Energy Express by Marilynn Preston

Of course I understand. You want what millions want, especially those of us with mirrors. There's a part of your body that is too big, too fat, too this, too that, and you want to make it leaner, slimmer and tighter.

You want to spot reduce! Admit it. You want that one exercise that targets your melony belly, lasers in on your lumpy thighs, sucks up the wiggly flesh that hangs off the underside of your arms.

You want to spot reduce! And as your most personal trainer, I'm here to help. The best way to do that is tell you a secret. Here it is … lean in a little closer ... and commit this to memory: There is no such thing as spot reduction.

That's right. It's a myth, a marketing ploy and a misunderstanding of how your body works. To reduce it to basics, fat is fat. And that includes cellulite. You can't make it disappear from a certain part of your body by working that body part over and over.

(Unless you're a competitive bodybuilder who trains with 80-100 ultra-rep sessions and very little food, and wind up with dreamy six-pack abs that have nothing to do with fitness or good health. But I'm not talking to that crowd today.)

Can you get stronger by targeted exercises? Absolutely, if you're pushing enough weight. Can you build muscle, even when you're 90? Without a doubt. But can you remove fat from one particular problem area — your belly, your buns or your thighs — just by regularly exercising that area only? Nope. And keep this in mind: Costly creams, exotic gels and anti-cellulite potions of every persuasion also cannot wipe, melt or extrude fat from your body.

SO HOW DO YOU GET RID OF BODY FAT? The old-fashioned way: Eat less, exercise more. The way to reduce fat in your body is to expend more calories than you take in. It's called negative calorie balance, and it's the scientific fact we like to overlook in favor of gimmicky diets, risky pills, and 24/7 food and drink, as advertised to us approximately one million times a day.

If — over time — you burn up more calories than you take in, by working out and by being active, and if you don't have some whacky metabolism hold-on-to-the-fat malfunction, you will lose fat over your entire body.

SO WHAT ABOUT PROBLEM AREAS? All is not hopeless.

You just have to get real, so you're not disappointed. If you do specific exercises targeted to your thighs and hips — lunges and squats are a great example — you will shape and tone them. And shaping and toning will improve their appearance, lift your spirits, and add to your strength and flexibility. But getting rid of the underlying fat is another question. Some people look to liposuction for the answer. To these people I want to say, keep looking. Every surgical procedure has its risks and downsides. On the upside however, you might want to look into an attitude adjustment.

HOW CAN AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT HELP? Are you kidding? Feeling good about your body and the shape it's in is one of the healthiest and hardest things you can do. We all walk around with unrealistic ideas about how we should look. Flatter tummies. Slimmer ankles. Tinier waists. We see starving models in magazines or on screen and think that's how we should be. It's sick. And it leads to all sorts of difficult and damaging eating disorders, especially in girls and women.

Isn't it time you stopped trying to spot reduce and started accepting the body you have? Get it healthy. Make it strong. Let it play sports, do yoga and release tension. But don't make it compete with other bodies of varying shapes and practices.

The ability to shapeshift your negative and critical thoughts into a positive and grateful acceptance of the body you've been given is a basic principle of healthy living.

And here's the kicker that so many behavioral psychologists believe is true, especially the ones who specialize in happiness psychology: Once you find the courage and discipline to accept yourself and move on, you'll also find the strength to make whatever changes you want.

Don't laugh. The happiness psychologists take this stuff very seriously.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! REFLECTIONS ON MICHELLE'S ARMS

"You see in other people what you want for yourself." — "Taxi Driver Wisdom," by Risa Mickenberg

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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