How Do I Get Rid of My: Love Handles, Saddle Bags, Bat Wings, Thunder Thighs, And Muffin Top?!

First of all, who came up with the names for all of these things?! (They're weird names for body parts in case you didn't know). Second of all, you can't spot reduce. So saying you only want to get rid of one certain area isn't going to happen.

Yes, you read that right. You cannot pick and choose where your body stores and holds onto fat. That is all GENETIC! Does this mean you can't ever reduce or "tone" these areas? No, that's not what I'm saying at all. What I am saying is that you can't do specific targeted exercises and expect to only lose weight or reduce fat in that area. One of the most common types of questions I hear is: "What exercises can I do to slim/tone (insert weird name of body part from above here)?" The answer is none. Exercise alone is NOT going to do this. Ok, so now you probably want to know how exactly you do get to those trouble areas if you can't do targeted exercises for them. Step #1 Eat the correct ratio of macronutrients (macros). Macros are where all calories in the universe come from. They will come from ONLY three places: protein, fat, carbs. By eating the correct ratio of these three things, you put your body either into a fat burning, maintenance, or muscle building phase. In order to to reduce those saddle bags, love handles, muffin tops, etc., you need to reduce your overall body fat percentage. As your overall body fat percentage decreases, these areas will also decrease eventually, but only with proper nutrition! You can do all of the workouts in the world but if your nutrition isn't on point you won't see change. Step #2 Be patient. It is going to take longer than one week to see noticeable changes. Losing weight and decreasing your body fat percentage is going to take longer to remove than it took to put on. I don't know why God cursed us this way, but that's the way it is. Be patient, give your self time, and don't get discouraged if things take longer than expected.

Step #3 Be consistent. Yes, it's going to be hard. But if it's not challenging then it won't produce change. Focus on progress, not perfection. There are going to be days when you get discouraged or don't feel like eating

right because you're not seeing change. This is when you need to dig deep, put on your grown up pants, and keep it moving. These are the times that will make the difference. Don't give up and binge on your favorite food just because change isn't happening right away. "Success doesn't come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently." -Marie Forleo

There you have it. The three steps to reducing those trouble areas. The most important of these being NUTRITION! Remember: You can do all of the workouts in the world but if you're not eating right, you will never see changes. You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT spot reduce. This only comes with an overall reduction of your body fat percentage which in turn will eventually lead to decreasing the trouble areas.