Misconceptions when it comes to women and fitness

Pretty much all marketing for fitness is marketed towards women 
Look in any magazine or flip the channel there's a new program, workout or pill that promises crazy results with some system, gadget or super-food 
On social media, you follow and save influence's' videos for...
Arms workouts 
Ab workouts 
Butt workouts 
Thigh workouts 
All designed and promised to “tighten” those problem areas, “toning” your muscles and “tucking” fat in certain areas
Over the years I've had a lot of confused clients who I've had to talk to about this 
So I want to give it to you straight and cut out all the B.S. by covering what's being marketed to you
Misconception #1 spot reduce fat 
I've had a few of my clients point to certain parts of their body and ask “how did I get rid of that?”
flab on their stomach 
the cafeteria lady arms
Back fat
Even those bat wings
You know that flabby part between your armpits…
Im not gonna bullshit you 
Your body cannot just lose fat in specific locations 
Trying to get rid of flabby arms or a flabby stomach by doing thousands of curls or crunches won't help 
There is no spot reduction...
Your body stores fat in certain places 
If you find yourself saying, “I can't eat that because it goes straight to my butt!”
You might be right 
there are certain places that fat goes to first, then moves into the others 
The same goes when you are losing weight 
It might come off your belly, chest, then arms, and EVENTUALLY your butt  
With that said, there is no amount of targeted exercises you can do that will spot reduce fat
This is out of your control
So instead, focus on what you can control 
Eliminate fat through nutrition and strength training
What you eat is responsible for 80-90% of how you look and feel
And is 80% of the fat-loss equation 
The other 20% come from strength training 
Specifically, functional movements, which are the big compound movements like squats, push, pulls, lunges, hinging and rotating 
These movements recruit a lot of muscles at one time, therefore burning extra calories 
Even after your workout is done
Want to learn how to lift weights to reduce fat? 
Join my Little Black Dress Project 
So You Can Become More Self-Confident, Lose Weight, And Celebrate Being A Strong And Sexy Woman."
Misconception #2: Men and women should train differently 
When you look across the gym floor you've probably seen your average bro doing the following;
Barbell Squats, Deadlifts, Shoulder presses, Push-ups, Dips etc...
On that same gym floor, you’ll most likely see women go through lightweight dumbbell circuits, high reps and adding in a stability ball.
The reason for this is because of what has been marketed to you and passed down in your social circle that women should have a different program than men...
But in reality, there’s no reason men and women should train differently
There’s no reason that men and women can’t complete the same types of exercises
While a guy can lift a certain way to get bigger,  you can lift in the same way, but instead build that dense, tight, and lean athlete look your aiming for
If you recall from my previous posts you will not “BULK” up like men do because of your hormones like estrogen, testosterone, and dietary differences
Remember, your diet is 80-90% of the equation!
Not only that, but you have just as much a right to be in the free weights section and squat rack as guys do. 
Unfortunately, it’s just less common 
Though some women are changing the landscape of that!
To get the body you want, train in a way that is going to get you results 
Squats, Deadlifts, Shoulder presses, Push-ups, Dips etc…
At ITP Fitness this is what we program to give you the best chance to build the body you want!
To hammer this point home: we work with coaching clients who are brand new to strength training, and we help them pick up their weight for the first time
Misconception #3: Eat less 
The equation to lose weight is simple 
Calories in - calories out = weight loss 
So by this equation, yes, you do need to eat less in on order to lose weight 
But Ill have you consider that you can eat more and lose weight 
Simply by telling you to eat fewer calories is not the whole story 
What I find is that magazines, trainers and such fail to mention or even look at what calories are being taken in already…
...and educating clients that not all calories are created equal 
Let me break it down for you 
If you cut down your current calories to 1200 calories, even if its fast food, you will lose weight 
But you will also lose muscle and feel miserable 
Diets do work but there's also a huge reason diets fail 
People are unhappy, always hungry and find it to be a miserable way of life, so they drop it 
Your body reacts differently to processed foods versus nutrient-dense foods like lean proteins, low glycemic carbohydrates, vegetables, and healthy fats 
Your body takes in more vitamins, minerals, and compounds from nutrient-dense foods
Causing your body to feel energized, healthier, stronger and leaner 
On the other hand, by eating processed foods your body feels sluggish, sick, weak, and fat 
I often get asked by friends and clients, “which Diet is best” 
And my answer is the diet you can stick with for longer than 6 months 
If you cant find yourself staying the course you will find short term success followed by backtracking to your original weight…
...or worse, HEAVIER!
So, what do you do? 
Dont focus on calories 
Instead, focus on nutrient density 
Nutrient-dense foods pack a lot of nutrients and carry very few calories 
When my clients come back to me from making the switch from processed to nutrient-dense they tell me that they are eating more, feeling full, and losing weight! 
Heres a blueprint of what they do: 
Eat nutrient-dense foods AKA real food! 
Eat reasonable portions 
Eat mostly veggies every meal 
Eat protein with every meal 
Dont go back for seconds 
Now this doesn't mean you can go to town eating all the food 
But you will find that you are eating more but still consuming fewer calories than when you were eating processed foods 
This approach is much easier to follow, satisfying and sustainable 

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