"I just want to lose my stomach. I don't want to lose my curves." - Why Spot Training Doesn't Work

Several years ago, one of my dear friends asked me for a workout plan that only targeted her stomach area but would omit other parts of her body. When she asked me for the workout, I was confused.

So I asked her, "What about the rest of your body? Don't you want your entire body to look fit?"

She replied: "Nah, ah, because I want to keep all of my curves. I only want a flat stomach."

During our discussion, I realized how often I had been asked that question. Mostly my female friends, want tighter abs, a shapelier tush, or to get rid of the saddlebag arms that women develop as we age.

The truth of the matter is spot training is a myth. Here's why. According to scientific research, our bodies do not work that way. Fat in your body is like a wood-burning furnace or like gas in a gas tank. Todd Miller, an expert in nutrition and exercise science from George Washington University, in a 2018 interview with the Washington Post, explained: "Fat in your body is like gas in a gas tank. Thinking you can reduce fat from your stomach alone is like saying you want to use gas only from the right side of your gas tank. Fat, just like gas in your car, is stored energy. It gets recruited equally from all over your body and sent to the muscles to be burned."

Another way to look at it is by understanding how combustion energy works. Combustion is a chemical reaction that produces heat and light. The most common form of combustion is fire. Most forms of combustion happen when the gas oxygen joins with another substance. For example, when wood burns, oxygen in the air joins with carbon in wood. If you can visualize how a wood-burning stove works, the more wood you put in the stove, the fire gets hotter and gains more volume and energy.

Now relate this concept to our bodies and exercise. When we take on any form of physical activity, we are likely to engage other parts of our bodies to target that one area—for instance, a push-up. While your goal is to work your abs, this exercise gives you a lot of bang in that one simple movement. Push-ups target the chest, shoulders, and triceps and work your core, back, and legs. You will find this to be the case for most – if not all – exercises. As you focus on one area, your entire body works in concert to render complete, balanced results. That's good news!

Now, if you truly want great abs, you might want to start in the kitchen. Seriously, during my days of bikini bodybuilding competitions and doing beauty pageants, my fitness coaches always focused on my food intake first, then incorporated a fitness regimen. Then too, what difference does it make to work on having great abs if we miss the boat on why we should be exercising, anyway? Seriously, we should focus on achieving overall good health and a total lifestyle change. A fit body can be achieved by developing a lifestyle of good nutrition, sleep, and exercise combined. Here are a few tips you can use to begin your new lifestyle:

• Develop better eating habits. Why is this the magic bullet? For starters, you can spend hours in the gym and never lose an ounce, but change your eating habits and lose weight immediately. Also, food is medicine. Eat to live instead of living to eat. Your body responds to natural foods free of chemicals, preservatives, and unprocessed.

As one of my coaches used to tell me, "whatever grows in the ground, flies in the air, or swims in the sea is fair game." Now, that philosophy may not fly with vegans or vegetarians, but it is an excellent way to look at it. My coach later explained that you always start your plate with fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, and grains as your base. For meat-eaters, my former coach encouraged her clients to eat lean, fresh, unprocessed meats or fish and in smaller portions.

• Exercise regularly. Yes, it's true that an active lifestyle can help you reach your fitness goals. But, if for no other reason, here are ten essential health benefits of exercise that should not be overlooked. Exercising may:

1. Improve your memory and brain function (all age groups).

2. Protect against many chronic diseases.

3. Aid in weight management.

4. Lower blood pressure and improve heart health.

5. Improve your quality of sleep.

6. Reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.

7. Combat cancer-related fatigue.

8. Improve joint pain and stiffness.

9. Maintain muscle strength and balance.

10. Increase life span.

• Sleep. There is a direct correlation between successful fitness goals and sleep. We exercise to improve our cardiovascular health, build muscle, gain endurance, maintain good mental health, release stress, or lose weight. All of these reasons require sleep, and lack of sleep undermines our goals. Then too, quality sleep keeps us healthy! During sleep, our bodies secrete hormones that help control appetite, metabolism, and glucose processing. The less we sleep, the more cortisol our bodies produce. Cortisol is the hormone that controls our stress. Poor sleep also throws our bodies out of whack and puts us at risk of overeating, weight gain, too much glucose, and type 2 diabetes.

Now, let's get back to my original point. Does spot training work? The answer is no. When you spot train or target one section of your body, you will engage other parts or the entire body, more than likely. Sorry. Our bodies do not work that way. However, the good news is if you are dissatisfied with a particular part of your body, chances are other areas need a little work too. Therefore, my best response is to train your entire body while eating healthfully (free of processed and fatty foods). In this way, you achieve total wellness of the mind, body, and soul.

Sources: Boston, Gabriella. "Why Spot Reduction Doesn't Work." Washington Post. April, 2018; Waehner, Page. "Why You Can't Target Fat Loss to Specific Body Parts." Verywellfit.com. Sept. 2, 2021

Additional Sources: healthline.com

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About Simply Marnie

Marnie Robinson is a communications strategist, journalist, and leader with more than 25 years of combined experience in the public and nonprofit industries. Specializing in healthcare public relations and marketing, she is the president and CEO of MARS Communications, Inc. and SimplyMarnie.com. Marnie enjoys competing in fitness competitions and living a healthy lifestyle. In addition, she is Mrs. Illinois International 2019.