Strength Training…the Key to Healthy Metabolism

strength trainingLooking to rebuild a healthy metabolism?

Look no further than strength training.

Muscle tissue in both men and women deteriorates at almost every stage of life. Strength training is the key to building and replacing that muscle.

Many people don’t realize that muscle is the “driving force behind your fat burning mechanism – your metabolism.

The equation is simple: The more toned muscle tissue you possess, the more efficiently your body will burn fat and the more of it you will continue to burn over time.

Good healthy muscles allows you to eat a reasonable amount of food without gaining excess fat weight.

This type of metabolic fitness does not happen overnight, nor does it happen by accident.

It’s true that genetics plays a role in metabolic fitness, but it is lifestyle choices concerning our exercise and nutrition that play the biggest role in how fast or slow our metabolism operates.

Here’s the keys to building the kind of metabolic fitness that benefits your health the most by turning your body into a fat-burning machine.

Nutrient dense clean eating is a must

Proper exercise including a challenging strength training program

Cardio interval type exercises

Active and vital lifestyle

The most important of all…Consistency!

Before beginning your muscle building program be aware that muscle tissue is much denser than fat. Those with tight toned body’s weight more than “skinny fat” people who lack good muscle tone. Once you begin your strength training program (unless you are significantly overweight to begin with) you will likely not see your scale move down much because the fat you are burning off is being replaced by lean muscle tissue. In fact, don’t get discouraged if you actually see the needle climb slightly as you shift your fat to muscle.

One thing you can depend on is that strength training has the ability to change your body for the better.

Remember these two basic but important rules:

If you want to look “hot” you need to replace fat with muscle. A body with good muscle/fat ratio is way more aesthetically pleasing.

Your scale can deceive you…Don’t put so much “weight” on that bathroom scale. Muscle tissue weighs more than fat. Pay more attention to how your clothes are fitting and how much better you look in the mirror.

It’s a good idea before beginning to have your body composition tested to find out where you stand now so that you can measure your future progress. This can be done at your local gym or you can do with a home testing device. If you are properly strength training than your measurements will change. Is your waistline getting smaller, your legs firmer and your tummy tighter? That’s what you need to pay attention to.

Body composition testing breaks your weight into lean muscle tissue versus the fat. The goal being to increase muscle percentage while decreasing fat percentage.

Bottom line is this: the less of either muscle or fat tissue on your body means more room for the other. If you stop exercising for any reason and stop putting your muscles to good use your body becomes less efficient at burning calories…and this is what allows excess fat weight to accumulate.

 

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