reduce the fat that is on them.
To reduce fat in a specific part of the body, our age or genes They have much more to say than the exercise we do. But then, what should we do if we want to lose belly?
You cannot mobilize fat from one part of the body
Nick Fullerresearcher in the area of sports sciences at the University of Sydney recently explained in an article for The Conversation How are they mobilized? reserves of our body when exercising.
exist many types of lipidsknown colloquially as fats. However, approximately 95% of the lipids we obtain through the diet are of a single type: triglycerides. Furthermore, any excess energyobtained, for example, through carbohydrates, also accumulates in our body in the form of triglycerides.
These triglycerides accumulate in specialized cells, known as adipocytesand are released into the bloodstream, through which they travel to adipose tissue, which we commonly know as body fat. That fat can be under the skin or around the organs. The latter, above all, is the most dangerous, and it is important to keep it at bay. What accumulates under the skin is what we want to reduce to lose weight. For example, to lose belly.
When we exercise our muscles, they require a energy consumption What do you obtain burning fat reserves. For this reason, it had traditionally been thought that the simplest thing would be for them to resort to nearby reserves. But it doesn’t work like that.
Triglycerides alone cannot travel through the bloodstream to the muscles. Therefore, when they need energy, they trigger a process called lipolysis. This consists of converting triglycerides into other lipids, called free fatty acids, and another substance known as glycerol. In the process, the energy necessary for the muscles is released, but this comes from the processing of triglycerides throughout the body.
What do we do to lose belly?
When we exercise, triglycerides are mobilized throughout the body, but not in a totally homogeneous way. There are parts that are mobilized more than others, but it does not depend on the muscle being exercised, but on other factors, such as genes, age or biological sex.
In fact, according to a study published in 2014our genetics influence by 60%so it is the main factor on whether we have more or less ease in losing our belly, buttocks, legs or any other area.
Therefore, the ideal is not for us to go crazy doing sit-ups. We must have routines composed of aerobic and strength exercise. Both should complement each other, both for health reasons and to burn fat efficiently. And all muscle groups must be exercised, so that the result is balanced. But not balanced when it comes to losing weight. Balanced with respect to the fact that, if we strengthen certain muscles a lot and not their complementary ones, we can suffer injuries.
In short, to lose belly we don’t have to kill ourselves doing sit-ups. Food supplements are of no use either. And, above all, it is important to understand that what must prevail is to be strong and healthy. Everything else will come and, if it doesn’t, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up either.