02:11
Faizan
You've been cranking out some tough sessions on your stair stepper machine, hoping to tone up and maybe even lose some fat from your butt or thighs. You may be dismayed, then, to find that your once-large breasts are shrinking, even though you're only really using your legs to work out. Whether you like it or not, you've just been introduced to the concept of overall body fat reduction.
The Makeup of the Breast
If you have larger breasts, it's very likely that they contain a good deal of fatty tissue. Women's breasts are made up of four components: the milk ducts, the glands or "lobules" that empty into the milk ducts, connective tissue and fat. In older women beyond child-bearing age, the lobes tend to shrivel and are replaced by more fat. Genetics can also play a role. Some women tend to naturally have more fat in their breasts or to carry weight in their upper bodies, resulting in a larger breast size.
The Effects of Stair Stepping
Stair stepping is an aerobic exercise that people typically perform in order to burn fat or maintain their cardiovascular health. Aerobic exercise consumes calories, so by doing that activity repeatedly, you'll tend to burn a significant number of calories. According to Harvard Health Publications, a 155-pound person will burn about 223 calories using a stair step machine for 30 minutes. There's really no such thing as "spot reduction," so when you burn calories, you'll reduce fat all over your body, including in your breasts. That doesn't mean you're going to "lose" your big breasts, but when you're losing weight, you can expect your breasts to get smaller.
Calorie Balance
If you're using the stair stepper for health purposes and not in an effort to lose weight, it is possible to keep your breast size; you just have to watch your caloric intake. Losing weight is all about that calorie deficit, so by tracking your calories and ensuring you're in balance and not in a deficit, you won't lose weight with exercise and you won't lose your breast mass. If you're a person who likes to track numbers, download a calorie-tracking app or use an online calorie calculator to monitor how many you're consuming daily. If you find that you're consuming too few calories, you may be able to indulge in dessert or other calorie-rich foods to increase your daily intake and keep yourself at a maintenance level instead of a weight-loss level.
Strength Training
The amount of fat in your breasts may increase or decrease according to the amount of cardio you're doing and the foods you're eating, but you do have one other tool that could help you maintain at least some of your chest's girth. Your breasts don't have muscle, but there is muscle tissue underneath the breasts, and that muscle will respond to strength or weight training. Building the pectoral muscles can help you maintain a firmer, larger chest area. Try incorporating some of the most effective pec-building exercises out there, which include the barbell bench press, bent-over cable crossovers and the "pec deck" machine. Total-body strength training is essential for building muscle and bone and maintaining mobility as you age, so all adults should be doing it about two days a week.
The Makeup of the Breast
If you have larger breasts, it's very likely that they contain a good deal of fatty tissue. Women's breasts are made up of four components: the milk ducts, the glands or "lobules" that empty into the milk ducts, connective tissue and fat. In older women beyond child-bearing age, the lobes tend to shrivel and are replaced by more fat. Genetics can also play a role. Some women tend to naturally have more fat in their breasts or to carry weight in their upper bodies, resulting in a larger breast size.
The Effects of Stair Stepping
Stair stepping is an aerobic exercise that people typically perform in order to burn fat or maintain their cardiovascular health. Aerobic exercise consumes calories, so by doing that activity repeatedly, you'll tend to burn a significant number of calories. According to Harvard Health Publications, a 155-pound person will burn about 223 calories using a stair step machine for 30 minutes. There's really no such thing as "spot reduction," so when you burn calories, you'll reduce fat all over your body, including in your breasts. That doesn't mean you're going to "lose" your big breasts, but when you're losing weight, you can expect your breasts to get smaller.
Calorie Balance
If you're using the stair stepper for health purposes and not in an effort to lose weight, it is possible to keep your breast size; you just have to watch your caloric intake. Losing weight is all about that calorie deficit, so by tracking your calories and ensuring you're in balance and not in a deficit, you won't lose weight with exercise and you won't lose your breast mass. If you're a person who likes to track numbers, download a calorie-tracking app or use an online calorie calculator to monitor how many you're consuming daily. If you find that you're consuming too few calories, you may be able to indulge in dessert or other calorie-rich foods to increase your daily intake and keep yourself at a maintenance level instead of a weight-loss level.
Strength Training
The amount of fat in your breasts may increase or decrease according to the amount of cardio you're doing and the foods you're eating, but you do have one other tool that could help you maintain at least some of your chest's girth. Your breasts don't have muscle, but there is muscle tissue underneath the breasts, and that muscle will respond to strength or weight training. Building the pectoral muscles can help you maintain a firmer, larger chest area. Try incorporating some of the most effective pec-building exercises out there, which include the barbell bench press, bent-over cable crossovers and the "pec deck" machine. Total-body strength training is essential for building muscle and bone and maintaining mobility as you age, so all adults should be doing it about two days a week.
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