RELEASE TRAPPED FAT
Sara Gottfried, M.D., reveals the tissue glitch that makes it impossible to lose weight—and the easy at-home cure!
Picture your favorite sundress: It hugs your curves in all the right places, so you look and feel like a million bucks. Now imagine that someone has placed several pieces of thick double-sided packing tape on your dress—maybe one across the waist, one on the right shoulder and one running down the back. As you move, the tape sticks and causes the fabric to bunch up awkwardly, creating lumps and bumps that distort your silhouette and even restrict your ability to move. Now try to envision what it would be like if you were wearing that bunched-up dress under your skin. According to Harvard-trained weightloss expert Sara Gottfried, M.D., the body does have something akin to an internal “dress”—it’s a web of soft connective tissue called fascia that envelops every muscle, blood vessel,
nerve, organ and bone. “I like to think of healthy fascia as a silky sundress that glides over your other tissues,” says Dr. Gottfried. “At its best, it is pliable and can stretch and move as needed.”
The problem: As we age, factors including muscle underuse, poor posture and inflammation create sticky scar-like adhesions on fascia. “Inflammation and scar tissue can bind the fascia—just as the tape limits the movement of the sundress, fascia becomes tight and limits your mobility,” explains Dr. Gottfried. “Put simply, muscles become short and stiff, then dysfunctional.” This can make it uncomfortable or painful to exercise or even move.
Sticky fascia sets up a cycle of creeping weight gain—and 90 percent of women over 40 are affected to some degree. “As the fascia gets tight, it clamps down on muscles, nerves and blood vessels, leading to pain, tension and restricted blood flow, like a kink in a hose,” explains Dr. Gottfried. Left unchecked, this “kink” can prevent fat from being burned and impair the body’s ability to build and maintain lean muscle. The reason: Oxygen is required to break down fat within cells, and blood delivers oxygen. “Without oxygenated blood, the muscles get weak and withered, which slows metabolism,” notes celebrity trainer Lauren Roxburgh. And with fat trapped and metabolic rate slowed, the pounds creep on and it becomes all but impossible to lose weight.
To make matters worse, tight fascia causes “false” belly fat. “Fascia actually helps create the shape of our bodies,” says Roxburgh. “When fascia is tight, toxins can become trapped in the fascia and this leads to thicker ‘pockets’ of sticky, toxic fascia throughout the body—such as those that often form around the waist.” Tight fascia causes cellulite as well, she adds. “When the fascia becomes weak and tangled, it acts almost like a net—as fat presses up against it, we get that dimpled look.”
But heal the fascia and...wow! During her 15-plus years of working with real women, pro athletes and A-listers including Gwyneth Paltrow, Roxburgh has found that a combination of diet and targeted massage can loosen fascia and allow optimal blood flow to fire up fat burn. “And once you smooth out the fascia, you’ll be able to use your muscles more efficiently and they’ll quickly become strong and toned.” The payoff: Stubborn fat and cellulite vanish—fast! One FIRST reader saw her saddlebags melt away as she dropped 3 pants sizes in 3 weeks.
As the weight comes off, the benefits multiply. Roxburgh notes that her clients rave about reduced joint pain and muscle tightness within days of working on their fascia, and strength and flexibility improve in the first three weeks. Women FIRST spoke with also report that loosening tight fascia can eliminate planter fasciitis, frequent headaches and chronic knee and back pain while improving range of motion and energy levels. This creates an upward spiral of positivity as the aches that have been keeping women from getting out and enjoying life vanish. To transform your health, take the quiz at right, then read on to discover the strategies that will help you slim and energize.