People often ask me how to get rid of fat in specific areas, such as the under-arms, the thighs, the belly, and those side rolls that sneak over the top of the belt, also known as “love handles.” Sadly, spot-reducing just isn’t possible. You can perform exercises to tone and strengthen specific muscles, but there are no exercises that allow you to target where you’ll lose fat.

Fat just doesn’t work that way. Technically, you can’t actually “lose” fat at all. When you exercise and eat right, the fat cells throughout your body shrink in size, but they don’t go away. You can’t control where to shrink fat cells any more than you control where your body will store them. That’s determined largely by genetics, gender and age. Your genes may have programmed you to store more fat cells around your mid-section. But don’t lose heart. Lifestyle and activity do play a role. You may not be able to spot-reduce your fat, but you can work to reduce your overall percentage of body fat, with the reasonable expectation that some of that reduction may happen around your love handles. In addition, you can do exercises to tone up the muscles around your mid-section to give that area a firmer look. Here are some strategies that should help you make some inroads in these areas:

Stage your training
Fitness training needs to be planned in stages or cycles that promote physiological improvement from one phase to the next as you work toward your goal. Shaking up your routine every eight weeks or so reduces burnout and prevents your body from adapting to a repetitive routine. Making changes and refinements in your routine at each stage also prepares your body for the next phase. This is called “periodization” of training and is a key to any successful fitness program. Your weight-training program over the last three years has established a good foundation for fitness. Now I suggest that you begin a new eight-week phase where you concentrate on increasing your cardiovascular exercise to reduce overall body fat, while maintaining your strength training with added emphasis around those love handles. 

Do more cardiovascular exercise
Cardiovascular exercise burns more fat calories than strength training, so adding some cardio to your program will help you reduce your overall percentage of body fat. Your cardiovascular training should include a variety of aerobic activities – such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming or cycling – that get your heart pumping harder. Try to get in a 20 to 30 minute cardio workout four to six days a week, for a total of at least 120 minutes of aerobic activity every week. Alternate longer, moderate-paced sessions with shorter, higher-intensity sessions.

Emphasize the problem area in your weight training
A good way to maintain your strength training during this phase is to set up a strength and endurance circuit. I suggest starting with a multi-joint total-body strength exercise, such as squats or clean-and-jerks.  Follow that with seven to nine exercises that involve a variety of muscle groups, progressing from the larger to the smaller muscles, including several that target the areas around the love handles (the obliques and rectus abdominus). For example, your strength and endurance circuit could include the following: Squats / Chest press / Seated row / Leg curl / Shoulder press / Stability ball abdominal crunches / Side planks (static-hold for 20 to 30 seconds on each side) / Reverse crunches (These exercises target the areas around the love handles.)

Machines or free weights can be substituted for each exercise. If you are unfamiliar with any of these, ask a trainer to help you out for the first session or two. Perform 10 to 20 repetitions of one exercise (or repeat it for about 30 seconds), and rest for only 30 seconds before switching to the next exercise. Go through all of the exercises in succession before starting a second set of all of them. Shoot for two to three sets per session, and about two to three sessions per week on non-consecutive days.

Factor in nutrition
Regardless of how hard you work out, what you eat and drink can make or break your chances of becoming “lean and ripped.” Eating a diet focused on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and moderate amounts of healthy fats will help. Indulging in fast food, fries, chips, sodas and lattes won’t. For suggestions on how to improve your nutrition try picking up a book on the subject.

Work hard, but know when to cut yourself some slack
It sounds like your fitness level is well above average and that you are striving for excellence. That’s great. By using the principles of staged training, adding some cardiovascular training, continuing your weight training and watching your diet, you may make some inroads toward your goal of becoming lean and ripped. At the very least, you’ll be in much better shape than most people.
But don’t forget that genetics plays a big role in how your body looks and responds to exercise. Your genes may allow you to whittle down your love handles, but they may never let you get rid of them entirely. If that’s the case, you’ll just have to learn how to love them.

(Brought to you By Mike Boggs, BS, MBA, CSCS, fitness specialist, of Providence Mercantile Health and Fitness Center)

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In addition to learning about the health benefits associated with moderate consumption of chocolate, you will also learn about some different types of chocolate and the importance of the country of origin of the cocoa beans you purchase.

Chocolate has a long and distinguished history. Indigenous to Central America and Mexico, chocolate is made from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree. The ancient Mayan people used ground beans of the cocoa tree as far back as 2600 years ago to make xocolatl, a spicy beverage. Cocoa beans were often used as currency. Pre-Columbian civilizations such as the Maya and Aztec reserved the use of cocoa beans to only the highest noblemen and clerics. Both Columbus and Cortes are credited with sending cacao beans back to Spain but, due to the bitter taste of chocolate, it took some time until the Spanish found a way to improve the flavor and texture of chocolate. As with other imported products, chocolate beverages were enjoyed mostly by the wealthy. Solid chocolate in the form of bars were developed in the early to mid 1800’s in Europe.

