Why a summer body shouldn’t be your only fitness goal

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Exam season is around the corner, which means we are not too far away from the summer holiday season. This is also the time most holiday planning is done and one of the things people start focusing on is their vacation look, not just in terms of what to wear but the way they look.

Many people turn to personal trainers, buy gym memberships and start going for runs to get in better shape in time for their holiday. The most common demands that coaches and trainers hear from any newcomer to a gym are for losing some flab around the tummy, toning their arms and shedding a few kilos, says Abraar Khan Waryah, co-founder and head coach of Gridiron Fitness Studio in Kolkata. All of us have friends and family who have walked into a gym with exactly these demands.

While this is the reality in the world of instant gratification, the bad news for those looking to get a “summer body" in a hurry is that no good coach or trainer is likely to accept clients with such poor goals for choosing to exercise. Further bad news, in case one tries taking matters into their own hands and starts working out on their own, using free advice and exercise videos on the internet, is that spot reduction of fat with exercise doesn’t really happen. Targeted weight loss is simply not possible without surgical intervention.

“Losing fat from specific areas is a myth. The only way to reduce body fat is by maintaining an optimal energy balance, where calories burned exceed calories consumed. This can be done in two ways: managing diet and increasing activity.