How can I get rid of my stomach?

One of the most common questions that I get being a personal trainer is "how can I get rid of my stomach", I get it from both women and men. Everyone who asks me always assures me that they "don't eat alot" or that they "exercise daily" but, just can't seem to get rid of the fat.

In my early days I would go on and on to explain the importance of diet and exercise, and sometimes would even email programs and healthy eating options to friends or colleagues (taking a considerable amount of my time) to provide the education and information so that it could be applied and put to good use.

I've learned much since then, I now know that when I am asked this question, the person asking is looking for me to give them the "secret", they want the information that they didn't know about, they want the magic formula that is going to take years of bad eating habits or years of inactivity and turn it around in 4-6 weeks to lose the stubborn belly fat.

It's the way our society has become, the "quick fix syndrome" what can I do to get where I want to be as fast and easy as possible?.... It's the reason why those infomercials do so well. You know the ones....Zumba, Tae-bo, P90-X, Insanity. These programs promise amazing results within 60-90 days. They market their products so well, and stress the fact that your results will be obtained in the time frame allotted. People eat this up, I get psyched watching those infomercials myself and want to go hit the gym even if I have already been, It's encouraging and motivating.

These programs are excellent programs, I don't have anything to say against any of them. I feel strongly that if someone is consistent in any program, they will see results.

This is where the problem begins, I have talked to many people who have some type of DVD fitness program. These individuals have told me that they are doing a specific program and following the exercises to a tee, but when asked if they are following the nutrition portion the answer 9 times out of 10 is no. Then after awhile, that person gets burned out on the exercise because they aren't seeing the results they wanted and quit the program all together.

This is the reason why now when I am presented with the question "How can I get rid of my stomach?" I recommend a training session with a trainer for education.

You wouldn't fly a plane if you weren't a pilot, or perform an emergency appendectomy if you weren't a doctor, so why would you apply your non-personal training skills to your own training and nutrition?

A great recent example:

I received a call from a potential client who is a young male in his late 20's weighing in around 320lbs. He was calling me to train him so that he could reach his 1st goal of losing 50lbs in 6 months en route to his ultimate goal of 100lbs in a year. We continued to discuss his goals and plans and when I came to the subject of nutrition his response was "I feel pretty comfortable with my eating, I just need a solid exercise routine and a trainer to push me".

Red Flag Alert!!!!! No amount of exercise can undo poor eating habits and effectively burn fat especially if you continue to eat poorly. You cannot out exercise bad eating habits. If you consume more calories than your body burns you will continue to gain weight or store fat.

I encouraged this young man to focus on his diet and nutrition before even looking into an exercise program, we discussed the benefits of whole grain foods, the importance of eating lean protein at every meal, water consumption, and the many benefits of fruits and vegetables.

"Wow! I guess I didn't know as much as I thought I did" is what he said to me before we got off the phone.

This call took place around the beginning of the summer, I recently heard back that he had put all the advise to use and has dropped 30lbs. 30lbs on just healthy eating habits! He may not be at his goal of 50lbs, but he See's the benefits of healthy eating and is going to stick with it.

How can I get rid of my stomach?.....

Couple healthy eating habits with regular exercise and sprinkle some consistency on top, that's how. Stick to it! Challenge yourself! I guarantee that when you and everyone starts noticing the changes it won't be as hard to continue. The hardest parts are starting, maintaining, and waiting for the results, but like I said. Consistency will get you there.

Keep Fighting, Never Give Up!

-Devon



ps. Happy National Physical Therapy Month!!!