Chocolate is much more than a delicious confection. There is substantial research published in the medical literature supporting a number of health benefits associated with moderate consumption of dark chocolate. Chocolate has beneficial effects on blood pressure and endothelial function. Its antioxidant properties exceed those of other antioxidant rich foods. Flavanol-rich cocoa has been found to increase cerebral blood flow to gray matter and may possibly play a role in the treatment of vascular impairments such as dementia and strokes. Chocolate may significantly inhibit atherosclerosis: it lowers cholesterol, LDL (bad cholesterol), and triglycerides, while raising HDL (good cholesterol). Chocolate seems to protect lower density lipoproteins from oxidation, further benefiting heart health. Chocolate not only may help lower blood pressure, but it improves insulin sensitivity in healthy persons. The significance of this in individuals with diabetes has not been well researched. Although it looks good from a cardiovascular perspective, chocolate’s role in long-term cardiovascular health has yet to be determined. Chocolate, with its theobromine content, can function as an effective cough suppressant. In a study exploring maternal chocolate consumption during pregnancy, mothers who consumed chocolate on a daily basis rated the temperament of their infants at 6 months more positively than those who consumed much less. And just when you thought that the news on chocolate couldn’t possibly get any sweeter, here’s one more morsel: when it comes to dental health, eating dark chocolate may result in a reduction in the risk of dental and periodontal disease.

There are three main varieties of cacao, each with their own distinct flavors: Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario. Also influencing flavor is the amount of cocoa used and other ingredients such as vanilla, milk, sugar, etc. As the percent of cocoa used goes up, the amount of sugar is reduced, producing a less sweet flavor since cocoa itself is bitter. The bottom line on chocolate seems to be that good quality, dark chocolate can offer a number of benefits to your health when consumed in moderate quantities. With its high calorie content, however, if you decide to include moderate amounts in your diet, consider either cutting out some calories elsewhere or increasing your level (or frequency) of physical activity. If you haven’t already done so, explore the wide range of flavors by purchasing chocolates produced by different makers and with varying amounts of cocoa. And the next time you take a bite, remember that chocolate is much more than a tasty treat.

(Brought to you by Marcela Vinocur, MD of Portland Health and Wellness)

To keep track of what you eat and more, visit the LifeBalance Food Tracker & Journal.

For complete a listing of related LifeBalance providers, please visit the LifeBalance Cooking page.

For more information and direct links to purchase these titles, please visit the LifeBalance / Boone Bridge Books page.

• Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure
  Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. Buy Now
• The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination & Nurture Family Connections
  Betsy Thompson, Amanda Blake Soule Buy Now
  
• Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak: By Writers Famous & Obscure
  Rachel Fershleiser, Larry Smith Buy Now

Boone Bridge Books offers members at least 25% savings on all titles (excluding textbooks) ordered from their website. 

I've noticed it increasingly more difficult to slow down whether it's zipping through commercials on TIVO or racing through a yellow light. We live in a culture that prides itself on going faster. With all the faster internet, faster food, faster lifestyles what if we could all treat life this month like a great book and take the time to get connected and SLOW DOWN? (Brought to you by Jason Stein Coaching)

When resting, the average adult human heart beats at approximately 70 times a minute for males and 75 times a minute in females. Find out more about general heart health and measuring your heart rate with HeartFit.

Eating an extra serving of fruits or vegetables a day can reduce your risk of heart disease by more than 20%. Learn more about how to maintain a healthy heart through your diet; check out Nutrition / Supplements services and providers in your area.

Current research shows that owning a dog or cat may decrease your risk of heart disease by nearly one-third! Return the favor and keep your pet happy and healthy by browsing for savings in the Pets section today.

Research has shown that couples who work out together are not only healthier, but tend to stay together longer and report being happier than non-active couples. Check out Fitness / Health Clubs with your loved one this month.

Your standard of living is not decided by where you came from. It is determined by where you choose to go. You don't need anyone's permission or assistance to raise your standard of living. You simply must decide to make the very best of who you are and what you have. Do you wish to live a magnificent life that's overflowing with joy and fulfillment? You can most certainly do that, right here and now, by choosing your attitude, your perceptions, your thoughts and your actions. Raise your standard of living in every moment by doing something to make your world a more beautiful place. Achieve the very highest standard of living by faithfully following the purpose that lives at your core. There is always something you can do to improve the quality of your life. Continually seize those opportunities for improvement, and enjoy a rich, rewarding standard of living all the time. (Daily Motivator)

• 6 c water
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 6 med beets
• 1 med onion; chopped (about 1/2 c)
• 2 tbsp margarine or butter
• 2 tbsp honey;
• 1 tbsp lemon juice;
• 1 1/2 tsp salt;
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat water, vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt to boiling. Add beets. Simmer until tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Drain. Run cold water over beets; slip off skins and remove root ends. Cut beets into shoestring pieces. Cook and stir onion in margarine in skillet over med heat until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in beets, honey, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt and the cinnamon. Heat stirring occasionally, until beets are hot, about 5 minutes.

Makes approx. 6 servings. Prep time approx. 10 minutes, cooking time approx. 45 minutes.

(Brought to you by Spud)

Ranging from increased recycling campaigns to save on the cost of office supplies to installing solar panels on the roof to cut energy spending; companies across the country are greening up. A few of the recent arrivals to the green scene include BP, Wal-Mart and DuPont; all of whom are promoting solar energy and the reduction of carbon emissions. Hewlett Packard offers customers the ability to recycle components and toners by sending them back to HP. Much smaller companies are making daily decisions on much smaller scales to make changes like discontinuing their staff room paper cup and plate orders in favor of a set of dish ware and utensils that can be washed and reused. Others are lowering their energy bill by requesting employees turn off their computers and other electronic devices when not in use. Recycled paper is the norm in the office copy room now. The push to go paperless is present in most companies as we digitize more and more information every day. The tag line, "Do you really need to print me?" crops up at the bottom of some email signature lines. We've even coined a phrase for employees working in environmentally friendly organizations; Green-collar workers. The green industry promises growth in the years to come as our country and corporations make the push to make the right decisions about being green.(Brought to you by Xenium)

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