subject: The Downside To Your Backside [print this page] Fat Facts Fat Facts
This article is a focus on the ladies of the world. It doesnt take a man in a lab to figure out that men tend to store fat around their waist, while women store it in their hips, bum and thighs. We should thank Mother Nature for estrogen, the culprit behind your plumper, lower halves that not only prepare you for reproduction, but also gives you those beautiful feminine curves. All women need a little fat there since the body requires a lot of energy to grow a baby, which it gets from fat and calories. Thats why women with extremely low body-fat percentage-such as an elite athlete-may stop menstruating.
While a little junk in the trunk may be as nature intended, the downside to being genetically disposed to storing fat around the bum and hip area is that it can be tricky to get rid of it. The same goes for any extra fat that ends up there as a result of a poor diet or lack of exercise. This can result in the unwanted pear shape body. It does not help that there is less blood flow to the hips and bum compared to other parts of the body. Unlike your biceps and belly this low blood flow makes it harder to transport fat out of these areas even when you are exercising and watching your diet.
Genetics: Curse or Blessing?
Whether your bum is flat or plump, chances are, you can thank your ancestors for your current DNA. Genetics play a major role in determining where fat is distributed in the body, therefore possibly influencing the shape of the glutes. As studies have shown, your genes contribute to your bodys composition of fat mass versus lean mass. Since your muscle mass is in the range of 30-50 percent and your mother is a little on the plumper side, that could be your fate too. While pounding the treadmill cannot alter your genetic makeup, the good news is that you can work with what youve got. Even though shape is most influenced by genetics, it doesnt mean you have sit back and have a bum like your mother. Exercise can have a large impact on genetics. Even if you are prone to being overweight, exercise can help prevent it. A good diet and plenty of exercise can make a huge difference. It can be as simple as sweating for 60 minutes a day.
How to Work Your Butt Into Shape
Your backside is comprised of three separate muscles: the gluteus maximus-the largest and strongest-the medius and the minimus. Combined, they help you walk, climb stairs, pick up a child and strut in stilettos. What is amazing, though, is the glutes, which are vital to our busy lives, are actually pretty lazy. The gluts are the powerhouse of the body, but during normal activity they are fairly dormant. That is because the glutes consist mostly of slow-twitch muscle fibers, which can work for a long time without fatiguing. Fast-twitch fibers fire rapidly but burn out quickly. The glutes function like your back, you do not have to think about flexing your back muscles to walk upright, or sit up straight. Take jogging for instance, it is a great workout for your heart, but it is no sweat for the glutes, your quads, hams and calves are doing most of the work. As soon as you dash up a hill or climb a flight of stairs, though, requiring you to lift your knee and thigh vertically and press down with you heel, those gluteal muscles are firing on all cylinders.
Stair climbing is the surefire way to sculpt shapely glutes. Since it requires you to drive your body not only forward but also upward against gravity, your glutes work overtime and get a lift as well. This method also burns up to 10 times more calories than running on a flat surface. What this means to you is you will be tightening your lower half and simultaneously slimming your entire body.
In a Perfect World
Even if you do not have the best genetics for a firm and lovely butt, you can earn one through diet and exercise. We all have areas of our body that require us to work on in order to get the results we want. Just remember exercise can be fun and the results can a leaner, fitter, and healthier you!
