Skinny Genes

I believe that we are all our own worst critics. I was talking with my sister in law during our run and we were discussing how our bodies are designed and how each and every one of us has our "trouble spots". Let's talk about genes...not JEANS, but genetics.

For most women, we carry our weight in our hips, thighs, buttocks and waist. I know for me, the hardest thing for me to work and see any definition is my abs. No matter how hard I work them, I still have that layer of fat that covers them up. I have always struggled with a "muffin top" no matter how think I've ever gotten. The belly fat is the LAST to go for me.

I've also recently learned that I store fat in the backside of my arms (tricep area) is really hard for me to lose too. My triceps are there and are developing, I just can't see them very well!

And last but not least, another big trouble spot for me, not in a sense of storing fat, but a difficult area to develop muscle is my calves. They are just small. I don't have those gorgeous fish bellies on my lower legs. I run, I lift weights, I'm on my feet a lot, but those puppies will NOT grow! I think it is because I have a long calve muscle and it can't contract as nicely as I would like. At least I have long legs, right?

So how can we fight genes? You can't really. You've got to work with what you've got. There is no such thing as "spot training" you can't lose fat in just your belly or arms and I can do calve rasies until the cows come home and I doubt I'll get thick calve muscles in this lifetime. However, I can be sure to work those areas to exhaustion to get the absolute BEST out of those areas. So that's the skinny on genes. Love what you've got and appreciate your strong areas. Work your trouble spots to exhaustion and don't beat yourself up over it. If all our bodies were exactly the same, this would all be easy breezy, but we're all built differently and we've just got to work with the one body God gave us!