Do you know any exercises that will get rid of my saddlebags? I've just recently begun to notice the appearance of these unsightly pouches and I'm desperate to get rid of them.

-- Ana

I'm sorry Ana, I don't know any exercises to get rid of saddlebags. Whoever devises an exercise to do this will surely make a fortune! I'll probably go to my grave saying this, but spot reduction is nothing more than a myth. It simply doesn't work.

That said, I'm going to assume you're talking about putting weight on your hips. (This is the first place women begin to store fat, we guys get to deal with love handles). The first place we gain fat is also the last place we lose fat.

Has anything about your diet changed so that you're getting more of your calories from fat? Or are you eating more in general? Has there been a disruption in your exercise routine that would lessen the total number of calories burned from week to week? Take a close look at what's been going on in your life the past couple of months and how this may be affecting your body.

If you haven't been exercising or watching what you eat, it's time to start. You should be doing cardiovascular exercise a minimum of three times a week and resistance training twice a week. It sounds like you're ready to arrest this development right away, so I'm betting you can reverse the process in a couple of months.

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