In this post, I’m going to be switching gears a bit from discussing low back pain to discussing body fat.

Don’t get me wrong. The two are still intimately related and that’s why, if you’re carrying extra body fat, you need to get rid of it. 

Potentially Fatal Body Fat

 As I subscribe to dozens of physical therapy, health and fitness newsletters, I’m always looking to pass along information that will benefit you in relieving your low back pain or just getting you in the best shape possible (which is one of the best ways to avoid low back pain!). 

Here is one such newsletter I recently received that caught my attention:

[ Editor's Note:  Fitness author Jon Benson shared this letter with me and gave me permission to share it with you. ]

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I agree with Jon. You can keep waiting on the sidelines or you can suit up, take action and take charge of your health and fitness. 

Yours in movement.

Dev Chengkalath

Replace drinks containing empty calories (e.g. fruit juice, colas), high amounts of caffeine or alcohol with water or green tea.

This is one of the easiest ways to cut out those extra calories while making sure your body is hydrated for optimal performance. 

cool and wet, what a combo!

Unfortunately, too many people end up dehydrated all day long. The negative health effects are many and the solution is simple.

Your skin, joints and organs will thank you. 

To your hydration.

Dev Chengkalath

Step 2. Resistance train: Push, pull, throw, jump, crawl, hold or ______ (fill in the blank with any other movement you can think of). Lift weights, throw medicine balls, swing kettlebells, do sprints, or use bands. Do it with high intensity. And no excuses. 

Your muscles won’t build themselves.

There you have it.

You can be the proud owner of these in just two steps!

Two simple (not easy) steps to build your ultimate six pack. 

Eat hard and train harder.

Dev Chengkalath

Myth: If I lift heavy weights I’ll end up looking like those super muscular women in bodybuilding magazines.

Fact: This is by far one of the most perpetuated gym myths around that has had a serious negative effect on female exercisers.

For most females, lifting heavy weights on a properly designed program will greatly help reduce body fat.

Females do not have the necessary levels of androgens (specific types of hormones) to cause the same response to resistance training that men have.

So rest assured: extreme musculature in women typically occurs only after the extreme use of anabolic steroids and years of specific training (notice the use of the word extreme TWICE in that sentence!)

What does occur after regular bouts of heavy resistance training is an increase in your metabolism.

Think of your metabolism as your body’s internal furnace and after a heavy workout, your body will require MORE energy to keep the furnace running properly. That means your body continues to use energy for hours after you are done your exercising, so you burn more calories while resting!

There you have it.  A four of the biggest female training myths exposed.

Make sure you check back often as I’ll be deconstructing even more of these common yet absurd female training myths.

Dev Chengkalath

Myth: When exercising, you turn fat in to muscle. 

Fact: Spend a few minutes surfing the Internet or reading popular magazines with fitness as the topic and you’ll certainly find that magical statement claiming to turn fat into muscle.

Why is this not possible?

For starters, muscle and fat are two separate substances. To change one substance in to the other would be akin to turning a stick of butter into a chicken breast. It’s just not possible!

Muscles are made up of amino acids strung together to form proteins in a specific arrangement. Fat is just that. It’s fat. There is no method available that can convert a fat into a protein.

It is, however, possible is to burn fat off and build the muscle. This reduces the visibility of the fat and increases the appearance of lean and toned muscle.

Myth: Certain exercises can reduce fat in specific areas or tone up certain features such as your tummy.

Fact: The body does not spot reduce.

What does that mean?

Well, if you did thousands of triceps kickbacks, you wouldn’t see the flab melt away. What you would be doing is making the muscles in your arms grow without greatly influencing the fat that sits on top. Sure, your arms would be firm and toned! Unfortunately, your new-found pipes would be hidden underneath that layer of padding. 

Your body takes energy from multiple sources to meet its requirements. That means the energy you burn by doing that endless triceps exercises doesn’t just come from the fat from your arms but from all over your body!

To improve your workouts, instead of isolating body parts, try full body or compound movements such as lunges or squats. These exercises use a larger number of muscles, which in turn will burn more calories for energy.