Does hard work in the gym always give you the body that you want? Well, not always. Fitness is guaranteed to make you feel fitter and stronger over time, but our bodies don’t always change the way we want it to. Stubborn fat is very difficult to get rid of and it often lingers in areas we wish were slim, on waists (love handles), upper arms and back.

So, what is the solution to getting rid of stubborn fat if the treadmill isn’t working for you?

The quick fix: fat freezing treatment

Fast fat removal used to be most commonly associated with liposuction, and other surgical cosmetics procedures. However, in recent years, non-surgical treatments have become more popular, with Coolsculpting growing in popularity within the last year. Leading expert in cosmetic treatments, Dr Sarah Shah, describes coolsculpting as a fat freezing treatment that, over several sessions, freezes fat on those stubborn fat areas, allowing your body to naturally break it down. No pain and no more stubborn fat.

Now, coolsculpting isn’t for everyone. It is very much targeted at hard to change areas of the body. Its for those gym fit people who are looking to tweak the aesthetics of their body. This is one of the main reasons why celebrities like Debra Messing have been getting this fat freezing treatment.

Fat freezing isn’t something everyone is going to want to do right away, and there are alternatives that will take a bit longer. And there are very good reasons why it takes longer which explain why people are looking to fat freezing treatment to help their bodies along.

Stubborn fat is scientifically hard to get rid of, it’s not just your body

According to professional bodybuilder Tom Venuto, “the navel, lower abs, lower back, and sides of the waist” are the key stubborn fat areas for men. There’s nothing to be ashamed of if you can’t lose weight in these areas; it is scientifically harder to lose weight there.

Everyone’s body is different. You may have your own personal problem areas that you struggle to tighten up, no matter how hard you try, but the same rules apply for all stubborn fat and how to get rid of it.

What makes stubborn fat hard to get rid of is mostly down to science. “Love handles”, for example, actually have more fat cells than most other areas in your body. It’s inevitable that you’re going to have fat there.

Fat tends to gravitate to these problem areas, it’s where you will first start to accumulate fat. What gives it staying power is that, when you do start to lose weight with diet and exercise, these same areas are also the last place you’ll lose fat. It’s where your body retains fat most, hence, stubborn fat.

The longer fix: Can personal training help shift stubborn fat?

Fat freezing treatment is seen by many as the new solution to their stubborn fat problem when an active life and careful diet don’t give the results they want. But, there may be something in the way your are training that isn’t helping you lose the stubborn fat.

You’re only as fit as your workout plan can make you, and it has to be personalised to your body’s strengths and weaknesses.

If you’ve been struggling with stubborn body fat for a while, it might be time to bring in a professional to help you train. Jon Denoris, a personal trainer who has worked with celebrities such as Rachel Stevens and Natasha Bedingfield, advises clients to treat the world as a pop-up gym, exercising no matter where they are.

One of his recommendations, deskercise, encourages people to keep exercising even when they are at work, combatting the sedentary lifestyles that many of us are forced to live, sitting down in office chairs for eight hours a day.

Tips like this, along with a bespoke program, will help you lose all of your body fat, right down to the stubborn bits. Plus, the encouragement and mentorship of an expert can really help with motivation.